What's causing drug shortages in the U.S., and is it a matter of mechanisms of control or methods of drug production? In 2010, there were shortages of 178 drugs in the U.S., a record-high level. Many drugs on the 2010 list are still unavailable, and the number is growing. It has tripled in the last six years, according to the FDA. Currently there are about 246 drugs in short supply, and that number has risen steadily since 2006. Severe drug shortages are endangering cancer patients, heart attack victims, accident survivors and others. Many people hold the FDA largely responsible for...

Biopharma CEOs sometimes pay for the sins of their companies. But is it fair to single out just one person when the failure of the company, or the unethical behavior of the company, is the result of many people's actions? Oddly, on the same day as I pondered this question, I read about Jim Tressel, the Ohio State University head football coach who resigned because of the violations of some of his players. Like cases involving biopharma CEOs, it leaves many questions unanswered, such as how much Tressel knew, whether he reported things...

What are the hot jobs in the life sciences during the next decade? According to Bernhard Palsson, of the University of California, San Diego, there is "unprecedented opportunity" in systems biology and bioinformatics, which seek not only biologists, but also engineers, chemists, mathematicians and computer programmers. "New systems biology centers are being established worldwide," added Lynn Hlatky, director of the center of cancer systems biology at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center at Tufts University in Boston. "To get a life science job in 10 or 20 years, you will simply be expected to have competency in these areas," said Jens Nielsen,...