7 Ways Healthcare Will Surprise You Next Year - Part III

In part three of our series on ways healthcare will take us by surprise in 2009, we get a view from health publisher and family doc James Hubbard, MD, MPH (@DrHubbard).

Dr. Hubbard's input was gathered by Leigh Ann (@FamilyDoctorMag), Managing Editor for My Family Doctor Magazine.

My Family Doctor aims to be "your trustworthy, evidence-based source for reliable health information."

Dr. Hubbard's big pick for first horse across the finish line:

"Medications imported from other countries will become much more prevalent. By the end of the year, there will be headlines about reports of tainted quality."

Buying drugs from across the border has hit relatively 'old guard' consumer-facing sites like About.com, and with China's recent tainted milk crisis, it's only a matter of time before manufacturing defects are found in a variety of medical goods, from medication to hip implants.

The real surprise next year may be how the FDA responds. In 2006, the agency restructured its Center for Drug Administration and Research, placing improved medication safety at the top of the to-do list.

How has the landscape changed in 2 years?

Well, in addition to shrinking pharma development pipelines and hospitals/AMCs banning drug reps bearing gifts, the election of Obama to the US presidency might bring some significant change, especially since the throne is empty.

Dr. Hubbard, you're absolutely right. Global medication development and flow, as well as medication safety, will be a hot topic next year.

Let's just hope we hear more about FDA innovation before breaking news tells us the foreign - sourced Ibuprofen we took last night may kill us.