MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'insiders'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:56:02 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405876&cid=t_240564_133_f&fid=35124&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Faspergerwoman%2F%7E3%2Fo7KIthqMZ1o%2Fautism-work-poor-people-dropouts.html A Dutch newspaper yesterday published an article about “working poor people”. For many people money is not the most important thing in their job. About shattered dreams, respect and meaningful ways to fill your life. In Holland there seems to be a forgotten group of 1.5 million people . They work very hard in a very low paid regular job and earn just a minimum loan. An example of those working poor people is a Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam based cleaner . He was interviewed for the article and told he is sometimes just ignored as a human being during his job. He works 55 hours in 5 days, has two jobs and is often up to 16 hours a day from home. He is divorced and takes care of three home living children. For many people interviewed for the newspaper article the thing they want to earn mo... The Art of Being Asperger Woman blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405876 Wed, 13 May 2009 08:18:00 +0100 2405876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1484986&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fjust-remember-that-verdict-of-not.html PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Two former CVS executives were acquitted Friday of bribing a Rhode Island state senator for legislative favors, dealing a blow to the federal government's probe into corruption in the Statehouse.A jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before finding John R. Kramer and Carlos Ortiz not guilty of 23 counts of bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy.Fake legal expert Ira Sammons noted that the verdict was returned in less than half the average time it takes to fill a prescription at a CVS pharmacy."More than a little irony there." said Sammons in an interview that took place only in my head.In comments that didn't happen shortly after the verdict was read, jury foreman Biff Thomlenson said it was the utter insignificance of Rhode Island that ultimately led to the verdict."... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1484986 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:07:00 +0100 1484986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1480781&cid=t_240564_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2F301328622%2F AlzheimersNotes.com To keep you informed about the inside info on the health care industry, you now have Health Care Insiders at b5media.  Written by Jennifer Hinkel and Becky Ramsey, this blog will have the latest news on what’s going on in this arena that’s of great concern to most of us. Check out this blog, see if it has information and answers that will aid you as a caregiver as well as in your personal situation.  Let Jennifer and Becky know what information will be helpful for you. Health care is of concern to all of us as we encounter personal and family health situations.  How nice to have a place where we can find more information about it. (c)2008 Mary Emma Allen Tags: Alzheimer's health, Alzheimers, b5media, caregiver health, caregivers, family health, Hea... Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1480781 Fri, 30 May 2008 15:30:09 +0100 1480781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1475328&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fdrugmonkey-tries-his-hand-at-book.html This may be my favorite Big Pharma ad ever:"Modern man is the victim of this era" reads the headline."War...rumors of war...atomic devastation...too much government...economic uncertainty- all part of a complex pattern, all part of these troubled times. Today, countless factors are taking their psychic toll in your patients. Mental depression is one of the most common results.'Dexedrine' Sulfate can do much to help the depressed patient. By restoring mental alertness and optimism, by inducing a feeling of energy and well being. 'Dexedrine' lifts your patient out of the gloom of depression and helps him face the future."Dexedrine, for those of you not in the profession, is a brand name for a type of amphetamine. If nothing else, Nicholas Rasmussen's new book, On Speed, The Many Lives of Amp... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1475328 Thu, 29 May 2008 05:42:00 +0100 1475328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1469930&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Ffrom-big-pharma-bizarro-ad-file.html Try to ignore the fold down the center of the ad. I tend to shove things into my pocket at work without thinking about how a crease mark down the center of a picture might look when I scan it into my computer:So Kristalose is nice and clear and an alternative for people whose insurance will no longer cover Miralax since it went over the counter. I get it.But why the hell is the lady staring into the sink like that? Kristalose is supposed to make you poop. What's that got to do with staring into the sink?She doesn't look like she's washing her hands, she looks more like she's confused, or grabbing the sink in frustration. "My God it's been so long....and now I finally have to go ....but......dammit! Which one is where the poop goes and which one is for washing your hands? I can't remember!!... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1469930 Tue, 27 May 2008 04:38:00 +0100 1469930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1443065&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fquick-question-for-everyone-who-works.html Why do you think you need a fax from me to renew someone's prescription? You really don't. You can issue a prescription at any time, in any way you like. You can write it down, you can phone it in, you can leave it on the voicemail. Hell, when I was in Ohio the law still said you could transmit it by telegraph.Yet you'll sit by the fax machine, sometimes for hours, and wait like you need the fax machine's permission to do your job. Sometimes you'll even call me..... tell me what the patient asked you for, and instead of approving or denying the refill request, you'll say something like "WE HAVEN'T GOT A FAX YET!!"Why do you think you need one? I mean, it's a renewal, and you have a record of what you've prescribed the patient in the past....don't you? I mean, when the doctor issues a presc... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1443065 Wed, 14 May 2008 05:46:00 +0100 1443065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1437032&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fi-randomly-dive-into-giant-pile-of-crap.html Many of you will look at this ad and undoubtedly be confused by the model pictured power walking her way to health.You're confused because you can't read the fine print beside her leg:"Hi, Bob? Great job on the Levemir layout. We just have one small problem. When we showed it to focus groups, about 20% of the people who saw it thought the purpose of the model was to explain the intricacies of quantum mechanics, and they didn't get the connection with a diabetes treatment.""What?""Another 15% thought we were making fun of Oprah.""Oh my God!! We're already over budget on this! And we sure as hell can't afford to get sued by Oprah! Jesus, what are we gonna do!!??""Calm down Bob, I think I've got a solution. If we add some microscopic print that should take care of everything. We simply must s... