ppp 02-19-07

Quote of the day: Always forgive your enemies;

nothing annoys them so much.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

The saying "an eye for an eye… a tooth for a tooth" can be found in what Christians call the Old Testament. If someone injured you or your people you were justified in seeking vengeance in equal measure. We see this same thinking prevail in the Mideast today. Each side feels justified in attacking the other based upon real injury. Each injury may have been retaliation for an injury just prior to THAT retaliation. Each side arbitrarily draws the line at the last time they were injured. This type of thinking and actions are what has perpetuated the killing for thousands of years.

The Golden Rule: one of the primary and most radical teachings of Jesus.… Love your enemies. Forgive and forget….turn the other cheek. As the Galilean pointed out, it takes no effort to love those who love you; to display affection for those who demonstrate love and respect for you. It is natural. What is not natural is to break the cycle and say "the hate stops here". If it were only so simple to interrupt this "electrical impulse" of hate as “cutting the wire” by refusing to retaliate. This "love" is now interpreted as weakness and a license to act badly without fear of reprisal.

What happens when drug patents are challenged prematurely? Should the originating company turn the other cheek? Whether the "victim" is an individual or corporation I know the "correct" answer is the golden rule but it just doesn't feel right. Maybe one rule isn't enough. I know where to find another nine. Your thoughts?

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

Drug prices vary from plan to plan because each plan makes their best deal with each drug company. Congress is pushing for the ability to negotiate drug prices so the best way to push their agenda would be to complain about differences in prices. I expect that “they” will not stop until “they” have a national formulary with fixed prices. It is just my opinion…. I could be wrong.

Increasing percentages of teens are abusing Vicodin, Oxycontin, Adderall, Xanax and other prescription drugs. Where would they get these? Grandma’s medicine cabinet, Dad’s shave kit, Mom’s purse, “friends” at school….

French drug has not passed FDA approval yet. This recent experimental thrust may be calculated to push things along. Fortunately, the FDA will only look at data relative to uses requested in the IND application.

Attached is a link to new FDA guidelines for testing of antiobesity drugs. You would be eligible for weight loss treatment if you BMI is 30 or more or your BMI is 27 and you have risk factors such as diabetes. What is your BMI? Find out at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/BMI

Modeled after the Zyprexa lawsuits, these suits against makers of antipsychotics could drive them mad!

Lovenox (enoxeparin) has lost patent protection. Hospitals everywhere are waiting for the generic ASAP due to the amount they pay for the heparin substitute. Don't expect a generic too soon. I'll be willing to bet that it will take a year and a half from now before they are available and a full 24 months before you see any significant price reductions.

In a shocking new attack on drunk driving, New Mexico has installed talking urinals in some eating and drinking establishments. When motion activated, the anti drunk driving message is delivered. If you can't figure out where the voice is originating then you probably HAVE had too much.

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