Content about Studies and Surveys

NEW YORK — Consumers showed more confidence in October as a recovery in the housing market indicated a greater willingness to spend — especially among people who shop through multiple channels — but some headwinds remain, and the issues in Congress could threaten the gains, according to a new report by Deloitte.

The monthly Deloitte Consumer Spending Index rose significantly last month, to 4.02, from September's 3.54. The index measures tax burden, initial unemployment claims, wages and home prices.

NEW YORK — Spurred by health reform and other factors, a "golden era" could be approaching for drug companies as they reinvent themselves, according to a new report by PwC.

The report, "Pharma 2020: From Vision to Decision," said that the industry was on the verge of an era of renewed productivity and prosperity, but its success was not guaranteed.

ST. LOUIS — People with diabetes often develop clogged arteries that cause heart disease, and new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that low vitamin D levels are to blame. In a study published Nov. 9 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the researchers reported that blood vessels are less like to clog in people with diabetes who get adequate vitamin D. But in patients with insufficient vitamin D, immune cells bind to blood vessels near the heart, then trap cholesterol to block those blood vessels.

SAN DIEGO — Health warning labels on cigarette packages that use pictures to show the health consequences of smoking are effective in reaching adult smokers, according to the results of a new study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 

NEW YORK — Liquor can cost $2 more at liquor stores in states where the government has a monopoly on sales than at privately owned stores, according to a new study.

Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health, the Boston Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University analyzed the prices of 74 different alcohol brands in 13 "control states" — states where the government has a monopoly on liquor sales — and at 50 private retailers in "license states." The study appeared online in the journal Addiction.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — A new Walgreens study examining the impact of 90-day medication refills at community pharmacies compared to 30-day refills for Medicaid patients found that across four therapeutic categories, patients with 90-day refills had greater medication adherence and greater persistency, nominal wastage and more cost savings. The study, titled "Medication Days’ Supply, Adherence, Wastage and Cost Among Chronic Patients in Medicaid," was published in Medicare & Medicaid Research Review and released Wednesday.

While there is still plenty of room for improvement, a growing number of patients have either already received or plan to receive a flu shot this year compared to one year ago. According to an online survey of more than 900 AccentHealth viewers conducted in September, 57% of patients have received or plan to receive a flu shot this year, versus 53% in 2011. 


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PHILADELPHIA — More health insurers are credentialing nurse practitioners as primary care providers, but there is room for improvement, according to a recent national survey of health insurers.

The survey of health insurers, specifically Health Maintenance Organizations — conducted by the National Nursing Centers Consortium, a support organization for nurse-led care — found that 75% of HMOs credential with nurse practitioners as primary care providers, an increase over previous years.

FARMINGTON, Conn. – The global market for treatments for neurodegenerative disorders will exceed $20 billion before the end of the decade, according to a new report.

Global Information announced the availability of four research reports that analyze the global markets for treatments for syndromes of progressive ataxia and weakness disorders. According to GII, the global market for treatments was nearly $14 billion and is expected to reach $23.5 billion by 2017, after increasing at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 9.4%.

BOUDRY, Switzerland — A Swiss subsidiary of drug maker Celgene Corp. said its chemotherapy drug produced "significant" improvement in progression-free survival in patients with a deadly skin cancer that had spread elsewhere in the body.

DURHAM, N.C. — More than two-fifths of retailers plan to increase spending on online marketing this year, and nearly half have invested in new mobile apps, according to a new survey.

The survey, titled "Loading the Sleigh: Marketers' Plans & Expectations for the Holiday Season," conducted by Retail Systems Research on behalf of Bronto Software over the summer, included 179 respondents, mostly with annual sales of between $51 million and $999 million. Bronto makes software for retailers and other commerce-focused companies.

LAS VEGAS — More patients with an inflammatory disease of the bowels responded to a drug used for autoimmune disorders than those taking a placebo, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial announced Monday.

Johnson & Johnson said phase-3 trial findings showed that "significantly" more patients with severely active ulcerative colitis responded to Simponi (golimumab), maintaining their responsiveness to the drug through the 54th week. The drug is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.