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1437032 Mon, 12 May 2008 10:11:00 +0100 1437032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1434583&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Funderstatement-of-day.html I live for pharmacy my friends. I breathe it. 24/7 my mind is on the drugs. Like just now I was spending my spare time reading about anticholinergic side effects. There is no better way to spend a Saturday night, and probably no better illustration of why I am single. My commitment to medicine is matched only by my appreciation for stupid proclamations. Which is why I found this statement from our friends at Merck to be so personally fulfilling:Anticholinergic effects include confusion, blurred vision, constipation, dry mouth, light-headedness, difficulty starting and continuing to urinate, and loss of bladder control. Most of these effects are undesirable.A twofer! Informative and idiotic at the same time! Exactly which of these effects is the desirable one you suppose? Maybe the confusi... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1434583 Sun, 11 May 2008 05:03:00 +0100 1434583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1429189&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fin-battle-against-large-breasts-of.html From the mailbag:I just wanted to thank you immensely for the post you did on Oct. 22, 2006, concerning idiotic doctors who give Pexeva prescriptions instead of paroxetine. My husband was diagnosed as bipolar about a year ago. We have been in terrible financial condition, in large part to his inability to work because of his mental issues. After years of discussion, I finally got him to see a doctor about it. He was diagnosed using the same damn checklist I found online years before and the doctor prescribed Pexeva. It was like a miracle -- he was under control for the first time in a long time. The only problem was that his prescription cost about $200 a month (he's uninsured), and it was very hard to scrape the money together to pay for it.Imagine my surprise when googling around about a... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1429189 Thu, 08 May 2008 05:56:00 +0100 1429189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1405446&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fi-will-try-to-remain-calm-in-this-post.html From the pages of this month's Mother Jones. An absurdly inexpensive and extraordinarily well written magazine you should go subscribe to right now:One winter night in 2000, Danny, who was 21 at the time, went home with a guy he met at a crowded bar in San Francisco. Random hookups weren't out of the ordinary for Danny, but this one ended badly: As he was buttoning up to go home, his new friend mentioned he was HIV positive. Usually conscientious about safe sex, Danny hadn't been, and he panicked. " I was in shock" he says. "I just couldn't believe it." He vaguely remembered reading about an emergency treatment that could prevent infection, so when he got home he called the California AIDS hotline. Memory served. A monthlong regimen known as post-exposure prophylaxis treatment (PEP)- usual... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1405446 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:24:00 +0100 1405446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1395170&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fi-bet-being-pharmacist-for-torturers.html From the website of Democracy Now!, which I've told you several times you should be reading every day: The Washington Post reports at least two dozen former and current prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere say they have been given drugs against their will or witnessed other inmates being drugged. The allegations have resurfaced after the release this month of a 2003 Justice Department memo that explicitly condoned the use of drugs on detainees. In the memo, former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo rejected a decades-old US ban on the use of “mind-altering substances” on prisoners. Instead, he argued that drugs could be used as long as they did not inflict permanent or “profound” psychological damage. Legal experts and human rights groups say that forced drugging of detainees ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1395170 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:04:00 +0100 1395170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1389162&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fbig-pharma-joins-forces-with-insurance.html Of course when I say "surprise result" what I mean is "completely predictable result"Doctors treating children with a rare and severe form of epilepsy were stunned by the news. A crucial drug, H.P. Acthar Gel, that had been selling for $1,600 a vial would now cost $23,000.The price increase, put in place over last Labor Day weekend, also jolted employers that provide health benefits to their workers and bear the brunt of drug costs.As it turned out, the exclusive distributor of H.P. Acthar Gel is Express Scripts, a company whose core business is supposed to be helping employers manage their drug insurance programs and get medicines at the best available prices.But in recent years, drug benefit managers like Express Scripts have built lucrative side businesses seemingly at odds with that be... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1389162 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:46:00 +0100 1389162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1372012&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fin-latest-recount-of-my-blogpoll-data.html Which works out pretty well, as in this Olympic year, we may have a new gold medal winner for Pud-sucking by a pharmaceutical corporation. You'll recall our previous co-champions were Merck and Schering, who are accused of withholding scientific data that would have made their product, Zetia, look bad.Just a shame they didn't go the extra step of actually changing the numbers, or they could have won it all.The key to our story is this:"High doses of estrogen are known to raise the risk for blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes."We've known this for awhile now. Estrogen levels have been getting lower and lower in Oral Contraceptives for years, as drug companies push the envelope to see how far down they can go and maintain effectiveness. Good for them. Heart attacks and stoke... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1372012 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:46:00 +0100 1372012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1368481&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fauralgan-update-deston-therapeutics.html Evidently I have a lot to learn about what it takes to make it in the world of business. I almost.....almost.....said something in my last post about the rip-off that is new formula Auralgan that I bet the price is somewhere around 40 or 50 bucks. I mean after all, the old formula Auralgan that you can no longer get if your doctor writes the word "Auralgan" on your prescription pad runs about 15 dollars. I figured tripling the price would be about par for the course for the type of asshole who would engage in this type of maneuver. A comment on that post gave me my first clue. I woefully underestimated the assholiness involved here. Retail price of the new Auarlgan?$214.99. That wasn't a typo. Two hundred and fifteen fucking dollars. Let's recap: Deston Therapeutics bought the rights t... