ppp 03-15-10

Quote of the day:

Feed a fever,

starve a cold.

Lightly sup with rickets.

Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka

and Toshihiro Kawabata

It has been at least 4 years since I contracted any sort of viral infection. This last week I did and it put me between the sheets for most of 3 days. I think that it was during the Minneapolis Auto Show the previous weekend that I came in contact with the bug as I was trying on a large number of makes and models. I must admit that I did not wash my hands between cars and might have been exposed to more than a little drool (some of it my own). I was careful to wash before I left the building but may have brought my hands to my face as I looked agog at the prices. I was very surprised to see Toyota at the show in great strength. Don’t worry… I did not walk in front of any of them. Hummer was absent as the brand will be going away after a failed Chinese acquisition. SAAB, which was also slated to go away, survived because of a recent acquisition. BMW and Porsche did not have displays but I doubt that they will be going away soon… they just put their marketing dollars elsewhere. This year I would expect at least one drug company to simply go away as the economy and present atmosphere in DC continue on the ugly side. Drug companies do not put on anything like the AUTOSHOW which is aimed at consumers. The closest to such an extravaganza were the medical and pharmaceutical meetings but pharmaceutical companies have cut back support for these educational meetings and symposia.

So things that were thought to be “bullet proof” such as the Hummer (one vehicle in which Toyotas were not feared), big pharmaceutical houses and my health have been shaken. Some automakers who have been counted out have returned, pharmaceutical houses will survive this downturn, and I will live to fish (and prattle) again!

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "I'm so good that I almost fee guilty."

pps. Please note that some of the links may not be up for very long and that

One certain liver enzyme is responsible for converting what the patient ingests into an active form of the drug. Some people have less of these enzymes than the rest of us and are unlikely to have the desired effects of preventing heart attacks and strokes. Sounds “Boxworthy”.

Court rules that there is no link between mercury as a preservative in vaccines and autism.

Look Alike/SoundALike alert! Brand name Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) has been renamed(re-branded) to Dexilant to avoid confusion with two other medications – Casodex and Kadian effective in late April 2010, There are enough drugs that start with “DEX” that it is only a matter of time before it is re-renamed to “George”. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm203096.htm

FDA panel has recommended that a new electronic brain stimulator be approved for the treatment of seizures. (truth in disclosure: my cousin works in that division of Medtronic)

FDA finds that hand sanitizer is contaminated with bacteria that could make you sick. Only one brand at this point. Please note that smearing your hands with these hand sanitizers only douses the filth in chemicals and does not generally remove the yuck. (It is sort of like dropping a rotten egg into your martini and then chugging it because “the alcohol will kill the germs.”) Hand washing with soap and water is much better at removing the pathogens altogether,

Lorcaserin, a new appetite suppressant drug that is a lot like the old fen-phen, will launch solo or with a partner 12 weeks after it is approved. The FDA has until October 22^th to decide the drugs fate. Looks like a trial lawyer’s dream if ANYONE develops heart valve damage. Wake up people! Diet and exercise…. Hello!

Elbow, wrist and finger spasms may now be treated with botulism toxin which paralyzes muscles. Caution still has to be taken that this paralysis does not spread to cause difficulty swallowing or breathing (which both come in very handy)

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