Overheard at GMM HQ
"The 10th anniversary is traditionally celebrated with a gift made of tin, but we decided to go with free strategy instead."
– Holley Malia, on GMM's new Ten4Ten Innovator campaign.
WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS BUZZING ABOUT
WHO RUNS THE WORLD?
It seems like Amazon has some pocket change left after their purchase of Whole Foods. In their never-ending plight to be purveyors of literally everything, Amazon is reportedly exploring an entry into the pharmaceutical business, actively hiring new executives to formulate a plan to enter the pharmacy market.
DRUGS FROM DRONES?
While Amazon and its homies purport that the move would boost transparency and convenience for patients, the Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Connecticut argues that the elimination of pharmacist-patient interaction is likely to cause "medication-related errors."
THE 411
Increasing prescription compliance is an ongoing battle in the healthcare world, and an Amazonian attempt at solving it brings pros (lower cost and increased convenience) and cons (buh-bye friendly neighborhood pharmacist).
LIVING IN 2037: MEDICAL DEVICE LEASING
Are lease agreements going to become a thing in the device world? Maybe, if a precedent set by a recent patent-related lawsuit carries over to patented medical devices (um, that's all of them).
CAN YOU SAY LOOPHOLE?
The lawsuit found that a patent owner could not sue someone for patent infringement for refurbishing and reselling products the patent owner previously sold explicitly restricting refurbishing and reselling. Say what? A single-use device that gets scooped up and refurbished by a third-party company could seemingly be held to this precedent, leaving the manufacturer with little recourse.
THE 411
The lawsuit was limited to the sale of patented products, but did not include language about leasing. Ipso facto, some device companies might be better protected by opting to lease their products rather than selling them.
JUST FREEZE THOSE THOUGHTS RIGHT THERE
What's worse than brain freeze from your free Slurpee? Scrolling your Facebook feed at 3 a.m. because you can't sleep. A new insomnia treatment device cools the frontal lobe of the brain, which has been suggested to slow the type of racing thoughts that keep some people up at night.
IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD
Insomniacs tend to have higher than normal activity in the frontal lobe of their brains, the region responsible for higher-order functions like planning, organizing and logical reasoning. The new FDA-approved system consists of a fluid-filled headband and a control unit that controls the circulation and temperature of the fluid to help cool down the forehead—and the brain activity. Recent clinical studies show significant improvement in getting some quality Zzzzs.
THE 411
Insomnia affects approximately 60 million Americans, so nearly any novel treatment option should get some traction here. The unit is expected to be widely available next year so more people can get their beauty rest.
GOOD TO KNOW
A photo is worth 1,000 words, which is apparently why the American Diabetes Association prohibited sharing them via social media from presentations at their annual conference. But do those continuing education credits even count if there's no proof on Instagram?