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1368481 Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:42:00 +0100 1368481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1362482&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fits-not-worst-thing-big-pharma-has-done.html Actually, to call Deston Therapeutics Big Pharma would be insulting to the likes of Merck. It would be kinda stretching it to even call Deston Therapeutics Medium Pharma, but they have plans to change that. Big plans. If all goes well, loads of cash will soon be rolling in Deston Therapeutics' front door from sales of their new blockbuster product, Auralgan. "Have you been taking the LSD again Drugmonkey?" I can hear you saying, "Auralgan has been around since Moses. No one's gonna make money off an old med that gets substituted nearly 100% of the time now. " You'd be partly right. Auralgan has been around forever. For those of you not in the profession I'll tell you Auralgan is a pain relieving ear drop. The generic equivalents of Auralgan have captured so much of the market that Wyeth, a... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1362482 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:54:00 +0100 1362482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1336900&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fangry-pharmacist-is-that-you.html Local Pharmacist Ira Freeman of Key Pharmacy is in his 11th day of a 15 day fast to protest the Governor’s proposed 10% reduction in Medi-Cal spending, which he says will negatively affect all Medi-Cal beneficiaries and the pharmacies that serve them.“The Medi-Cal population is very vulnerable and these budget cuts put providers in a compromising position of either going out of business or turning patients away. It’s a no win situation,” said Freeman. I know times are tough for you independents Angry Pharmacist, but I mean really, is this necessary? I'm sure the Governator and the legislature will work something out.Or maybe you just got hit with a wave of customers, haven't been able to get away from the pharmacy counter for 11 days, and decided to at least get s... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1336900 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:35:00 +0100 1336900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1320572&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fthis-is-kind-of-lawsuit-that-drives-me.html Throwing things, cursing, other expressions of general disbelief.....those were some of my reactions when an alert reader tipped me off to this story from the Wall Street Journal.CVS Caremark Corp. will pay $36.7 million to settle allegations that it improperly switched customers to a more-expensive form of a drug paid for by Medicaid, the government program that provides health care to low-income people. A lawsuit alleging fraud by the chain-drugstore company was brought by an Illinois pharmacist and joined by the federal government and 23 states that paid for the medication.The complaint, filed in 2003 in U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois, alleges CVS pharmacies switched Medicaid patients taking the generic form of stomach medication Zantac to capsules from tablets. Medicaid sets... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1320572 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:31:00 +0100 1320572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1314275&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fmy-ex-wife-called-it-upsellingat-least.html She managed a Hallmark store back in the day, and whatever it was actually called, it was one of the things they were evaluated on by the corporate mothership. It went something like this:A customer would approach the cash register. An employee would say. "Have you seen our (insert name of gay product being promoted this month we can't sell any other way) they're just adorable!"The ex-wife never saw the similarity between this and the pimply-faced teen behind the McDonalds counter asking "do you want fries with that?" No matter how adamantly or how many times I pointed this out. One of the reasons I have an ex-wife I suppose.Big Pharma's got it a lot easier though. They don't bother to ask if you want your product supersized. To Sunday's New York Times:The drug...... Cerezyme, is used to t... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1314275 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:03:00 +0100 1314275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1309113&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fi-know-ive-been-picking-on-cvs-lot-here.html First, they show that no independent is gonna outdo them when it comes to pharmacy services, even creepy pervy pharmacy services:Baltimore County police said yesterday that they arrested a former CVS pharmacist and charged him with trading drugs for sex.Ramon Bautista Juta, 54, of the first block of Trumpet Court in Perry Hall was charged with two counts of possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute, possession and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, forgery of prescriptions and prostitution, police said. Juta had worked at the CVS in the first block of Compass Road in Middle River, police said.According to authorities, a woman told them that Juta had asked her to provide sexual favors in exchange for prescription pills she used. Police said the medications include... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1309113 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:40:00 +0100 1309113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1305410&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fdirect-quote-from-cvs-store-voicemail.html "Pharmacy, press 3"Whereupon a normal person who wanted to talk to someone in the store's pharmacy would press 3, thinking it would connect them to the pharmacy.Silly human. What you hear next is "For the pharmacy, press 1"You see, at CVS you've gotta really want it. Because after this bit of idiotic redundancy, after you do everything the machine tells you to do, human contact will not happen anytime soon. After that weird gurgling sound, you're gonna be on hold. For a long time. You get no credit for doing what the machine wanted. You can try pressing 3 again to see if that will make the machine happy, but it's too late, all you'll hear is that oddly hypnotic piano bar music. I wonder how much CVS paid for that piano music. I wonder if they think that it's calming and therefore people wh... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1305410 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:15:00 +0100 1305410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1276070&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fif-youre-small-government-type-you-must.html Because this is the type of thing that happens when you and your ilk string together almost 30 years of wins at the ballot box.With reports of more than 400 patients in the United States suffering serious complications after receiving the blood-thinner heparin, American investigators are trying to determine whether the raw material for the drug, made from pig intestines, became contaminated on the journey that begins in the slaughterhouses of China.The process of making heparin begins with the intestines of slaughtered pigs, from which mucous membrane is collected and cooked, eventually producing a dry substance known as crude heparin. Major heparin producers like S.P.L. take that substance, refine it and sell it to companies like Baxter that make the final product, which is widely used in... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1276070 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:36:00 +0100 1276070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1240248&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Frhinovirus-war-continues-so-im-sure.html You'll also cut me some slack I'm sure, because if you're a regular visitor to my little blog garden, you saw this coming over a year ago. To the January 31st edition of The New York Times:Eli Lilly and federal prosecutors are discussing a settlement of a civil and criminal investigation into the company’s marketing of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa that could result in Lilly’s paying more than $1 billion to federal and state governments. If a deal is reached, the fine would be the largest ever paid by a drug company for breaking the federal laws that govern how drug makers can promote their medicines. To recap, although really, you should be keeping up with what I write and know all this already:1) Zyprexa is approved only to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.2) Lilly decided ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1240248 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:15:00 +0100 1240248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1223766&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fi-want-you-to-remember-this-next-time.html "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." -Ronald Reagan 1/20/1981Government scientists have discovered a new way that H.I.V. attacks human cells, an advance that could provide fresh avenues for the development of additional therapies to stop AIDS, they reported on Sunday. -New York Times 2/11/2008Notice the first two words in that second quote. Government scientists. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Far more often than you realize, basic research, the hard, needle in a haystack type stuff that is the foundation of breakthroughs, is the result of your tax dollars, not the research budget of Big Pharma. The first AIDS drug came from the government-run National Cancer Institute, and it looks like the next one will be the result of a big government... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1223766 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:19:00 +0100 1223766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1204744&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Flloyd-duplantis-of-gray-louisiana-may.html Through the magic of the internet, we go to Boston, a town deeply affected for some reason because a group of large men not from there lost a playfight over an air filled leather sack yesterday:BOSTON—Prosecutors say they cannot press rape charges against a pharmacist who allegedly posed as a gynecologist and examined two women because of a half-century old state law that says an assault can't be considered rape if consent is obtained through fraud or deceit.Police charged pharmacist Nicholas Creanza with rape after he allegedly lured the women into the back room of his Springfield pharmacy and gave them exams. Because the women consented to the exams, even though they were being deceived, by law it could not be considered rape, Hampden County prosecutors said in dropping the charges.Cre... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1204744 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:10:00 +0100 1204744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1156816&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Ftonight-i-bring-you-evidence-of-odd.html From the "Big Pharma propaganda I look through while trying to quickly stuff a tuna sandwhich down my face" file:What the hell is up with this woman's eyes? At first I thought maybe they were trying to dress her up a bit like a football player, you know, because she says she's ready to FIGHT her type 1 diabetes. I attributed the fact that it looked like she was wearing red tape instead of eye black to the kind of thing that happens when you need to get a photo shoot done in a hurry. It was a slightly plausible theory that was blown completely out of the water then I turned the page and saw this:WTF? Are they trying to say that users of Symlin have egg on their face? Because it totally looks like this guy's eyes have been done over-easy. I seriously don't get this, and can only suspect the ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1156816 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:26:00 +0100 1156816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1150744&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fyou-may-all-write-in-and-tell-me-what.html Why? Because back in November I wrote this:ask yourself what Merck and Schering would be doing if they were looking at numbers that suggested Zetia and/or Vytorin were clearly lowering heart disease risk more than any other therapy. They'd have an ex-college cheerleader sales rep in every doctor's office in the country waving those numbers in front of their cleavage, that's what they'd be doing.You see, Merck and Schering, far from deploying the cheerleader corps, was instead sitting on data from the Enhance trial, which had been completed over a year and a half ago. My point then was that this behavior, coupled with the fact that Merck and Schering tried to change the definition of what they were measuring, made me just a tad bit suspicious of what those numbers might say.Today we have th... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1150744 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:22:00 +0100 1150744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1118247&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fonce-again-drugmonkey-gets-results.html It was a little over a month ago that I wrote the two titans of Big Pharma a public letter in this very blog:Dear Merck/Schering.Your bullshit has been called. Please remove your head from your ass and do the right thing.Sincerely,Drugmonkey, Master of Pharmacy.Regular readers of my little blog garden already know that what had my boxers in such a bunch was Merck and Schering's decision to alter the definition of the Enhance study's "primary endpoint." For those of you playing along at home, that means they started this study with one definition of what they were going to measure, then when the data actually came in decided that no, they changed their mind and they were going to look for something else. This kind of thing is not done in science, and the Drugmonkey was not going to let them... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1118247 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:25:00 +0100 1118247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1115378&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fmerck-and-schering-dont-want-you-to.html Regular readers of this very blog already are well aware of how these two companies, joint marketers of the wildly popular cholesterol med, appear to be sitting on data gathered to show how well the med works until they can manipulate it to say what they want. Readers of the New York Times also know this. Well today, lucky readers, you will get another scoop concerning Merck, Schering, and Zetia skulduggery. And you will get it a mere 4 days after the readers of The New York Times.New evidence shows that the drug makers Merck and Schering-Plough have conducted several studies of their popular cholesterol medicine Zetia that raise questions about its risks to the liver, but the companies have never published those results.The unpublished studies, conducted from 2000 to 2003 according to the... