ppp 07-24-06

Quote of the day: Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.

Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

Words of The Little Engine That Could. It is painful to write the words "I can't" much less speak them yet there are people who persist in chanting this mantra. I believe that Henry Ford had it right. Self-talk, positive or negative, appears to be self-fulfilling. The results follow the actions that follow the words. If you want to change the results you may want to start with the words. Start by talkin' the talk. Soon you will be walkin' the talk. What follows may surprise you. Positive attitude leads to positive actions which will eventually lead to positive outcomes.

Is being positive enough? No. What else is needed? A clearly defined goal is necessary for the whole "system" to work. After all, how will you know that you have arrived if you never defined a destination? (Vacationing parents know the oft repeated and persistent question "Are we there yet?") Some "Brand name" pharmaceutical manufacturers could have sat back, ruminated about patent loss, and found themselves in a financial death spiral. Instead they decided to think positively about their business and have started making generic versions of there own drugs. They realized that they had the capacity and stepped back to see their main goal as profitability. The margins may be less but they are (or will) produce positive cash flow and keep the company afloat until the next blockbuster is approved.

So in these lazy days of Summer, sit back, take stock of your assets and imagine how things could be better for yourself, pick a goal or two and map out a strategy. Above all, keep a positive attitude and your eyes on the goal.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Heaven would be a step down!"

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

Seems that Part-D medication benefit for seniors make the drugs less expensive than illegally re-importing drugs.

Low reimbursement rate forces CVS to leave the Midwest Healthplan pharmacy network. This only effects 50,000 Michiganders but is likely a shot across the bow of other PBMs.

Mother who stop selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (ssri) antidepressants at 6 times more likely to relapse into depression. Infants born to mothers who continued SSRIs past 20 weeks gestation were 6 times more likely to develop an already rare lung condition(PPHN). While no absolute numbers were cited many more women would be adversely affected than children. Paxil's effect on cardiac defects also mentioned. Something more for pregnant women to discuss with their physicians.

Study shows that people who continue to drive are less likely than those who have never driven or who have given up driving. Keep on truckin' ! Would be interesting to find out if the mental exercise of the area of the brain used for driving makes the difference or if healthier people(those that can drive) are less likely to enter "the rest home".

Findings of health problems or death resulting from medication errors fuels the fires of electronic prescribing. Don't ever expect these to fall to zero but e-prescribing may cut the numbers significantly. Expect resistance from time-strapped docs until they can be show that it takes less time and will save them money.

Progress is being made on a transdermal patch for use against Alzheimer's. This has the added utility because many such patients have difficulty swallowing so they will be less likely to have aspiration pneumonia.

FDA has approved some new colors and tablet finishes that are flashier. Expect to see gold pills (as if many aren't already more costly on a weight basis) as well as pearl coat shades to rival the auto industry's latest high tech offerings or your 14 year old daughter's makeup collection. Don't expect these on any generic versions.

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 1998-2006 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved.

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