Mediaboss Marketing

Democrats' new drug pricing law will likely deliver a financial blow to one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative segments of the pharmaceutical industry: cancer drugs.

Why it matters: The drug industry argues that the new law will keep oncology treatments from reaching some patients who need them. But experts say the current system lets companies profit from developing drugs that yield only incremental advances and that cancer drugs will still be valuable enough for companies to pursue.

The big picture: The dispute over how Medicare drug price negotiations affect cancer care is a microcosm of a larger debate, in which the pharmaceutical industry argues that price controls will reduce their incentive to bring new drugs to market.

What theyre saying: Research on cancer drugs after initial approval "will be gutted by this bill," Stephen Ubl, CEO of the industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, wrote in an Aug. 4 letter to Congress.

How it works: Cancer drugs are usually launched to target one type of cancer. Companies then do additional research once the drug is on the market to see if it is also effective against other forms of cancer, which can earn approvals for other "indications."

State of play: Under the new law, beginning in 2026, certain older drugs without generic competition will be subject for Medicare negotiations. That means there will be a limited amount of time during which a drug company has monopoly pricing power, even if a competitor hasnt yet materialized.

The other side: Some experts dismiss the industry's concerns as fear mongering, countering that expanding the market for a particular oncology drug will still be more than profitable enough to justify R&D costs.

By the numbers: Nearly half of the drugs in the FDA pipeline were cancer drugs as of January 2021, according to a University of Chicago white paper. The authors argue that means oncology drugs will be significantly impacted by the new law and fewer will come to market.

The intrigue: Research suggests that not all cancer drugs nor all approved indications offer the same value to patients.

The bottom line: Capping the price of a new drug after a certain amount of time certainly does decrease the incentive of a manufacturer to pursue different indications, because functionally they have significantly less revenue per unit, said Avalere Health's Massey Whorley.

Go deeper: The search for next-generation cancer treatments

Here is the original post:
New drug pricing law puts cancer drugs in the spotlight - Axios

Before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this summer, polls historically showed that Latinos in the United States were generally opposed to abortion.

In 2019, for example, a Public Religion Research Institute survey noted that just 45% of U.S. Latinos favored the legalization of abortion in almost all cases. That same survey concluded that Hispanics are the ethnic group with the most complex and least supportive views on the legality of abortion, adding that Hispanics (23%) are more likely than the general population (15%) to think abortion should be illegal in all cases and less likely (19%) than all Americans (23%) to think it should be legal in all cases.

Polls historically showed that Latinos in the United States were generally opposed to abortion.

That opposition might be waning, if findings from a recent comprehensive poll of Latino voters are any indication. In a UnidosUS/Mi Familia Vota survey of 2,750 eligible Latino voters released Aug. 10, 76% of respondents agreed with the following statement: No matter what my personal beliefs about abortion are, I think it is wrong to make abortion illegal and take that choice away from everyone else. Subgroups of Latino voters also agreed with that statement, including 76% of Catholics, 68% of non-Catholic Christians and 55% of Republicans. Seventy-two percent of Latino men agreed, and 85% of Latina women did.

In addition, the poll noted that 19% of respondents listed abortion as one of the top issues of importance. Abortion ranked as the fifth most important issue, the first time in the polls history that its made it into the top five. In 2020, only 3% of respondents chose abortion as a top issue. Gary Segura, president of BSP Research, one of the polls organizers, called that 16-point shift one of the poll's more stunning findings, Politico reported.

Because of that dramatic shift, this could be the moment for Democrats to take advantage and go all-in on making abortion a mobilizing topic for Latinos as Democrats try to keep the House and the Senate.

UnidosUS and Mi Familia Vota have historically leaned toward positions and views more aligned with the Democratic Party, so some Democrats may want to see other data suggesting a major Latino shift on abortion. Such data exists.

Days before the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe, a poll of U.S. Latinos conducted by Ipsos for Axios and Telemundo found that Seven in ten (71%) Latino Americans oppose making all abortions illegal at any time under any circumstance, compared to just 26% that support such a measure. That poll also found that Half of Latino Americans agree that abortion should be legal, while just a quarter (26%) disagree. According to Axios, the poll showed that Support for abortion rights depended heavily on whether respondents were born in the U.S.: 41% of immigrants said abortion should be legal, jumping to 59% and 62% respectively with second- and third-generation Americans.