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1115378 Tue, 25 Dec 2007 09:03:00 +0100 1115378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1082953&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fonce-again-my-employers-drug.html And of course what I mean by "saves my ass" is "wastes my fucking time"....and yours. Someone deep in the bowels of my employer's IT department decided it would be a good idea not long ago to add a new DUR warning to our system. DUR warnings stop the prescription filling process in its tracks. They must be overridden by me, and if they actually pointed out things that a pharmacist genuinely should be concerned about, they would be a good thing. The latest batch of DUR updates released into our system though, included one for the anti-acne med Accutane."Isotretinoin should be used with caution in women of childbearing age" says the warning that I must override every single time a prescription for Accutane or one of its generics is filled. Thanks. Fucking thank you for that. How about a warn... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1082953 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:39:00 +0100 1082953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1052451&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fwords-i-never-thought-i-would-write-i.html I feel confused. Disoriented. Like the life force that provides certainty for the universe has been altered. I fear the very nature of time/space may never be the same again.It all started simply enough. An AP wire story about the latest shenanigans of Big Pharma:WASHINGTON (AP) - Legislation aimed at speeding the availability of cheaper generic drugs has stalled in Congress in the face of major lobbying by the drug industry. The Senate bill would ban most settlements known as "reverse payments," in which a brand-name company pays a generic manufacturer to delay the introduction of the generic drug.Allow me to bring out the "Bullshit Exposure Through Dramitization Players" to illustrate what's happening here.Generic Drugmakers: Oh Big Pharma, can't we just get along? Why, when your patent ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1052451 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:01:00 +0100 1052451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1020057&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fover-year-after-i-gave-you-scoop.html ...and joins the distinguished company of Rezulin, Baycol, Bextra, Duract, Posicor, Propulsid, Tequin, Redux, Seldane, and Vioxx. From the November 6th New York Times:Pressured by regulators, the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG announced Monday that it had agreed to withdraw the controversial heart surgery drug Trasylol after a Canadian study suggested that it increased death rates.Dr. John K. Jenkins, a leading official of the Food and Drug Administration, said, “F.D.A. could not identify a specific patient population where the benefits of using Trasylol could outweigh the risks.”Here's an idea. How about maybe identifying a specific patient population where the benefits of a drug outweigh the risks BEFORE YOU LET IT ON THE MARKET. It wouldn't have to be a big population. Just so... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1020057 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:12:00 +0100 1020057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1018953&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fyou-are-witness-this-day-to-birth-of.html I am prepared to strike a deal with all the pharmacy "doctors" out there.I have heard your words. I have felt your desperate need for recognition for the extra year of schooling you went through. Indeed, I've not only felt it, I've secretly shared it for over 15 years now.I mean, I went though an extra year too. Compared to the 4-year BSPharms. There are still some out there you know. And I need to tell the world I went through an extra year of school, just like you. We're not so different really.So I have decided it is me that has the equivalent of a Masters Degree. Most Bachelor's Degree's are four year programs. My BSPharm was a 5 year one. I deserve recognition for this.So yes, the fact that you went to school for two more years than required for a Bachelor's degree in most fields now ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1018953 Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:54:00 +0100 1018953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1010558&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fif-youre-cvs-pharmacist-you-may-have-to.html I can think of no other honorable way for you out of this situation:http://www.forallthewaysyoucare.com/videos/I had to watch this three times out of sheer disbelief of its complete gayness. It still hasn't quite sunk in. I mean gay like lame, not gay like homosexual. Butt sex is far less offensive than this. Wrapping a rainbow around an old woman on the way to work? WRAPPING A RAINBOW AROUND AN OLD WOMAN ON THE WAY TO WORK!!?? You know what I do on the way to work most days? I play The Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get Retarded" Everybody, everybody, let's get into it. Get stupid. Get retarded, get retarded, get retarded. Let's get retarded (ha), let's get retarded in here.......It's the perfect song to put you in that retail pharmacy state of mind. Why? Because if that CVS video would have been... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1010558 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:13:00 +0100 1010558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1007481&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fexubera-we-hardly-knew-ye.html From those money-lovin' folks at Forbes.com (Semi-related side note: I once remember seeing Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine, 2-time presidential candidate, and gazbillionare, host Saturday Night Live........ "Ladies and Gentlemen" he said as he introduced that week's musical guest, "Rage Against The Machine!!!!" I almost shot scotch through my nose.)Pfizer announced it's cleaning its system of the disappointing inhaled diabetes drug Exubera, giving Wall Street hope the world's largest pharmaceutical company is getting its act together.The drug-maker’s weakness stems from Exubera, a drug that has disappointed everyone but Pfizer's competitors (See "Pfizer's Latest Hit"). In October, Pfizer announced it was ending production of the inhaled insulin, and taking a $2.8 billion char... