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Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 12-31-2007
Quote of the day: There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes. Doctor Who
Good morning ! Enter the babe! Scene: Number 2007 limps away as he encounters number 2008. 2007: “I don’t envy you kid!” 2008: “Why so glum gramps?”, said the babe. 2007: “During these last 365 days I saw war, famine, and natural disasters just like all of my predecessors since number 1. He had that “host of angels” and “Star” thing to start things out right but I had the FDA, Congress, bird-flu, and the mortgage meltdown to deal with.” 2008: “But number one also had Herod, leprosy, general illiteracy and Roman world domination.” 2007: “Well you will face pharmaceutical company consolidations, more senseless violence, hate, MRSA, and bird flu.” 2008: “If only all people would have taken the events during the reign of number 33 to heart there would at least be peace.” 2007: “Well, there is always hope that they will turn things around… just don’t hold your breath.” 2008: “I want everyone to, at least, stay positive and make every effort to succeed.” 2007: “A nice thought but with that Presidential election in the USA I don’t expect you’ll feel the love” 2008: “I can’t be discouraged… the slate is clean and I intend to make the best of things. Now I just want to wish everyone a Happy me!” =================================================== ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Magnificent!" pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience. ------------
1) FDA issues another warning about fentanyl patches Deaths and life-threatening narcotic overdoses continue despite previous FDA warnings. Not for initiation of pain control but for maintenance after baseline narcotic requirements are established. http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/fentanyl_2007.htm
2) Thin blood? FDA approval may be the answer. The Food and Drug Administration approved an intravenous solution, Voluven, to thicken patient blood and to prevent or treat loss of blood volume during and after surgery. The man-made starch, hespan, expands blood plasma volume. Not a PBM drug but another potentially useful drug. http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKWBT00813920071227?rpc=44
3) Hieroglyphic handwriting hassles It used to be a macho-pharmacist sport to decipher physician writing. It can be fun if you are just guessing and being told the correct answer but potentially deadly if you have to do this while filling a prescription. If you see any illegible or ambiguous prescriptions, get clarification! It may take more time but is the ONLY way to go. http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/12/26/docs-bad-handwriting-no-longer-a-bad-joke/
4) How sweet it is or how sweet is it? Test strips recalled for the Contour TS Blood Glucose Meter. Affected lots begin with WK followed by the characters 7D, 7E, 7F or 7G and then a series of other numbers and letters (for example WK7ED3E52C). Only bottles of test strips with the characters 7D, 7E, 7F, or 7G in the third and fourth position in the sequence are affected. The meter isn’t one of the most popular ones but those using it with the bad strips could produce reading off by as much as 17%. http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/contourTS_recall.htm
5) Spit out that TIC-TAC Physicians at UMASS Memorial Medical Center are now banned from taking anything from pharmaceutical reps, including candy, medical journal subscriptions and unrestricted medical information. Physicians can’t even be on speaker’s bureau. I wonder if candy actually does change prescribing habits. http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2007/12/24/umass_policy_limits_doctor_drug_maker_ties/
6) Japan thumbs nose at evidence: bans Tamiflu in kids In the era of evidence based medicine this should not be occurring. The evidence actually says that kids who did not use Tamiflu acted weirder than those who did. Japanese error on the side of caution until more evidence can be obtained. The question is whether they will ignore the new evidence if it does not fit their bias. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071F
7) 90 day supply of narcotics may now be written and filled DEA just changed the 30 day supply limit on schedule II narcotics such as Ritalin, Oxycontin, or Fentanyl patches. In times past physicians would write 3 separate prescriptions dated 30 days apart so patients would not have to visit them every month. Now these drugs may be purchased on a 90 day basis. This should decrease the hassles for patients with chronic pain and parents of children with ADHD. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aUoESvUeqPK0
Have 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 and supervision of your 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 1998-2007 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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