Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 08-18-2003
	Quote of the day: If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us. Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Good morning! Mr. Men children's book used to promote drugs to kids. When the children we little we bought just about every book in the Mr. Men and Little Miss series. The author took a geometric shape and made a main character. These were little morality plays in which Mr. Messy saw the errors of his ways and cleaned up his act. A pharmaceutical company saw the merit of these books and added a couple of pages to the Mr, Sneeze book. The Brits are having a tizzy fit over this as marketing drugs to children. …Click here for full text of story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3143727.stm If the government had done it then it might have been praised as encouraging treatment and compliance. This could just catch on as more of Roger Hargreaves 's characters …Click here for the characters. http://www.mrsneeze.com/mrmen/meetmrmen.html are exploited: Mr. Strong (anabolic steroids), Mr. Busy (anti mania drugs), Miss Tiny (growth hormone), Mr. Fussy (Obsessive compulsive disorder), Little Miss Sunshine (antidepressants), Little Miss Scatterbrain (Alzheimer's), Mr. Greedy (for Meridia) and more. He created about 50 characters…. could be THE thing….(But don't let the kids see them!) …Click here for full text of story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3143727.stm

1) Grow more brain cells!
	The hippocampus actually grows more cells in response to antidepressant drugs. (Now that's what I call brain food!) …Click here for full text of story. http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/72/81660.htm

2) Physician's could have to start writing more books…. for the money.
	Medicare payments to physicians a target for reduction. Don't expect physicians to actively recruit seniors… or worse. …Click here for full text of story. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/politics/12MEDI.html?th

So riddle me this Batman….Why do physicians want Universal Health Care coverage if the government would be in charge of THOSE payments too? …Click here for full text of story. http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/01/12/aafp.health.insurance/

3) Crestor approved at last.

Crestor is likely to give Lipitor a run for YOUR money but the price will be the same for each strength. As patients need more drug they will simply change strength… not price. The package insert shows results of head to head comparisons with the major anti cholesterol drugs. The company will be spending MILLIONS to promote this. Look for this to be in your top 50 drug spend in 2004. …Click here for full text of story http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030813/health_astrazeneca_crestor_2.html. And you will also want to see the announcement of the approval …Click here for full text of story. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-12-2003/0001999723&EDATE=

4) Hope for West Nile Virus vaccine…. if you are a mouse!
	Another mild viral disease, called Kunjin, protects mice from infection with West Nile. I feel that the Aussies may have something here….in about 3 years at the soonest. (just a prediction… I could be wrong!) …Click here for full text of story. http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=FDB14839-7338-42A3-AC64-6EF5B87C8811

5) I'll bet you won't shake the dice!
	Anti Parkinson drug (to stop shaking) may promote compulsive gambling (such as dice). If this is true then I would expect drugs such as Haldol and other antipsychotic drugs to be able to TREAT obsessive gambling…. want to bet? …Click here for full text of story. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=97&ncid=97&e=13&u=/hsn/20030811/hl_hsn/parkinsonsdrugstiedtogamblingaddiction

6) A penny for your thoughts?

Maybe there is a reason that the Energizer Bunny avoids the Copper Topped battery….Alzheimer's! It appears that a combination of copper, cholesterol and being a hare promotes the type of amyloid-beta protein deposits in brain that are an important component of the senile plaques of Alzheimer's. Before you have your home completely re-plumbed consider that copper does not dissolve in water unless it is made acidic. Then there always are filters and bottled water! …Click here for full text of story. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&ncid=594&e=2&u=/nm/20030811/hl_nm/health_alzheimers_dc

7) "I'm not spittin' mad…. I think I'm ovulating"

Newly approved saliva test for ovulation just FDA approved. The device looks for "ferning" of dried saliva samples. May help those who want to conceive or an addition to the sympto-thermic methods of … NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING. http://www.ccli.org/…. and there are NO SIDE EFFECTS or costs to the pharmacy benefit sponsor. …Click here for full text of story. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030811/phm009_1.html

Have a SUPER-FANTASTIC week! Steve

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 a supervision of you 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 1998-2003 PHARMWORKS,LLC all rights reserved.