In other words, while anti-abortion views in the Latino community are still very real among a population where faith and family play central roles, those views and those concerns may not be dominating the political narrative on this specific issue, especially as the countrys largest ethnic voting cohort continues to politically evolve. A poll from the Public Religion Research Institute conducted right after the June Supreme Court decision found that 75% of Latino Catholics supported the legalization of abortion in most or all cases. In 2010, only 51% showed said the same.

That 24-point shift in about 10 years coincided with a 10-point decline from 2009 to 2019 in the number of Latinos who identify as Catholic and an 8-point increase in Latinos not affiliated with any organized religion. Predictions are that almost 12 million Latinos will vote in the midterms; there are plenty of votes out there that could make a difference for Democrats.

The party would be smart to capitalize on the political moment, especially in states considering legislation to restrict abortions or if it is serious about fighting back in states that have already banned them. Could abortion be a mobilizer for Latino voters in states like Arizona, Texas or Florida, all of which have a growing hostility toward abortion? Can the issue make the difference in states like Ohio, Wisconsin and Georgia, where Latino voters can help swing the state? If the recent vote to keep abortion legal in Kansas proved anything, its that massive turnout in the voting booth can flip any prediction on its head. As Democrats continue to struggle to excite Latino voters, specifically Latina women, abortion can be a galvanizing issue.

The bigger takeaway is that 60% of respondents feel the country is "on the wrong track" and think Democrats and Republicans are ignoring them.

Still, such a strategy might be premature, considering that the bigger takeaway in the UnidosUS/Mi Familia Vota poll is that 60% of respondents feel the country is on the wrong track and think Democrats and Republicans are ignoring them. According to the poll, only 59% said theyll definitely vote in the midterms, suggesting there are many persuadable voters out there who might be moved to participate in the electoral process if they find something to vote for.

Latino voters are not apathetic, they are unconvinced, Clarissa Martnez De Castro, vice president of the UnidosUS Latino Vote Initiative, said in a news release about the latest poll. They are sending a wake-up call to both parties, which remain underwater compared to previous peaks in Hispanic support and persist in their chronic under-engagement and under-investment in these voters.

The issue that engages Latinos could be abortion, but only if Democrats take the time to understand that the tide has finally shifted.

Julio Ricardo Varelais the founder of Latino Rebels, a co-host of the In The Thickpolitical podcast andpresident of Futuro Media.

The rest is here:
Democrats need to ignore history and rally Latinos to vote for abortion rights - MSNBC

The period between Barack Obamas inauguration as president and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S Capitol marked a pivotal time for Black Americans to gain dignity and the ability to fully participate in democracy.

These years were a time of reconstruction marking a struggle between those who support the advancement of Black people and those who dont.

Thats the argument of Peniel E. Joseph, a University of Texas at Austin professor of public affairs and history. His new book, The Third Reconstruction: Americas Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century, comes out in early September.

Josephs book, which combines personal memoir with historical research, is largely influenced by Black feminist thought, which reimagines U.S. democracy in a way that centers Black womens identity, politics and humanity.

In the book, Joseph identifies three periods of reconstruction in U.S. history times of racial violence, political divisions, cultural memories and narrative wars but also major political and racial progress.

The First Reconstruction occurred between 1865 and 1898, he argues. The Second Reconstruction was the civil rights era, which he says started with the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 and ended with Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination in 1968.

The Third Reconstruction was from the election of Barack Obama to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, as well as the events that followed, such as the Jan. 6 riot.

In his book, Joseph analyzes the relationship between those he calls redemptionists and those he calls reconstructionists. Redemptionists, according to Joseph, advocate for white supremacy whether they actively voice it or not.

Reconstructionists advocate for a multiracial democracy that looks at society through an intersectional lens. Reconstructionists argue that, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality or class, one can participate in democracy.

The son of Haitian immigrants, Joseph grew up with his single mother and brother in New York City. His childhood inspired his work, he said, and exposed him to the barriers Black people face. He saw Black people killed long before the BLM movement began, he said.

It was being around my mother whos a historian and a writer in her own right [and] a feminist and social justice advocate that I got introduced to all of this, he said.

His book recognizes Black female leaders such as journalist Ida B. Wells, activist Angela Davis and politician Stacey Abrams as pivotal figures in civil rights and social justice movements spanning the three periods of U.S. reconstruction.

