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Here we go again. Another public opinion pool (poll) where Big Pharma shows up among the least likable industries or lands near the bottom when it comes to corporate industry reputation.This time it's the monthly Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll…While the core of the study focused on consumers' opinions about drug prices, several questions also tallied public sentiment regarding pharma. And it ain't good.

PwC’s (PricewaterhouseCoopers) Health Research Institute asserted that the reforms spawned by the ACA have left "an indelible mark on the $2.9 trillion health sector."… Those reforms are forcing industry leaders to "rethink strategies to remain relevant in a post-ACA world" as they roil every facet of health care and drive a gradual but sweeping transformation of the way health services are provided and paid for…

• A massive shifting of risk among different health provider sectors as the ACA drives "new payment models that reward outcomes and penalize poor performance."
• A "back to basics" movement that’s "making primary care once again the critical touchpoint."
• A surge of new, innovative companies that are rushing "to meet the demand for lower-cost, consumer-oriented care options
• A shift in the health insurance industry "from wholesale to retail" as insurers adapt to the demands of consumers, federal and state health administrators
• The emergence of states "as key players in the reconfigured healthcare landscape."

It could be worse. A lot worse. Biotech and pharma stocks crashed early amidst a global market sell off but are recovering mid-day. Some sentinel stocks -- Gilead Sciences, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Vertex Pharma -- are actually trading a tiny bit higher or down fractionally…The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (IBB), the most closely followed biotech sector index, is down less than 1% to 339.61. That's an almost miraculous recovery considering the IBB plunged briefly to 283 at the start of trading Monday -- erasing all the gains made this year and then some.

Money laundering. Customs forms falsifications. Conspiring with a supposedly "impartial"…certification program to sell fake cancer medicines to unsuspecting doctors and clinics — and then giving that certification program’s employee an all-expenses paid trip to a tropical island…disturbing federal indictment unsealed...Department of Justice against CanadaDrugs,..PharmacyChecker,... there are 10 important takeaways,..from the indictment.

1. When they sell to US residents, Canadian Internet pharmacies aren’t really selling drugs from Canada
2. The medicines were fake
3. Cold-chain drugs were stored at too-warm temperatures, returned and then resold to other customers in their adulterated state
4. CanadaDrugs was raking in the profits from the sale of drugs, including counterfeits, to US residents
5. After it became aware of the FDA investigation, CanadaDrugs took steps to cover up its counterfeit drug sales, moving the drugs offshore, and continued selling illegal drugs to US residents
6. CanadaDrugs knowingly engaged in illegal activity, putting patients at risk
7. The Canadian International Pharmacy Association certifies Canadian online pharmacies — and is run, in part, by CanadaDrugs
8. CanadaDrugs lied, and falsified US Customs records to smuggle illegal drugs into the USA
9. PharmacyChecker employee helped store the counterfeit drugs in his garage
10. PharmacyChecker approved CanadaDrugs as legitimate despite knowing that CanadaDrugs used an illegal and unsafe supply chain

'The digitization of the genome will unleash entrepreneurs and developers'..Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic is investing in and partnering with a new startup (Helix), developing tools and technology to put consumers in control of their genomic data…"Genomics is reaching an inflection point in cost, volumes and knowledge, creating a significant opportunity to unlock information that is currently not widely accessible to individuals,"

HealthSpot…unveiled a new functionality available through its in-store telehealth kiosks - a blood test that captures a number of health metrics in as little as 7 minutes…We are transforming retail clinics into a true extension of the local medical community and widening the scope of services…HealthSpot technology will connect lab results not only with the doctor’s electronic medical record but with the consumer’s personal health record and with the consumer’s insurance benefit plan and billing…

..big worries on growth hanging over the pharmaceuticals industry are poles apart…Pressure on U.S. drug pricing is casting a shadow over the sector’s most lucrative market. But slowing emerging-market growth, notably in China, shouldn’t be ignored…Emerging-market sales for the big pharmaceuticals firms…increased by about 5.5%, year over year, in the second quarter, well below the 9% average of the prior four quarters. Macroeconomic pressures are increasing. Weaker currencies hurt sales, a factor put into clear focus by China’s devaluation of the yuan.

Less than six weeks from an oft-delayed deadline,..Questions abound regarding the financial repercussions of the coding format conversion across the provider spectrum, but especially for small hospitals and physician clinics…biggest fear is that a blizzard of claims denials… many providers are braced for a dramatic fall-off in revenues once the deadline hits…as high as 40 percent revenue loss in the first few weeks. Uncertainty reigns throughout the provider, payer and vendor sectors..

Grassroots advocacy is essential in getting pharmacy’s message to elected officials to effect change…it’s a consistent, compelling, year-round drumbeat of communication and conversation that tells the story of the value of pharmacy and its impact on advancing pro-patient, pro-pharmacy initiatives…NACDS (National Association of Chain Drug Stores) RxImpact grassroots advocacy program is a highly effective resource for pharmacy professionals to learn how to engage and educate lawmakers about key pharmacy issues.

Medical errors happen everywhere. But in the world's largest democracy, stories of doctors being drunk, using rusty instruments or bicycle pumps during surgery, or ordering unjustified procedures are increasingly common… hard data are emerging that show how dismal medical care is for many in India, with providers routinely failing to diagnose common diseases and frequently prescribing useless and hazardous drugs.