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1007481 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:53:00 +0100 1007481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=989856&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fwhat-we-really-need-in-our-next.html From the Sept. 3rd edition of the trade mag Drug Topics:First, the bad news. Recent studies have spotlighted an alarming trend among teens who intentionally consume large amounts of cough medicine containing the ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM). The Partnership for a Drug-Free America reports that one in 10, or 2.4 million, young people report having abused DXM-containing medications to get high. The good news: The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) is collaborating with the Partnership and other organizations to launch educational initiatives to combat this disturbing trend. Wow. That is good news. An educational initiative is exactly what we need to deal with this problem. Who can forget the way educational initiatives made marijuana use but a distant memory?In ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=989856 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:15:00 +0100 989856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=989857&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fwalgreens-cuts-maintenance-budget-local.html . "We don't actually make a substantial profit on the new product line itself" explained Walgreens CEO Jeffrey A. Rein. "What we've discovered in our test markets however, is that sales of high margin products such as condoms, personal lubricants, and anal plugs experience double digit increases"Of course I made that quote up. Walgreens doesn't sell anal plugs. Yet.Thanks to the alert reader who sent in the pic. (Source: Your Pharmacist May Hate You) Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=989857 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 05:41:00 +0100 989857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=915076&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fall-right-i-lied-you-freeloaders.html So let me be clear; it's not a book that might send a few extra bucks my way. It's some article type stuff, and my first deadline is Monday. We'll see how it goes. At any rate, it looks like I'll still have some time to tend to my little blog garden. To quote a movie I've never seen: I just can't quit you guys. So while part of me feels like Britney putting on a bikini backstage at the VMA's over this paid writing stuff, another part thought it pretty kick ass that I got to be all Michael Moorish and write Proctor and Gamble about Children's Pepto. Children's Pepto puts a burr up my ass. Read the e-mail I sent to P&G media relations and you'll see why:Dear Sir/Madam, My name is Drugmonkey, and I am a freelance writer as well as a registered pharmacist. I am currently working on a piece... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=915076 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 06:51:00 +0100 915076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=874976&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fsan-francisco-laughable-liberal-loopy.html American values like if you are sick and not worthy, you should just suffer and/or die. Preferably in a way that does not inconvenience your social betters. From today's New York Times:Since contracting polio at age 2, Yan Ling Ho has lived with pain for most of her 52 years. After she immigrated here from Hong Kong last year, the soreness in her back and joints proved too debilitating for her to work. That also meant she did not have health insurance. Not wanting to burden her daughter, who was already paying her living expenses, Ms. Ho delayed doctors’ visits and battled her misery with over-the-counter medications. “Sometimes the pain was so bad, I would just cry,” she said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”USA!..... USA!...... USA! The land where if you're rich it's becaus... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=874976 Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:12:00 +0100 874976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=868287&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fmakers-of-kaopectate-need-to-have-crap.html Kaopectate is effective at relieving diarrhea.Kaopectate generally produces a bowel movement in 12 to 72 hours.Kaopectate can be taken to relieve diarrhea cause by antibiotic use.Kaopectate is not recommended for diarrhea caused by antibiotic use.I have not lied to you. I can say these things because the asswipes that own the Kaopectate brand name, Chattem, Inc., have taken the original Kaopectate formula containing Attapulgite, which we all knew and loved as the only product to be used for antibiotic-induced diarrhea, and changed it to bismuth subsalicylate, the same ingredient found in Pepto Bismol. Bismuth subsalicylate is not recommended for relief of antibiotic induced diarrhea. It also should not be given to children with viral infections, which will be no source of confusion to peop... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=868287 Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:28:00 +0100 868287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=839029&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fdepressed-child-is-so-1990s.html I remember as a young Drugmonkey extern my amazement when I saw the mental health ward of the hospital to which I had been assigned. This was nothing like the state institution in my previous rotation, with it's leaky pipes, drafty windows, and underpadded rubber room that made the screams of the violently mentally ill clearly audible to those of us in the pharmacy below trying to fill carts. What I saw in front of me today was a clean, new, modern apartment with all the amenities life in 1991 could offer. I seriously considered for a second trying to convince one of the doctors I was bipolar so I could finally get out of my parents house and into one of these prime cribs. "It has to do with insurance" My preceptor told me. "A lot of plans are very lucrative for short term inpatient menta... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=839029 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:22:00 +0100 839029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=798002&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fbig-pharma-to-you-thanks-for-all-money.html So I guess this could be considered good news, in the same sense that the end of a brutal physical assault could be considered good news. From last Wednesday's New York Times:A quiet coup is taking place in American medicine cabinets. Prescription bottles bearing catchy brand names like Zoloft and Flonase are being pushed aside by tongue-twisting generics like sertraline and fluticasone propionate.While the trend is already pinching the profits of big pharmaceutical companies, it is rare good medical news for American pocketbooks.Patents provide 20-year protection from generic competition. But because companies often apply for patents in early stages of drug development, before drugs are approved, pharmaceuticals may have fewer years of what is called effective patent protection.And now, a... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=798002 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:17:00 +0100 798002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=756805&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Freal-reason-i-am-in-favor-of-single.html Don't take my word for it. Take the word of Big Pharma. From yesterday's New York Times:Amgen claimed a profit margin of almost 100 percent on its foreign sales, but only 15 percent on its American sales.That's right, not only does every other industrialized country manage to cover all their citizens, spend less on health care, and have better health outcomes than we do (USA!.... USA!.... USA!), but according to the drug companies themselves, there's a shitload more money to be made for them overseas than in the USA, where drug prices are an arm and a leg higher. Those Amgen figures are echoed by Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Merck. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky the pharmaceutical industry wants to do business here at all, since they make so little money in the United States. Evident... