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Pepin's
Pharmaceutical Prattle for 03-30-2009
Quote of the day: Fools rush in where fools have been before.
Unknown
Good Morning!
Meringue
I walked by the nurses desk at the Neurology clinic where I started my pharmacy career. The charge nurse had a tray of cookies and offered one to me. I bit into the delicious meringue and started chewing… and chewing…and chewing. While listening to her laughter I found a place to put the “delicacy”. She had dipped cotton balls into meringue mix (egg white, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar) and baked them to a luscious golden brow. For more food pranks (such as cookie fish sticks) see http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/minisite/april-fools-pranks-main-ms/
Are any of you into April 1st pranks? Here are some for the office http://www.officecubiclepranks.com/Office-Pranks/ Tin foil or JELLO anyone?
Or maybe some of these will work for you http://www.aprilfoolzone.com/ (I particularly like the one with the computer mouse). Playing pranks on co-workers can be good clean fun. However, DO NOT EVER try one of these on anyone with whom you have EVER had harsh words or happens to be your boss. You don’t want to be punched out or fired. Do only those pranks that you would laugh at if they were pulled on you. The dribble glass prank may be ok if your victim is in jeans and a sweatshirt but not ok if they are wearing Prada or Armani. http://www.ganges.com/Scary_Pranks_v2818581/ contains a u-tube video of America’s Funniest home videos that is cute.
For some history around the “celebration” of April fools day go to a 6 year old Prattle http://www.pharmworks.com/gpage37.html .
Easter is around the corner. Thought you might like to see how the Easter bunny is preparing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EwF-7CL47I&NR=1
Lirpa Loof!
Have a GREAT week!
Steve
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ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "I'm here" (The best answer... not the most uplifting)
pps. Please note that some of the links may not be up for very long and that
you should capture or print anything that you may wish to keep.
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1) You knew this was coming as of November 8
Judge plans to force “Plan B”, the abortifacient “morning after pill”, to OTC status. Pediatric patients to gain access. Yet another signpost along the country’s new road. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp=AR
2) Shrink society shirks suspicious suppers
The American Psychiatric Society will no longer allow drug company sponsored seminars and food at their meetings. Industry sponsored events have accounted for about 10% of the organization’s income for quite some time. Expect other medical and pharmaceutical organizations to follow suit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/26psych.html?_r=1&ref=health
3) Treat the potential carriers?
Use of Gardisil in girls and young women for prevention of cervical cancer linked to HPV is gaining well deserved acceptance. While promiscuous girls will be protected, so will the young virgins on there wedding nights from their not-so-virginal husbands. Now the call to have the boys vaccinated, originally floated in the LA times in March of 2007 (as reported in the PPP of 3-26-07) is being made on the other coast. Additionally, having the fellows vaccinated doubles the potential market for product sales. No one is calling for less sex or more responsibility… just an easy one shot fix to what is, effectively, a venereal disease.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/copnews
4) Easier to prevent than treat.
Before it starts in earnest, employees of drug companies such as Lilly and Pfizer unite with chambers of commerce and local governments against drug price controls. While the “grass roots” organization has been established in 10 states I don’t expect the numbers or lobbying strength to stand up again the “O-machine”.
http://www.wibc.com/news/Story.aspx?ID=1075940
5) Therapeutic substitution on steroids
If we are headed for the Oz of national health insurance then this is the first step along the Yellow Brick Road. By applying Outcomes measurement and “cost effectiveness” formulae, the government wishes to establish the “Best” therapy for “a few” costly diseases. Expect more and more therapeutic classes to be added as government takes on a larger and larger percentage of healthcare costs. Once one product is established as the only reimbursable therapy, all other products will flounder. Competition will be eliminated. What will keep the new monopoly drug prices in check? Government price controls of course. With price controls in place it is assumed by most that there will be no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to engage in research. The government will “have to” take the lead in drug research and will make the decisions on which diseases are “worthy”. Expect “the little man behind the curtain” to decide how much is spent and where. In the meantime, I will continue to look for my Ruby slippers and hope the Congressional pendulum swings back in 21 months.
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory
6) … and the Congress wants to limit exclusivity on biotech drugs to 5 years
I can only imagine how expensive these drugs will HAVE to be for companies to recoup their research costs over 5 years instead of the present 14years. Another stupid human trick?
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ivpT4fYEXOnPT-Hgz03YcJ0UwuwwD975TNR02
7) Anyone else remember Urine testing for glucose?
Before we had laboratory testing for diabetes all a brave physician would need to diagnose diabetes was a finger and a tongue. “Sweet urine” indicated that the patient was “spilling sugar”. A new drug being researched in diabetes, dapagliflozin, causes excess glucose to be “spilled” by the kidney and not returned to the blood stream. Expect some to want to use this against obesity as well. It will be interesting to see the outcomes studies on this one as it makes its way toward approval.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19129748?=pubmed
Have a SUPER-FANTASTIC week.
Steve
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Disclaimer: "Pepin's Pharmaceutical Prattle" (AKA "The Prattle") is the property of PHARMWORKS, LLC and Steven M. Pepin, Pharm. D, BCPS. The opinions expressed are those of the bald-headed author. To start or stop any drug without the advice and supervision of your physician would be stupid. So don't do anything based upon what you read here without professional advice. To be added to or removed from the distribution list please e-mail your request to spepin@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 1998-2009 PHARMWORKS,LLC all rights reserved.
Copyright 1998-2009 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved