Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 05-31-2004

Quote of the day:  

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.

                                      Gladys Bronwyn Stern

Good morning and Happy Memorial Day!

What is that we are to remember on Memorial Day? Remember to pick up charcoal and lighter fluid? Remember to pack the picnic basket? Remember to …. (fill in the blank)?

The originators set this day aside to remember the fallen men and women who served in the military. Presidents Bush and Clinton dedicated the World War II Memorial this weekend. Not a day too soon because the WWII vets are dying at the rate of 1,100 per day. Even the youngest vets are in their late 70's. The Korean and Viet Nam vets have had their memorial for years and the WWII vets had to wait until 2001 for work to begin on this one (September 11 to be exact). http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/30/national/30MEMO.html?th  or http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=M4QYPJ5YCWLYICRBAEKSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=5302651

If you have a loved one who was part of WWII then you can register them at http://harrisonheritage.com/adbc/wwii.htm  (No charge for this) The memorial will honor all military veterans of the war, the citizens on the home front and the nation at large. A farmer growing food for the troops, Rosie the Riveter, Merchant Marines as well as Soldiers, Sailor, Airmen, and Marines are all eligible. For military entries you should know their name, highest rank, dates of service, significant battles or theater, honors and decorations.

 To all who fell during or since the conflict we owe homage. To those who are still with us we can offer our thanks. Most came back and were surprised if they received any attention…. it was just what a citizen did.  My father made 7 landings in the Pacific and occupied Japan after the war. The first time he remembered anyone thanking him was when my, then 5th grade, daughter wrote him a letter as part of a school assignment. Even though he was a tough old guy, he was moved.  He would have been proud to see the monument.

 The least we should do is offer our thanks while we still can. As per the quote, silent thanks is of no use to anyone. Please speak up the next time you see a vet… it will mean a lot.

Steve

ps Thanks Dad!     -------------------------------------------------

1) Another new magical drug name…. Xifaxan…. with TWO "x's" it should be good!

Xifaxan is the brand name of the traveler's diarrhea drug mentioned last week. The FDA did approve it on May 26th. It is a non-absorbed antibiotic that stays in the GI tract. (see last week for specifics…. I still don't have a price). http://www.pharmworks.com/ppp_05_24_2004.htm

2) ACE for all Diabetics….high blood pressure or not!

Death rates (the ultimate statistical end point) were cut in half for those who did not have any previous cardiovascular problems. With adult onset diabetes on the rise this will be huge! (Good thing that most ACE inhibitors are now available generically!).

http://www.diabetes.org/for-media/2004-press-releases/5-26.jsp

3) Retirees rightly worried about losing their benefits….

Retiree may really appreciate how good they have it as they see the company drug benefit about to disappear as the Medicare benefits of 2006 approach.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-anxious-retirees,0,7129080.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

4) Just to be like Minnesota? …Arnold's state puts up Canadian drug website.

Another State flaunting the FDA and the law by promoting the use of drugs from Canada. I know the head of the California Pharmacists Association was promoting reimportation… but through the California pharmacies (who would likely keep or share little of any savings)….I wonder what he has to say about losing ALL of that business.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/aphealth_story.asp?category=1500&slug=Canadian%20Drugs

5) Jury finds that drug company was NOT LIABLE…

…but the company has already paid out HUGE sums to other plaintiffs who took Rezulin for diabetes. You don't think that liability has anything to do with the high cost of pharmaceuticals do you?

http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_news_article.jspzQzidzEz272996

 6) Is nothing sacred?… Sanctura approved for OAB ....(sounds like Santuary)

Sanctura (trospium chloride tablets) approved by the FDA for "over-active bladder"( aka OAB). There are other drugs already approved for this and more in the pipeline. Why all the attention? As the population of baby-boomers expands so does the market for adult diapers and drugs designed to reduce these emissions. Many of the drugs act against naturally occurring acetylcholine. These drugs are generally "drying" but can also cause symptoms that look a lot like Alzheimer's. Sanctura is a called a "muscarinic receptor antagonist". This is only one of the two receptors for acetylcholine. This may be a subtle marketing spin on an another anticholinergic. I doubt that this will offer enough of a pharmacologic difference to capture the market.

http://www.drugs.com/sanctura.html

 7) Vaccinate against measles, mumps and Marboros….

Swedes have a new vaccine that could take the pleasure out of smoking…All they need are 40 non-smoking volunteers and a second group of smokers to test it for safety. Wouldn't it be a shame if the vaccine caused a bad side effect like acne!

....unlike the emphazema, heart disease, impotence, cancer of the lung, kidney, etc caused by cigarettes!

.http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1507&ncid=1507&e=5&u=/afp/20040521/hl_afp/health_smoking_sweden_040521112005

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