ppp 10-06-08

Quote of the day: If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.

Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

The autumnal equinox arrived September 22. The days have been getting shorter since summer began in June but since we crossed the halfway point to the shortest day of the year the changes are more noticeable. The grass is still growing but at a rate that does not requite 2 hired hands to keep up with the mowing. The flowers are still blooming because the first frost is still at least a week away. The trees have already received the celestial message and have begun their annual quest to decorate our yard. The peak of the color here will be in about 2 weeks.

Other colors are sprouting as well… mostly red and blue political yard signs. While I would like to get behind some local politicians and advertize for them 1) we are toward the end of the street near the cul-de-sac so only 10 people would see the sign and 2) half of those neighbors would likely be of a different political persuasion and stop waving as they go by.

The Prattle neighborhood is also a fairly small one as well. No major candidate has sought the Prattle endorsement. I will try to reign in my strong partisan views and opinions so not to rile those of you are equally passionate about your incorrect views. So many people have already made up their minds about the presidential race that I am incredulous that any news agency can find 20 “undecideds” to put in a room during the debates.

I can help with monitory contributions, literature drops and/or the phone banks. Other than voting in a month there is little else I can do. Other than raking there is nothing I can do about the leaves. About the time that all of the leaves have fallen, all of the yard signs will be gone as well. We will all then settle in for a long winter as we await the inauguration of the next President. Whoever will lead us will have my prayers, not out of gratitude for their candidacy but out a sense of enlighten self interest… I do want the country to survive.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Never better!"

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.

While everyone was talking about financial concerns last week, Congress worked behind the scenes to proclaim October AMERICAN PHARMACISTS MONTH. I sure feel a whole lot more safe and secure…. don’t you? (actually some good stuff here)

Cardinal Health can once again ship controlled to pharmacies after paying the fine and promising to mend their ways. The DEA found that Cardinal was sending large quantities of Vicodin and other narcotics to “Internet pharmacies” who were selling the drugs... illegally.

Glaxo will reimburse health plans for the amount of money they spent on treating children with depression. Settlement is $40 million. Will be interesting to see if the plans reimburse the copayments made for these drugs. (Lawyers WILL get 1/3 of the money).

Merck will begin reporting payments to physicians… at least some of them… similar to the program announced last week by Lilly. Would you call this semi-transparent?

Lou Gehrig’s Disease (atrophic Lateralizing Sclerosis- ALS) is not the result of the use of the cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. This was a placebo controlled study which showed more ALS in the placebo group than those taking statins. (Whew!)

Physicians want better educated pharmaceutical reps and want to avoid “mirrored” or “pod” sales people. Just wait until January when the pod people no longer bring pens, paper, pizza, and product.

In the case of an anthrax outbreak US postal workers would deliver antibiotics doses door to door. All would be volunteers who would be treated themselves before their appointed routes.

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