ppp 06-02-08

Quote of the day: Weather forecast for tonight: dark.

Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning.

George Carlin (1937 - )

Last weekend I enjoyed quite a bit of the outdoors. On Sunday night I was caught in a hail storm, Not quite the size of baseballs but enough to do some serious damage to the “batmobile”. One of the first things I did after arriving home was to look up my deductable. With a dent in every piece of sheet metal on the car it was easy to see that I would have to file a claim. Just like with health insurance, if you are well, you bought too much but if you need it, you bought too little. I had assumed some of the risk and will have to pay. I will have to weigh my relative risk and adjust my deductable if necessary.

Even though I thought the damage extensive, it appears that a paint-less dent repair is possible. Essentially, a hot resin is stuck to the pain finish and a brace that directs the pull perpendicular to the divot is tightened. When the force is too great the resin releases and the paint is spared. This process is repeated until the dent is no more. Quite an ingenious approach.

Ever wonder how hail is formed and why the precipitation doesn’t take the form of snow? Hail is formed when warm moist air encounters a swiftly moving cold front and the warm air slides over the cold. As strong updrafts push the warm air higher small ice crystals form. As they get bigger they begin to fall due to their weight. If they are lifted higher again they can add more ice and begin the process again, much like making a candle by repeatedly dipping a string in wax. The longer and more times the hail is lifted, the bigger the resulting projectiles become.

Maybe you have a million dollar idea like the Paint-less Dent Repair concept. That one little crystal of an idea would not make much of an impact by itself. Use your friends, family, and yes, competitors to help you sharpen your idea. You may feel blown and battered, but every bit of adversity can only make your idea that much stronger in the end, Keep lifting it up until it has enough weight to make a dent in the world.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "I am kicking" (a soccer loving friend)

The pregnancy warning system has traditionally been tied to and alphabetical index. Even pharmacists had a tough time remembering what “C” meant. The FDA will have the manufacturers change their labeling to explain the risks to the mother and the fetus associated with maternal ingestion of drugs. Warnings will also include the adverse effects on the mother from stopping the offending drug. Born babies will also receive more protection because data on penetration of drugs into breast milk will also be expanded. As new drugs come to market they will have to comply right away while older drugs will have their labeling changed over some time. (Did you know that prescription drugs receive different NDC numbers each time there is a change in labeling?) This will make all sorts of additional work for First Data Bank, Medispan, and every pharmacy that relies on NDC number based data systems.

Cinese are dragging their feet in authorizing the FDA to open 3 offices in China. My bet is that they would move much faster if they thought that they would not be able to sell drugs to the US until approved.

FDA is on a direct hiring binge, 1300 positions nationwide. See the link below if you want to one of “The few. The proud. The underpaid”. (But, hey, they have GREAT benefits… and a retirement plan).

Connecticut files racketeering charges against McKesson (a drug wholesaler) and First Data Bank (publisher if AWP and WAC pricing). Normally I take any legislation of law suits coming out of that great state with a whole shaker full of salt but this may gain legs. As the government pays for more and more drugs and that the price they pay is proportional to published pricing you can see why they are so invested in grinding this one out.

Clostridium difficile has been around for a long time causing intractable diarrhea in patient thus infected. The smell is unmistakable and the new “superbug” is resistant to most forms of antibiotic treatment. Only strict hand washing procedures will limit its spread. It is becoming more commonly fatal… not something I’d want in my obit… terminal diarrhea!

The British are attacking high cholesterol by “trawling” health records of citizens over 40 years old looking for 1 of 5 risk factors. Mick Jagger or “Sir Paul” could expect contact if they qualify. An additional 1.5 million people are expected to be called in and put on a statin. Whether or not they take the drugs is yet another issue.

Xiadafil VIP Tabs contain a form of Viagra and can cause the famed “unsafe drop in blood pressure” when used with nitrates (such as nitroglycerine). Sold as an “herbal” remedy for erectile dysfunction without a prescription, Xiadafil distribution is now banned.

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