Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 05-17-2004

Quote of the day: The two best times to go fishing are when it’s raining and when it’s not.  Fisherman’s saying

Quote of the day too:  It is in his pleasure that a man really lives; it is from his leisure that he constructs the true fabric of self. Agnes Repplier

Good morning!

This weekend we celebrate in Minnesota a day that rivals all other holidays… opening day of fishing season. The Minnesota State legislature has only two days left to do the State’s business and Governor Timmy is off fishing. He is also fishing for something else… he is pushing the reimportation button all the way… no copay for Minnesota employees who order their drugs off of a list available from Canadian pharmacies. http://www.startribune.com/stories/1556/4774959.html  Besides being against the law, he could also be in violation of the State’s PBM contract. Don't think that Lassie will pull him out of this scrape.

 I'll be off on vacation for a few days…. Don't worry that you are missing out in some traditional fun…fishing, golf, a cruise….  Instead, I will visit my daughter in Dallas and drive my son home from college. This will be pleasurable use of time. I'll get some time fishing later this summer and my golf game is…… we'll call it "economical" because the cost per stroke is low. I'll get the ppp out a little early this week so I can kick back and enjoy the time with my kids. Time to start planning your vacation….the planning and anticipation are almost as good as the actual time away…. I'll be back next week with something new to share….

1) Contraceptive contra to bones

Depo-provera shot used as 3 month injectable contraceptive shown to promote bone loss.  Oral contraceptive had half that bone loss but still more than those women who did not use any hormonal contraception.  Hmmmmm….

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5134678

2) Why not just ask the drug companies what works?

FDA calls for more direct to consumer (DTC) research…..but the drug companies already know what sells drugs. May open the airwaves to ads for pacemakers, stents, and other devices.  I'm not sure you can do justice to the benefits and risks of these complicated devices in a 60 second ad.

….I can just see the Tin Man advertising artificial heart valves….. maybe the FDA shares the Scarecrow's plight… "If I only had a…."

 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5121959

 3) Depression drug may help irritable bowel.

Those Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients who were not depressed felt better when taking paroxetine ( an antidepressant like Prozac). This is probably due to the neurotransmitter, serotonin, that is not only present in the brain but also the GI tract. It should also be noted that 50 to 90% of IBS patients have a psychiatric reason to be on the drug.  Although a small study, it makes a lot of sense based upon the physiology and pharmacology.

http://scienceblog.com/community/article2703.html

   Need promotional items like t-shirts, mugs, and pens? 

(Talk to my friend Aaron at e-ffective media... he also has a $1000 contest going)

 4) Once a day Viagra for 9 months would be an ingredient cost of about $2600.

Study showed that about half of men with surgically induced impotence were "cured" if they took a Viagra a day for 9 months. This study was small and I wouldn't buy into this if you are paying for the drugs. If a physician wants to write for one tablet per day and the member is paying out of pocket…..

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?Feed=RTR&Date=20040510&ID=3683968&Symbol=US:PFE

5) Bowes knows… reducing copay saved money….

They selected asthma and diabetes as targeted diseases for reduction in copays to see if they would save money as people bought the necessary drugs. The consequences of non-compliance in these two areas is extraordinary. Good idea, good results….. who's next? (You will have to be able to track all medical costs for those who benefit from the copay reduction year over year to see if it works for you.)

 http://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea/2004/pd051204d.html

 6) Transparency in government…. who thought of THAT?

Conflict of interest reduced if NIH officials must refuse or disclose consulting arrangements. (None can take stock.) What's good for the goose…..

 http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsnih133799621may13,0,3253698.story?coll=ny-health-headlines 

7) "The fact that about 40,000 new AIDS diagnoses and 16,000 deaths occur each year further indicates…"

that people are not listening to the messages about how the disease is transmitted. Will government takeover of treatment for those making $26,000 or less stop the spread? I doubt it but the fight goes on and I expect the public  health and societal benefit of treating these people will outweigh the cost of future cases… It is just an opinion…I could be wrong….

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5138478

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