ppp 04-14-2008

Quote of the day: I tried to pay my taxes with a smile… they still wanted money!

-Jailbird- ( I can’t remember where I hear that one)

In this week’s PARADE magazine enclosed in the Sunday newspaper was some very interesting information. We found out how much specific people in various professions made for a living. Pharmacists were not included this year but other recent publications peg salaries in 6 figures. Also included in PARADE was an opinion survey. The following were some of the highest ranked findings:

39% of respondents said that the biggest financial concern of was Gas prices (all else were smaller percentages)

74% had to make sacrifices this year (68% cited altered vacation plans, and 50% saw fewer movies)

These statistics sound impressive until you realize that the survey included only 502 responses.

Statistics and mathematics are the basis of why we do many of the things in medicine and pharmaceutical practice. The FDA and other researchers monitor data and watch for trends. The Chinese heparin problems were uncovered based upon relatively little data. In pharmacokinetics we can measure the amount of drug going into the body (doses), the amount in the body (blood concentrations), and calculate the amount cleared by the body (half life and elimination). Based on this data we can calculate the amount of drug needed to safely treat diseases.

Back to finances. We do know from other sources that Americans are spending more than they make, that savings for the future is last among priorities, So how do you get ahead or stay ahead of pack? Imagine that debt is water and your financial condition is a bathtub. The more water (debt) in the bathtub, the deeper in debit you are. One way of lowing the water level (debt) is by draining the bathtub….start paying off your debt. This helps but if the faucets are open full (incurring new debt) then you are likely to drown. Cut up those high interest consumer cards. Pay yourself first (save something from every check) and let your money work for you. Consider this as the kinetics of debt and make the adjustments needed for a healthy economic life.

Pfizer has issued a warning related to increased risk of lung cancer and inhaled insulin. Six of 4,740 taking Exubera versus 1 of 4292 patients who did not take the drug developed lung cancer. All of the patients who developed lung cancer were smokers. Mechanism is academic… while this drug is dead Abbott will continue to develop the last viable inhaled insulin candidate.

FDA website is tracking deaths in heparin treated patients and found 62 related to allergic symptoms

Cubicin, a very expensive antibiotic, found to have MBT, a vulcanization accelerant, when stored in elastomeric pumps. This is not a problem for Cubicin reconstituted prior to injection.

Johnson and Johnson is using FDA approval of their Ortho Evra patch as a shield against lawsuits. FDA approval has not worked before so this will be interesting.

FDA is investigating a potential link between anti rejection drugs and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy(PML). PML usually occurs in patients with suppressed immune systems and both mycophenolate and mycophenolic acid are used just for that purpose. Look for a labeling change… not for the drug to be pulled… immunosuppression is just too important in transplantation. http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/early_comm/mycophenolate.htm

Medco has purchased a majority share of Europa Apotheek Venlo, a privately held German clinical health care and mail-order pharmacy services company. Official approval is still pending but $120 millin dollars still buys a few Euros.

Alligator blood may beget the next class of antibiotics and antifungals. You should not hear the ticking of the clock like Captain Hook did… this is still a long way off.

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