Joseph said he was finally able to dig deeper into the influence of Black feminist thought because this was his first project that was a blend of history and memoir and cultural criticism.

Stacie McCormick, an associate professor of English at Texas Christian University, said its long overdue to discuss the role of Black feminism in social justice. They have often been the driving force behind encouraging people to support social justice movements, she said.

Black Lives Matter is one of the first movements where Black women were centered for their leadership, McCormick said. However, despite the advancements the BLM movement made, McCormick said there still needs to be more acknowledgement for Black women and girls who are killed by the police.

Joseph has been studying Black feminist thought and literature for about 30 years. He said with this new book, the Black feminist intersectional lens helped him understand how the BLM movement garnered so much support following the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Three Black women Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors started the BLM movement. In 2020, a diverse group of people built on what they started, and queer people, Black women, students and the formerly incarcerated helped lead the effort.

Social justice activism was not strictly for Black people Latino, white, indigenous, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders joined in.

I think Black people have always been the canary in the coal mine, Joseph said, but having other non-Black people join in solidarity of protests is important.

Joseph said writing the new book was cathartic and illuminating. Everyone is a student of history, he said, trying to process whats happening in their life and society by telling stories about themselves.

Some people want to run away from what I ran toward, he said. I think people will run away from history and might find it too painful or too angry. But I thought in 2020, what was interesting, is that so many people joined that effort.

Joseph is the founding director of UTs Center for the Study of Race and Democracy in the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He formerly taught at Tufts University. He has also published several other books, including The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and the award-winning book Waiting Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America.

Lisa B. Thompson, a professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin, has known Joseph for about a decade. She described him as an excited and deeply interested intellectual. Thompson said it was admirable for Joseph to publish a book about current events in a way that gives non-historians an opportunity to understand what is happening.

I think his way of framing these things helps us understand certain historic cycles, but also is very adamant about keeping our sense of hope about what can happen, she said. Its very inviting [and] comprehensive, and I dont believe hes talking down to people. Hes calling people in to have a conversation that we need to have.

Visit link:
BLM movement explored in new book by UT Austin professor - The Dallas Morning News

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 01: An overview of the basketball court shows the NBA logo and ... [+] Black Lives Matter before the start of a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 01, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

End racism was spray painted in endzones. Breonna Taylor stickers were affixed to players helmets. George Floyds name was sewn onto jerseys. Professional sports teams and leagues made financial pledges to Black Lives Matter, black community organizations, and assorted racial justice initiatives. Athletes were allowed to kneel without penalty during the national anthem. League-sponsored commercials calling for Americans to work together to dismantle systemic racism aired on television networks across the country, usually during games.

These are just some of the many activities in which pro sports teams and leagues engaged during and immediately following the 2020 summer of racial reckoning.

This was the summer that Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery were murdered, and uprisings ensued across the United States and around the world. That August, the Milwaukee Bucks protested the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by opting out of their NBA playoff game. All other NBA games that day were postponed. Athletes, coaches, and executives not only joined the movement, but also leveraged their brands in ways they hadnt previously done.

The National Hockey League isnt at all well known for its racial diversity, yet even some of its teams participated in the movement by flashing Black Lives Matter on jumbotrons throughout their arenas. The NHL released a racial justice statement in which it publicly committed to increasing awareness, allyship, and advocacy. It began with the famous Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King quote, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 02: A general view of signage and game action is seen in the second ... [+] period of Game One of the Western Conference Qualification Round between the Nashville Predators and the Arizona Coyotes at Rogers Place on August 02, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

Additionally, several NHL players (most of whom are white) proudly wore Black Lives Matter t-shirts to games and press conferences, knelt together on the ice before games, locked arms and hockey sticks to show solidarity with Black Americans, and gestured a shared commitment to racial justice in other ways. The League was left with no choice but to postpone four Stanley Cup Playoff games in August 2020, as NHL players also united in protest against the shooting of Jacob Blake.

To some fans and other Americans, all this seemed like a lot not just for hockey, but for pro sports as an industry. What are teams and leagues doing now that the protests have ended?

It appears the clock has run out on the performative activism that was on display in stadiums and arenas the latter half of 2020. It isnt because systemic racism has since been defeated.

In Los Angeles, all 11 pro sports teams united in July 2020 to form an alliance focused on racial justice. Collectively, theirs was a five-year commitment. Now, more than two years later, what is the Alliance currently doing to dismantle structural and systemic racism in our nations second largest city?

The Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, and eight other teams received significant local and national press when the Alliance was announced. But there has since been little public reporting of where funds have been invested, activities that have been launched, and change that has been enacted (or at least initiated). This begs two reasonable questions: Were teams in L.A. and elsewhere just temporarily inspired by the moment in 2020, and ultimately was it all just for show?

It seems that sports leagues and teams that comprise them didnt fully recognize to what they were committing two years ago. Responding in such bold ways to the murders and shootings of a handful of unarmed Black people in a particular moment in American history was important. But systemic racism is what leagues and teams claimed they were committed to tackling.

Clearly, they didnt understand that sustained engagement, courageous leadership, substantive partnerships with communities of color, public accountability, communication, and a lot more money are required. Racial justice also requires pro sports organizations to grapple with and fix internal racial problems, such as the severe underrepresentation of coaches and executives of color.

Last week, ESPN did an extensive feature on Justin Morrow, an extraordinarily accomplished pro athlete who played 12 seasons on two Major League Soccer teams. Morrow now works in the front office of Toronto FC, the team from which he recently retired as a player. He was one of the founders of Black Players for Change, an independent organization consisting of more than 170 MLS players, coaches, and staff working together in pursuit of racial justice.

Black Players for Change officially launched on June 19, 2020, just three weeks after George Floyds murder. Morrow and the other founders were committed to leveraging their personal platforms as well as the MLS brand to do something meaningful and sustainable. Their commitment endures, despite the ball-dropping that has occurred elsewhere throughout pro sports.

I believe summer 2020 ushered in a new generation of athlete activism characterized by collaboration and coordinated actions to dismantle systemic oppression at multiple levels, Morrow told me in an interview. Athletes are engaging in activism at unprecedented numbers, which has shifted the power dynamic further to the side of the players. With fears of retaliation diminished, the new possibilities are exciting.

In addition to his Toronto FC management role and continued work with Black Players for Change, Morrow is spending two years as a Global Sports Initiative Fellow at the Harvard University Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. A significant portion of his fellowship is devoted to collaborating with a team of experts to determine what racial justice activities occurred across pro sports organizations in 2020, as well as what players and their teammates are doing now. He also wants to know what athletes feel are appropriate and necessary racial justice activist activities in their industry. Starting next week, Morrows team of academic experts will begin surveying hundreds of women, men, and genderqueer athletes throughout MLS and several other pro sports leagues.

More than two years later, athletes are holding up their end of the deal. We continue to push for accountability, and show up where others are falling short, Morrow notes. The amount of work weve done is astounding. I hope the aggregated insights of players across leagues that our survey produces will give us guidance on how to further lobby for change.

Earlier this year, the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center published a report on advancing and sustaining racial justice in pro sports. It includes several reflective questions, a racial justice continuity framework, and numerous concrete actions that will deepen and sustain the momentum of summer 2020. Pro sports teams and organizations claiming a commitment to racial justice really must do more of what is recommended in this publication.

Ultimately, athletes collectively refusing to play until their teams and leagues make good on racial justice promises is the surest way to hold their organizations and the executives who lead them accountable.

Too many people in pro sports who jumped on the bandwagon two years ago are now taking a timeout. Meanwhile, the systemic racism they declared an opponent is still accumulating points and negatively affecting the lives of people of color within and beyond their industry.

More:
Pro Sports Teams And Leagues Are Dropping The Ball On Racial Justice - Forbes

Its a complicated time to be a Black entrepreneur. Some Black founders in recent years have created formidable startups with towering valuations. But there are still shockingly few large VC-backed startups with Black leaders, and recent months chaos in the venture capital market has taken a disproportionate toll on their companieswiping out diversity gains in fundraising.

On the heels of the Black Lives Matter movement, Black entrepreneurs raised record amounts of venture funding. In the second quarter of last year, they took in $866 millionaccording to Crunchbase data, almost double the previous years US total.But in the second quarter of this year, Black-founded companies raised just $324 million, a 63% drop. Meanwhile, the decline in the VC industry as a whole was not nearly as stark: PitchBook data shows that overall VC funding in the US fell by just 23% in the same period.

Here is the original post:
Black Unicorns Are Rare in Tech and the Downturn Could Make It Worse - Bloomberg