A health insurance protocol intended to promote the use of effective, cheaper medications may create barriers that lead people to receive less of needed medications, according to a Thomson Reuters study. As a result, patients ultimately require more - and more costly - medical care.

Though video detailing had a rocky start when it debuted a decade ago, recent physician online video adoption and satisfaction rates indicate that this channel is now a viable option for pharma, biotech, and device manufacturers.

Researchers in Spain and the UK have demonstrated that stroke patients who have lost part of their spatial awareness experience enhanced visual awareness when listening to music that they like. The study's findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underline the importance of an individual's emotional state in modulating awareness.

VTT is launching an extensive EU project called ETHERPATHS, studying the effects of dietary effects mediated by gut microbiota on lipid metabolism. The aim is to accelerate the development of health-promoting foods. The project develops computer assisted models with which food companies and research institutions, for instance, will be able to predict the effects of foods in the body.

The Healthcare and Science business of Thomson Reuters has released the white paper, "The Five Myths of Generic Competition," highlighting what originator pharmaceutical and biotech companies can do to improve their forecasting of the likely timing, source and intensity of competition from generic drugs.

Deutsche Zeitschrift für Klinische Forschung (DZKF) portal, developed by Geelen & Geelen Beratung für medizinisch-wissenschaftliche Projekte GmbH, now is available in English. The portal is password protected and accessible only by medical scientific professionals, it allows to publish and read multimedia-format information and send others the related web link(s).

Pharmaceutical product sites are an important component of an overall brand strategy and can serve as a brand extender for consumers - providing an engaging brand experience that may not be fully realized in the time and space constraints of traditional media.