ppp 02-25-08

Quote of the day: It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

My daughter gave my wife and I a gift certificate for a cooking class TWO Christmases ago that we finally used last weekend. The chef, John Michael Lerma, showed 18 of us how to prepare a scrumptious Academy Awards dinner and gave us a few party pointers as well. From Pear Truffles (pieces cut out of a ripe pear with a melon baller, covered in gorgonzola cheese and pistachio nut crumbles) to Pizza pot pie, walleye pike on a bed of wild rice, wild mushroom and herb crostini, sangria, BBQ chicken drummies/wings, fried wontons stuffed with bacon and brie, and a celebration cake with the richest frosting I ever tasted. The kitchen was crowded and noisey but we learned a lot about cooking and the results, delicious. My arties still clog at the very memory of that meal.

This week a pharmaceutical rep stopped by for a short informational visit. I learned that she had recently returned from a medical mission to Haiti where she worked as a pharmacy tech. I was amazed as she related stories of the poverty she encountered. While she did not know how often the adults ate, the children only had enough food to eat every 3 days because the relief works could only bring in that much food. One mother handed her child to the rep who thought, “How welcome they make me feel” until the translator told her that the woman intended for her to keep the child. While over 6% of Haitians have aids, the rate in this rural area is 20%. The woman loved her child enough to be parted forever in order to insure its survival.

I could not eat a full meal for 2 days after hearing the Haitian story… out of empathy and more that a little guilt at my feast the week before. I am certain that poverty and hunger exist in other parts of the world as well but this brought the message home. If I broke open all of my piggy banks, sold all I own and turned over all my earnings; if I urged all I know to do likewise; the effect would be the proverbial “drop in the ocean”.

There is a story about a man, a boy, and a beach full of thousands of marooned star fish at low tide. The boy was running back and forth along the beach throwing star fish back into the sea. The man said, “Young man, can’t you see that what you are doing is not making a difference?” As the boy tossed in another star fish he gleefully proclaimed, “ I made a difference for THAT one!”. How about you? Do what you can for the poor and hungry this Lenten season. Find a charity and make a difference for at least one.

Democrat calling for the resignation of the FDA chief. Sounds like another Stupak idea.

More fentanyl patches recalled. This time more strengths are involved: 25mg, 50mg, 75mg and 100mg… all with expiration dates through April 2009.

Panel urges new infant oral vaccine against rotovirus, Rotarix, be approved by the FDA.

Drug prices continue to rise. You don’t think that the prices are rising in anticipation of Democratic price controls after next January do you?

FDA is proposing new guidelines on “off-label” use of drugs. The rules prohibiting the off-label marketing of prescriptions expired September 2006. Pharmaceutical companies may be soon able to disseminate scientific articles on non-FDA approved uses of their products without a lot of song and dance.

Why is it that over 45% of all cigarettes are consumed by people with schizophrenia, alcoholism and other mental illnesses? The good news is that the other 55% are ONLY addicted. Could there be a relationship between the findings of mental “side effects” of Chantix and preexisting conditions?

Still stinging from the bad guesses that went into the selection of the 2006-2007 Flu vaccine, the FDA panel has now made their selection for the 2007-2008 vaccine. They do get it right more often than not, so I am encouraged in the epic fight between Man and the little beasts.

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