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Once on a roll, the FDA continues its action against generics

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:35:36 +0000

Having hit the jackpot with Ranbaxy, the lobbyists for Big Pharma have continued their pressure on the FDA to shut down more of the competition against their drugs. When the original manufacturers are not able to find a way to extend the patent protection, their only way of defending their profit margins is to undermine the credibility of the generic imports. There is no action taken or threatened by the FDA to affect the import of this vital, safe and effective drug into the US. In this case, the FDA has picked on another Indian generic manufacturer, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. However, this time the problem has been identified in quality checks at a manufacturing plant in Detroit owned and operated by Sun Pharma. It is a major player and its activities significantly affect the profitability of the local companies. Politically, the local manufacturers benefit every time the FDA can be persuaded to take action against a generic manufacturer. There is no order that they be withdrawn from the market or stopped from entering the US. Supplies are uninterrupted. But yet another seed of doubt has been planted in the public’s mind. At a time when the US has been building better ties with India, it is odd to see the FDA engaging in such obvious protectionism with two major manufacturers from a single country as its target. Nevertheless, the damage is done to the individual companies’ reputations and to their stock value. They are being punished for being too successful in competing with US business. Fortunately, none of this has affected the manufacture or supply of generic viagra which continues to be a cheap alternative to the branded equivalents. It will require a more brave head of the FDA to challenge the supply of viagra.

Want to know about baldness - ask a soldier

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:31:07 +0000

First a word of apology. I’m a Brit. Worse, I’m an old Brit with a good memory, so I’m going to bore you all with a trip into the past. In them thar hills of days gone by, we had conscription. All us young men got the privilege of taking the Queen’s shilling and going off to fight in whichever war happened to be going on at the time. We’re talking about clumps of hair falling out. And all this BP, that’s Before Propecia which is the only really effective treatment for male-pattern baldness.

Using propecia will have no effect at all. If you cannot control the anxiety, there’s one good thing. Your hair will grow back again when you leave the military - assuming you find civilian life less stressful and assuming you do not also have androgenic alopecia.

They obviously all got used to wearing this protective headgear. But I was chatting with friend in the US recently and she commented that many of the men returning from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming back bald. This is not the short hair cut favored by the military, but real baldness. It’s just a coincidence that some men in the military start to show the conventional pattern baldness called androgenic alopecia which research now shows is caused by a break in the genetic sequence in your body. All these men have to do is take propecia and the hair loss stops. For the soldiers, all they have to do is to stay calm. But, until you reduce stress levels, the hair is not going to regrow that fast.

What does the US Government actually say about generics?

admin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:55:50 +0000

It is always pleasing to find a government agency with a specialized website. There are over two-hundred-thirty staff whose task it is to ensure that the generic drugs approved are safe for consumers to use. Just to give you an idea of the scale of the operation, in 2004, there were 563 applications made to license the production of a generic drug. They are in every way as safe and effective as the original branded version they now compete with. So generic viagra is identical to branded viagra except that it is cheaper. The supposed advantage is that any competition from a generic manufacturer will force the holder of the patent to drop its price. The consumer therefore benefits immediately. But its research shows that one generic manufacturer has very little effect on prices within the market. The reason is simple. When the first generic competitor enters, even a small price reduction gives it a market edge. In fact, if you now look at the prices for generic viagra you will find it is often less than half the price of the branded version. The greater the quantity you buy, the better the price per tablet (plus the possibility of bonus tablets from some of the online pharmacies). This is a perfect working example of the research in action. It is also a perfect explanation for Big Pharma’s dislike of generic manufacturers. Once two generic manufacturers start competing with each other, the original manufacturer’s profit margin drops like a stone. It’s great for the consumer. Bad news for the stockholders.

Let’s get down and dirty on the farms

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:10:09 +0000

I have to admit to something - a small secret. I spent nearly twenty years of my life living surrounded by dairy herds. I lived out in the countryside with the milking sheds in plain sight and the gentle beasts grazing happily all around. It is, by any standards, a peaceful life which I now miss in this urban setting. Except, there’s one thing I don’t miss.

Valium has been on the market the longest time. Humans have been popping the tablets and recycling the “waste products” back into the environment for decades. This means the drugs are now in the rivers and the underground water used for irrigation. They are also sprayed directly on to field as fertilizer. Valium has the highest concentration. When the cows contentedly ruminate on the problem, it enters their milk and then reappears on our tables. Well, apart from taking a valium to stop worrying about the problem (or should that be, simply drinking more milk), there’s almost nothing that can be done about it.

The whole system we city dwellers have built for dealing with human waste depends on processing and then releasing the “safe” outflow and sludge into the environment again. None of us want to see our taxes rise to redesign or replace our sewage plants. So, all I can ask is that we all use fewer pills. I like my milk and prefer it free from valium. And the same goes for the yoghurt, butter, cheese and anything else made from the milk of animals. And don’t forget to wash fresh produce thoroughly before using it!

Hair loss is a sensitive issue, particularly for women

admin — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:16:19 +0000

The hair loss is always stressful. People groom their self-image for years, knowing exactly how they can get the maximum effect. So the imminent loss of their crowning glory is a threat to their apparent youthfulness, their physical attractiveness and, most importantly, their self-confidence. It’s estimated about 80 million men experience male-pattern baldness. Roughly the same number of women also lose their hair.

People rush to a clinic or try one of the commercial products. They start covering their heads to hide their embarrassment, scan websites on hair pieces when no-one is looking, and then the men sigh with relief because they find propecia. Taking this drug is a commitment. It’s slow to take effect and then its effects only last so long as you continue taking it. Stop and the hair loss resumes. But it works and it’s safe. Except that women can’t take propecia. All this emotion caused by hair.

Breaking off for a moment, men can always take propecia which stops the loss and may even allow some hair to grow back. But this drug cannot be taken by women, so we need to say a few words about the other possible causes for them. Ask your local healthcare provider if you are taking medications. Some cause hair loss as a side effect. Finally, too many visits to the hairdresser, and perms or other chemically-based treatments can damage the hair and cause it to drop out. Pulling your hair back too severely into a lonytail can also pull it out from the roots.