Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 07-28-2003
	Quote of the day: It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others. John Andrew Holmes

Good morning!

I'm back from my 2 week, 100 mile "walk about" in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. Big country like Philmont's 230+ square miles made me feel smaller. I did come back about 15 lbs lighter but with a lot of new scenery etched into my brain. This was the longest vacation I have ever taken. (I hope that I can remember all of my passwords.) I drove the Boy Scouts (and a few "fearless leaders") to Madison City, Iowa to catch the Amtrack to Raton, NM. The drive was about 8 hours and we "slept" on the 17-hour train ride. Temperatures varied from 40 degrees to 115 degrees. We ate dehydrated food (rehydrated before consumption) and drank about 2 gallons of water each day. Activities included rock climbing (ropes and harnesses), spar pole climbing (spikes and a belt), trail restoration, hiking, branding, cattle roping, horse-shoes, chuck wagon dinner, and at least one shower. We saw elk, mule deer, wild turkeys, horned toads, rattle snake, trout, lizards and birds not seen in Minnesota. We were pleased not to have had any encounters with bear or mountain lions. We learned the value of forest fires (there is a bounty on "Smokey" for the damage he had done by promotion of the complete suppression of forest fires). We saw many new plants (yucca, prickly pear cactus, Ponderosa pine, scrub oak, wild onions, Potentilla, and more). We camped on high mesas, near a roaring river, a babbling brook, on the side of many mountains, in a meadow between peaks, and among tall pines. I don't have my pictures back yet but will include some on the site next week. I hope you all were keeping up with the pharmaceutical news during my absence… if not, then these highlights might help.

1) Senate shows signs of growth in the last 2 weeks…53 against re-importation.

The rational thing to do is to let the FDA regulate the movement of drugs. As I have said before…. if the Congress wants cheaper drugs (like Canada) then they should have the moxy to pass PRICE CONTROLS which is how Canada does it. I do not advocate PRICE CONTROLS. There are other ways to control the National drug spend that would be more palatable and effective….(I won't tell you now….I do consulting). …Click here. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030725_1291.html

2) Minnesota firm get FDA approval for anti-nausea drug… Aloxi(TM) (palonosetron)

MGI Pharma, in conjunction with a Swiss firm, can now market the drug which treats the nausea and vomiting due to cancer treatment. There are others out there in the same class but this one could take over the market if it is priced significantly below the others (very "spendy" class). If only the name didn't conjure up the image of a former presidential candidate treating himself for acne…. (Al Oxy)… maybe I WAS in the woods too long! …Click here for full text of story. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030725/255305_1.html

3) Vets pharmacies can fill civilian physician's Rx.
	Until now, veterans had to have a prescription from a physician practing for the VA. This will open up the government piggy bank as vets use the VA benefits. (Maybe some of those Rx would have been filled under an employer plan….) …Click here for full text of story. http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-veterans-prescriptions,0,1300949.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

4) …and the Navy hospital pharmacy was swamped before…. 1 pharmacist averages 600 prescriptions a day!
	That pace is just plain insane….Would be better to let the GI's use community pharmacies and ease the burden… …Click here for full text of story. http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/6349519.htm

5) Compulsive Shopping Disorder…may have a cure!
	Citalopram (an SSRI antidepressant) may curb the urge to overspend in the 2% to 8% of Americans afflicted with this disorder. (I wonder…are ALL of them are married?) …Click here for full text of story. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030716/165631_1.html /A>

6) The "black" in Black Cohosh may be cancer.
	Black cohosh, is a herb used by many women for the symptoms of menopause. This may be yet another case of a "natural" substance being less than safe. Tumors may have a greater propensity to spread under the influence of Black Cohosh… not good…not good at all. …Click here for full text of story. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&ncid=751&e=1&u=/nm/20030713/hl_nm/health_cohosh_dc

7) Some times you feel like a nut….

This could be a good thing. Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and peanuts contain a substance that could reduce the incidence of heart disease. There is not hard evidence for this but the FDA will likely allow labeling changes. All bets are off if the only way you'll eat nuts is as a topping for a big bowl of real ice cream. …Click here for full text of nut story. http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/16/healthy.nuts.ap/index.html

Have a GREAT 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.