Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 03-17-2003
	Quote of the day: In battling evil, excess is good; for he who is moderate in announcing the truth is presenting half-truth. He conceals the other half out of fear of the people's wrath. Kahlil Gibran, 'Narcotics and Dissecting Knives,' Thoughts and Meditations, 1960

Good morning! "It's a symbolic gesture." REPRESENTATIVE BOB NEY, on his order striking "French" from menus in the House cafeterias. …Click here for full text of story. Patriot Toast…Patriot Fries….Congress can have some fun after all. War or no war…THAT is the question. What ever way you are leaning I'll bet what you really want is PEACE. Let's all hope and pray that the people in power exercise their God-given intelligence and wisdom in order to make the correct decisions. This is much like the medical decisions that have to made in cancer patients….watchful- waiting, chemotherapy, radical surgery… or hospice. Many of our fellow Americans are fighting THAT battle now…. while we could spend our efforts and mental energy watching CNN and worrying, we have a job to do…. to make people well…to keep them well….to do the "little things" every day to keep our human race moving forward…together…not leaving the weak in the dust or watching the strong fight for the lead. Hang in there!

1) Something to JUMP-START your day!

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is better than antidepressants. Not like the scene in "One Flew Over the COO-COO's Nest" where there was quite a violent depiction. In real life, patients are anesthetized, then paralyzed (using a drug similar to curare- poison dart frog poison) so that no physical signs of the electronically induced seizure appear. Before this premedication occurred, psychiatrists who performed ECT had a higher insurance rate that those that didn't due to fractures occurring during the seizures. …Click here for full text of story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2825527.stm

2) Permanent pressed face?
	Passed out of committee with a recommendation, Artefill, is not like BOTOX which paralyzes the facial muscles. This drug, is more like crack filler. It is used along with a device to fill in the low spots. Do you think that this is cosmetic? Do you think you want it covered under your health plan when it is approved? i …Click here for full text of story.

3) Belly up to the Bar (code)

FDA expects the new bar coding on HOSPITAL UNIT DOSE medications will prevent 400,000 adverse reactions nationally. But that is over the next 20 years! That breaks down to only 20,000 per year! With about 5,000 hospitals that is less than FOUR incidents PER HOSPITAL per year. I believe that the estimate of the enhancement to safety is GROSSLY underestimated. But then again…it's just my opinion…I could be wrong! The new regs will probably go into effect about June but apply to newly manufactured items only. The expiration of non bar coded doses will probably take about 3 years. …Click here for full text of story. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/14/health/14DRUG.html?th

4) If you only read ONE article this year…this HAS to be it!

This common sense article explains that many diseases can be treated with inexpensive drugs instead of the "latest-greatest- and most expensive". Be sure to look at the pictures and the short vignettes. (I wonder what a "vign" is anyway if this is just a small version of one) I especially like the musing about what the parking lot would look like if the company paid for 80% of the cost of a drug and there were no limits on make or model. (Ill take the "H2" (Mummer) in yellow please… for a mere $10,000) …Click here for full text of story. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0331/084a.html

5) FDA to begin to enforce ban on illegal "Canadian" imports.

It appears that drugs from many other countries are stocking the shelves in the Canadian pharmacies. (I don't suppose that this is in any way related to the level of "support" that Washington has felt from the North.) If the Canadian operations (and their US comrades) what will happen? People will have to abide by the law and buy them here. Let's do some simple math. The typical retiree consumes about $1400 worth of drug per year. If re-importation save them 20% (a semi-educated guess) then the savings would be $280 and they would STILL have to pay $1120. Fixed income are what they are. Not quite worth the risk of potentially adulterated drugs. That same $280 isn't going to completely feed and clothe them for a year either. ( Won't even pay 6 month's worth of something as important as cable TV!) …Click here for full text of story. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=571&e=12&u=/nm/20030313/hl_nm/canada_drugs_dc_1

6) How low can you go?

A new drug was approved on "Thursday the 13th" - Low Dose Prempro. This company website makes the announcement. It is to be used for "hot flashes" and not for "cardioprotective" effects (the WHI study nixed THAT). Regular Prempro and Premarin have been in free fall since about June of 2002. Drug is to be used for only a short time. …Click here for full text of story. http://www.wyeth.com/news/Pressed_and_Released/pr03_13_2003_08_12_20.asp

7) HIPPA HIPPA HURRAY!
	Final HIPPA rules published in the Federal Register on Feb 20, 2003. It is only 289 pages in Adobe Acrobat. Sleep well! …Click here for full text of Federal Register. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/regulations/hipaa/cms0003-5/0049f-econ-ofr-2-12-03.pdf

8) Warning about new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Appears to be a new, potentially fatal influenza-like disease originating in Hong Kong. It will remain a "syndrome" until the causative organism can be found. Although initial tests show it is not influenza…. my bet is an unusual strain of influenza virus. Time will tell. Until the cause and cure are found, no unnecessary travel to Hong Kong is advised. …Click here for full text of story. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/health/16INFE.html?th

9) Peanut sittin' on a railroad track….along comes TNX-901…

Peanut allergies are serious business. Potentially fatal respiratory effects can occur from the dust in the bottom of a pack of airline peanuts. (Ever wonder why they switched to pretzels?) The catchy new name for a drug that can make patients less sensitive to peanuts is TNX-901. This could be a real God-send for the 1.5 million who have this allergy. …Click here for full text of story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6059-2003Mar10.html

Have a good St. Patrick's Day and 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 ppp@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 2003 PHARMWORKS,LLC all rights reserved.