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=756805 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:59:00 +0100 756805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=749476&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fmary-sammons-pharmacy-milf.html I have never thought it fair that women receive the vast majority of sexual harassment opportunities. For years I have seethed with jealousy as the attractive women around me get chance after chance to to enter the world of higher pay, cushy assignments, and all expense paid travel and meals while I am stuck working for a living. I have prayed and hoped and dreamed of the day the executive glass ceiling would be shattered so that I too could have my share of uncomfortable swats on the ass and porn "accidentally" left on the office computer. It's my human right to be harassed.Well things may be looking up in my industry. Meet Mary Sammons, CEO of #3 Drug retailer Rite Aid:Mary may not be getting invitations to the Playboy Mansion, but when compared to the type of person we usually find at t... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=749476 Sun, 22 Jul 2007 03:36:00 +0100 749476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=736345&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fi-do-drug-topics-favor-because-reading.html This is an entire article from the Latebreakers section of the profession's leading trade magazine. I have changed not a word:Can metered-dose inhalers containing flunisolide, triamcinolone, metaproterenol, pirbuterol, albuterol and ipratropium in combination, cromolyn, and nedocromil be phased out because they harbor ozone-depleting substances? If there are alternate products that provide the same benefits as these drugs, they are nonessential and can be removed from the market by, say, Dec. 31, 2009, after a transition period. So proposed the FDA in the June 11 Federal Register. The agency said it would hold a public meeting to discuss this matter. For now, please send your comments to the FDA by Aug. 10.I think an illiterate idiot to English translation would go something like this:The ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=736345 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:07:00 +0100 736345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=711865&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fif-michael-moore-were-200-pounds.html Two reasons for anyone in the profession to go see Moore's latest film, "Sicko."1) Mike's visit to a British pharmacy, whereupon he asks the pharmacist where the laundry detergent is. "I've studied far too long to worry about your laundry" answers the man who is treated as a health care professional in his country. I wanted to stand up and let out a "HELL YEAH!"2) The interview with the woman who worked the phones for a major health insurance company. Now I'm working from memory here, so cut me some slack, but at one point she breaks down crying and says something to the effect of "that's the reason I was such a bitch on the phone, I didn't want to get to know these people, or their stories"She didn't want to get to know them because it was her job to deny them coverage. To those of you in... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=711865 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:37:00 +0100 711865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676973&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fsure-avandia-may-increase-you-chance-of.html This study showed that both Avandia and Actos are equally effective at decreasing a persons blood sugar. Both raised LDL ("bad" cholesterol) BUT........Actos raised HDL ("good" cholesterol) and decreased Triglycerides ("Blood fats"), while Avandia raised triglycerides.Now I'll use my super magical science nerd to Homer Simpson level English translator:Actos had better effects on people's cholesterol than Avandia.This study was done in 2004, and today we are hearing of a possible link between Avandia and an increased risk of heart disease. Go figure. I think that would be called a non-irony cycle. (Source: Your Pharmacist May Hate You) Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676973 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:59:00 +0100 676973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676974&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fi-write-here-for-free-someone-else-got.html From the March, 2007 issue of U.S. Pharmacist:This is a story made for soap operas. Sadly though, it is true, taken not from the TV guide but from a legal opinion. But if it has not happened yet, this story or one very similar will end up on a big or small screen somewhere. Unfortunately, it is not a rare or unique story. In fact, it seems to be rather common. It is a story about greed. The kind of raw gluttony that sickens you when you read about how loved ones in life become worst enemies at or near death. It also has a hint of a back story with a treacherous lawyer scheming to upset the balance a man tried to set up before he passed on, as he knew would happen soon. This paragraph was written by a lawyer. Lawyers go to school a long time. And they write lots of things. Sadly though, it ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676974 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:33:00 +0100 676974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=654589&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Favandia-part-2-glaxosmithkline-shows.html From A "Dear Health Care Professional" letter regarding Avandia sent out by GlaxoSmithKline on May 30th:Patient safety in the use of our medicines is a top priority for GSK. We have consistently shared our data on AVANDIA with the FDA and other regulatory agencies and continue to work closely with these agencies to update the AVANDIA label as appropriate so that health care professionals can make treatment decisions in the best interests of their patients.Hmmm.....k. Now we go to the June 2nd New York Times:When a Congressional committee holds a hearing next Wednesday, the subject will be the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia and whether federal drug regulators have paid close enough attention to its potential risks.But for one witness who is scheduled to appear, Dr. John B. Buse, a nati... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=654589 Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:11:00 +0100 654589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=645492&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fquickie-from-world-of-big-pharma-pud.html From Drug Topics, the trade magazine any pharmacist with a respect for good writing loves to hate: The Pharmacia and Upjohn subsidiary of Pfizer was ordered to pay $19.68 million after pleading guilty to offering kickbacks to a PBM in the expectation of obtaining improved formulary status for Pharmacia drug products.........At the plea hearing, the prosecutor argued that Pharmacia offered more than $12 million in inflated payments to a subsidiary of a PBM.After the hearing the Federal Prosecutor held a press conference to say "We feel that by penalizing Pfizer a little bit more than the millions of dollars it was willing to spend engaging in illegal activity we are sending a loud and clear message to the entire pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, with this settlement, equal to approximately 9... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=645492 Tue, 29 May 2007 09:05:00 +0100 645492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=638993&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fbullshit-exposure-through-dramatization.html Sometimes the magic of theatre is a way to communicate to a person's soul unlike any other. Back by popular demand, and by "popular demand" I mean "decision of the guy who writes this blog" we, and by "we" I mean "I" ....present the return of the "Bullshit Exposure Through Dramatization Players" with their production of:"We Need To Get Your Blood Sugar Down"The scene, a typical small town family doctor's office. A patient is waiting.....patiently.... for the physician to return after an examination. The patient has missed the doctor the last three times the doctor has entered the room because she has been getting up to pee every 5 minutes.Doctor: Ms. McDonalds, I've been going over the results of your tests.Ms. McDonalds: Do you have anything to eat? I'm really hungry. Thirsty too.Doctor: ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=638993 Sun, 27 May 2007 06:47:00 +0100 638993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624501&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Ftale-of-drug-company-pud-sucking-that.html It takes a village to keep up with Big Pharma's pursuit of every last possible dollar regardless of any health benefit to you. I was pointed to this sad but true tale by an alert reader who I'm sure wants to remain anonymous. Here's the teaser that I hope gets you to read the whole post:If you've contracted HIV, executives at Abbott Laboratories seriously debated whether to force you to drink a liquid it knows tastes like vomit.The story starts in the late 90's with the introduction of Norvir, part of the revolution in AIDS treatment that turned it from a death sentence into a manageable condition for lucky folks with cash. AIDS is still a death sentence for most people who contract the disease. Norvir kinda sucked, to the point where you really couldn't use it at a high enough dose for it... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624501 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:32:00 +0100 624501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624509&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fabc-news-exposes-truth-if-you-are-sick.html I was alerted to last Friday's 20/20 expose on the chain drug industry by your letters. More than one of you wrote in asking me to give my take on the piece. I'm humbled. You folks do realize I'm just some crank with a computer don't you?I will also say I haven't seen the whole piece. The irony being that while it was airing, I was decompressing from the effects of a 12 hour day spent trying to keep up with a flood of your prescriptions. My comments here are based on a couple video clips someone was kind enough to send in:http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2992803http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2994507My first thought was, who knew 20/20 was still on the air? I remember that thing as a 60 Minutes wannabe from when I was in grade school. Is Barbara Walters still alive?My ... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624509 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:52:00 +0100 624509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624511&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fstep-closer-to-day-when-big-pharma.html Exciting, exciting news came to the DrugMonkey today Via the US Mail. AstraZeneca sent me a letter telling me how pleased they are to be able to inform me about a "new budesonide-containing single-agent therapy for the maintenance treatment of asthma.""Sweet" some of you might be thinking. "Asthma sucks, and more people are getting it. A new treatment surely must be e a good thing."Except that a budesonide-containing single-agent therapy for the maintenance treatment of asthma is already on the market. It's called the Pulmicort Turbuhaler®. Guess who makes it? AstraZeneca. When AstraZeneca says "new" what they mean is "just different enough to keep patent protection." Those of you in the profession have heard this tune many a time before, and I was ready to throw the letter onto the "same... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624511 Mon, 02 Apr 2007 06:31:00 +0100 624511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624512&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fsomeone-actually-got-paid-to-come-up.html From the trade mag Chain Drug Review: Princeton, N.J.- Xenna Corp. has created an advertising campaign to promote NonyX Nail Gel, a natural diabetic-friendly gel that softens and exfoliates discoloring keratin debris that builds up between the toes and fingernails. The campaign features a character called NonyX Man, a superhero created to draw attention to the patented nail gel that Xenna sells in chain drug stores, discount stores and supermarkets around the country. I swear I am not making this up. Here is a picture of NonyX man: What do you suppose NonyX Man's super power is? The ability to see through shoes? Being super friendly to diabetics?"We figured anyone dumb enough to buy this product would have the intelligence of a child" said Carol Buck, Xenna's chief executive officer. S... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624512 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 05:48:00 +0100 624512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624515&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Freasonable-common-sense-offer-to-my.html I feel your pain Corporate America. I know how in this dog-eat-dog ruthless cutthroat culture that is capitalism in the 21st century, a dollar wasted can mean catastrophe. Pennies must be pinched, pinched until they beg for mercy!! Unnecessary expenses are a threat to our very way of life, it says so right in the Constitution. Go ahead, read in the constitution for yourself what it says about the rights of corporations, especially the part where it defines them as artificial persons.(psst....that was a trick. The word "corporation" never appears in the Constitution, the first three words of which are "We the people")Corporate America, I want to do my part to help in your never-ending battle to save a buck. That's why I'm offering the Drugmonkey free pharmacist salary monitoring service. Si... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624515 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 04:41:00 +0100 624515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=624516&cid=t_240564_97_f&fid=35611&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrugnazi.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fsit-down-this-news-will-shock-you-there.html .....I have also heard that bears shit in the woods, Vicodin may be habit forming, and cigarettes may be bad for you.What's new is that we now have a tiny window into the extent of drug company bribery....I mean..... "consulting fees." Yesterday's New York Times ran a story compiling data from the state of Minnesota, "the first of a handful of states to pass a law requiring drug makers to disclose payments to doctors." Here's a bit of what they found:The Minnesota records begin in 1997. From then through 2005, drug makers paid more than 5,500 doctors, nurses and other health care workers in the state at least $57 million. Another $40 million went to clinics, research centers and other organizations. More than 20 percent of the state’s licensed physicians received money. The median paymen... Your Pharmacist May Hate You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=624516 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 06:52:00 +0100 624516