Editorial: The Politics of Change

Well, the political conventions are over now for another four years, and wow, there were some surprises! It seems like this campaign has been going on since I was a kid! One thing that is common among both parties is the desire to see "change" in the way the government does business.

It's interesting that most politicians will say to the media that they support change and are in favor of change, and then most of them continue to vote on pork barrel projects and misspending! Also, individual members of Congress have tried, and are still trying, to get changes made, but they keep getting ganged up on. As an example, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is a physician and has been extremely vocal and active in fighting against misspending. As a result, the Ethics Commission is now spending our tax dollars investigating him. It's not as if the Commission doesn't have enough individuals to investigate for financial and sexual improprieties, but they are now going after Sen. Coburn.

What did Sen. Coburn do? He flies home on the weekends to eastern Oklahoma where he tries to continue his medical practice and delivers babies at no charge for those that cannot afford to pay! For this, the Ethics Commission is after him!

Yes, it's time for change among members of Congress and I guess it's going to have to start with a strong Presidential Team to shake things up. Let's encourage two-term limits, leaving Congress with the same amount of money in your bank account as when you came, allowing criminal penalties for any wrongdoing worthy of the punishment, changing the retirement plan to regular social security instead of the super-retirement plan they now have, and bringing their "perks" in line with the common citizen.

Yes, it will be interesting to see how the next 60 or so days pan out. One thing is for certain, if we, the people, don't demand change and hold our leaders to the fire, nothing will happen. Let's get Congress changed and also start working on changes within the bureaucracy of the governmental agencies!


Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh

What is the size of the compounding marketplace?
The Kaiser Foundation has an updated fact sheet that provides trend information about prescription drug expenditures and coverage, key factors that contribute to rising prescription spending, and efforts to contain rising drug costs. The fact sheet shows that spending in the U.S. for prescription drugs was $200.7 billion in 2005.

Editor's Note: Of this $200.7 billion, how much is compounding? One can see percentages of 1 to 8 in different media for the percentage of compounding of the overall prescription drug market. Don't forget that this percentage must also include intravenous admixtures, pediatric preparations, and all compounded medications in hospitals as well as in all drug stores.

So, 1% of $200.7 billion is $2.007 billion: 8% of $200.7 billion is $16.056 billion. So, the compounding segment of the prescription drug market based on 2005 data may range from 2 to 16 billion dollars. Keep in mind the basis for these figures is 2005 and prices have increased and the scope of compounding has increased since that time. Considering all this, it's probably reasonable to say that compounding may be a 5 to 20 billion dollar market.
http://www.kff.org/rxdrugs/3057.cfm

Big Pharma may be throwing away billions on DTC advertising
According to a study into the effectiveness of DTC media blitzes, Big Pharma may be throwing away billions of dollars on ad campaigns in the U.S. In 1997, the U.S. lifted a ban on prescription-drug ads directly to the consumer rather than at doctors or other health professionals. The change prompted pharmaceutical companies to invest heavily in retail advertising, and annual spending in this sector now averages more than five billion dollars.

Editor's note: If they stop, does it mean that the price of prescription drugs will go down?
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contentValue=1831148&contentType=sentryarticle&channelID=33

Marketing a drug product without using its name
Selling their antismoking drug Chantix without detailing serious potential side effects through a commercial that doesn't even mention the drug, is a new approach discovered by Pfizer Inc.

During the coverage of the Beijing Olympics last month by NBC, Pfizer aired a commercial in which a middle-age woman tells the camera, "At 6:30 in the morning, I have a cigarette. And then another on my way to work." During the 60-second commercial, ways to break the habit are mentioned where viewers are directed to Mytimetoquit.com. When you go to the site, you find a link to a Chantix site.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121996938848181717.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

In the recent past, we've witnessed the public downfall of leaders from almost every arena of society—business, sports, religion, politics. One day they're on top of the heap, the next day they are humiliated and sometimes suffering dire consequences of their actions. Why does this happen?

According to the authors of the newsletter linked below, this can include a shift in focus, poor communications, risk aversion, ethics slip, poor self management, and other reasons.
http://www.injoy.com/newsletters/leadership/content/issues/11_15/default.htm#1

According to The Pharmacist Activist, the shortage of pharmacists may become a surplus of pharmacists around the year 2015, unless major changes occur in the practice of pharmacy very soon. www.pharmacistactivist.com (free subscription)

Ten more SOPs added to CompoundingToday.com website this week. They can be reviewed and downloaded at CompoundingToday.com's SOP Page.

Fall for Advertising
A good advertising gimmick this time of year is to promote your pharmacy at local football games. Check with the schools to see how you can gain visibility at the games. T-shirt giveaways, programs, small footballs, etc., all with your logo, are usually hits.