Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 06-06-2005

 Good morning !

Vacation

What is vacation? Time away from the routine. My neighbor is retired but still feels the need to take time away. Ever notice how excited kids are as the school year ends? They are just about as excited when the new school year starts (even if they don't admit it) because it represents a change. Spontaneous can be good but one way to prolong your "vacations" is to anticipate them. Counting down the days extends the pleasure as we anticipate the time away.

Anticipation of a new drug approval creates its own excitement too. Older drugs (especially generics) do not generate much excitement. Just as you wouldn't think of quitting your job (the source of the funding for your other "get aways") do not quit promoting generic drugs because the money you save will likely be needed for the next blockbuster.

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ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Livin' the dream!"  

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1) This should be mandatory reading for the entire Congress (and state legislators).

European countries are FINALLY waking up to the effect that price controls had on the European drug industry. Not all that many years ago we would look to Martindale's "Extra Pharmacopia" as a source of drug information on new drugs available in Europe but not yet approved in the USA. Since the European price controls, most of the innovation (and investment) has been in US drug companies.  Reimportation, parallel trading and talk of price controls on US drugs will have the same effect on the US drug industry. Best advice to legislatotors: Don't do it…. it is more expensive to trash an entire industry and then try to build it back up than to just keep an eye on it with checks and balances. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8669803

2) Those fries are going to cost you more than that beer!

Cost of obesity outweighs (pun intended) the cost of alcohol related problems. CDC is considering obesity as an epidemic now, the same way they look at typhoid, malaria, or other infectious diseases.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-06-03T113702Z_01_N03720089_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-HEALTH-OBESITY-COSTS-DC.XML

3) Tylenol recall

Packaging of two tablets per bubble can potentially lead to confusion and overdosage. Mom's (and Dad's) have enough to worry about without confusing drug packaging.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/mcneil05_05.html

4) Caveat Zempler?

New drug approved by the FDA for hyperparathyroidism associated with kidney disease. While this may not make your top 50 list of prescription drugs next year, the costs will not be insignificant as use and sales grow. With renal disease increasing as diabetes increases the market will grow. Should you block its use? No (unless it is horribly expensive compared to existing treatments… surgery and frequent testing.)

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh91936_2005-05-27_12-11-51_n27332469_newsml

5) FDA conspiring with drug companies?

Has anyone been reading the papers for the last few years?

The author of a new book is now bringing this to the attention of the public…. I wonder if all royalties will be donated for the public good….

http://www.pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleid=244754&categoryid=9&newsletter=1#

6) Can I take it just until I need glasses?

Viagra and the rest have been implicated in a rare form of blindness. NAION, or non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, is a condition that can cause vision loss. The "blue halo" effect may have been a hint that the drug could effects the eyes. The FDA may ask them to place a warning on the label (it is already on the package insert) just to placate the drug company bashers, but don't expect the science to cause the drugs to be pulled from the market. The people to get the best mileage out of this will be the late night talk show comedians,,. http://newyorkbusiness.com/news.cms?newsId=10780

7) What next… "Jolt…The Movie"?

From those same great people who brought you Jolt Cola…. Jolt Chewing gum. As crazy as it sounds this might have to go on the shopping list for camping trips. You never know when it will be raining too hard to make coffee. http://www.joltgum.com/info_gum.html

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