Editorial: Are we there yet?

I am so often reminded of our travels when I was a child and my brother and I would often ask this question. We would ask the question in a 2- to 3-hour trip to our grandparents' houses in Oklahoma as we traveled down 2-lane highways (e.g., Route 66) with small gasoline stations and family-owned cafes along the way. With flat tires or engine problems, and sometimes never knowing if we would make it to our destination or not, travel was not always dependable. However, there have been many changes over the years, and, today, travel is more reliable and faster.

I left Edmond, Oklahoma on Tuesday morning of this week for Sao Paulo, Brazil to attend the very large and well-attended ANFARMAG meeting of compounding pharmacists; I was scheduled to speak on Thursday. Today (Friday), I'm leaving Sao Paulo to fly to Tampa, Florida to be present for the Compounding Around the World special sessions in conjunction with the NCPA meeting, and I will be there through Wednesday. This meeting has an abundance of compounding information and IJPC will be exhibiting there.

Nowadays, we don't worry so much about mechanical problems but about making tight schedules, going through security, passports, visas, etc. In fact, I had to renew my passport this year and consequently obtain a new visa for Brazil. Because of Hurricane Ike, the Houston Brazilian Consulate had been closed and my visa was not received until Monday of this week�the day before leaving (tight schedule).

Today, when we mention 2-lane highways, we are referring to Interstate highways and airline corridors, and most of those small family-owned cafes are closed and have been replaced with the large food chains including McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. that are universal. It seems the question is no longer "Are we there yet?" but "Are we going to be able to go or make our connections?" (Regardless of the mode of travel, when traveling with our grandchildren, they still ask us "Are we there yet?".)


Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief

This weekend on Saturday the first-ever in the U.S. Compounding Around the World Program is to be held on October 11 in Tampa, Florida in association with the NCPA annual meeting and cosponsored by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Compounding, FAGRON, and IJPC. We hope to see you there!

40% of Infants May Suffer Overpenetration as Needle-Length Guidelines May Put Some Children in Danger During Vaccinations
According to a study appearing in Pediatrics, Tulane University researchers maintain that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "federal guidelines on the length of needles used to vaccinate children could put some kids in danger of injury." Typically, childhood vaccines are "given through intramuscular injections" in an effort to "keep irritation and inflammation at a minimum." It is, however, "important to make sure that the size of the needle is appropriate," because overpenetration can cause a needle to "strike bone or break off from the syringe." After looking at "250 children aged two months to 18 years," the investigators found that "nearly four in 10 babies under the age of one would suffer from overpenetration of needles if they got injections in the thigh with the size needles that are typically recommended" by the CDC. Specifically, "patients who got vaccinated in the shoulder with one-inch needles would have overpenetration 61 percent of the time," and for needles measuring "5/8-inch and 7/8-inch, the rates of overpenetration were estimated at 11 percent and 55 percent, respectively."
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=619635

Cardinal Health to Pay $34 Million Fine Over DEA Charges
Cardinal Health is expected to pay $34 million in civil penalties to settle allegations that it failed to report suspicious orders of hydrocodone to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Justice Department announced. Cardinal denied any wrongdoing and said it will resume shipment of controlled pharmaceuticals by the end of November. As part of the settlement, the Southern District of Texas, which includes Houston, will collect $8 million. Nearly half of the penalty, $16 million, will go to the Middle District of Florida. Five other U.S. Attorney's Offices will also collect penalties.

Cardinal Health, which operates 27 distribution facilities, failed to report to the DEA suspicious orders of hydrocodone that it then distributed to pharmacies that filled illegitimate prescriptions originating from rogue Internet pharmacy Websites, federal authorities said. Cardinal's conduct allowed the "diversion" of millions of dosage units of hydrocodone from legitimate to nonlegitimate channels, federal authorities said. DEA regulations require all manufacturers and distributors to report suspicious orders of controlled substances and, more specifically, to "design and operate a system to disclose to the registrant suspicious orders of controlled substances."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6038010.html

...that the countries that have "socialized medicine" are now rationing it and refusing to pay for some drugs and services? Also, the two states that have promoted and paid for health insurance for all cannot afford the program and are now requesting bailouts from the government. Surely we can learn a lesson from this!

Economic Orders
It may be wise to consider decreasing quantities ordered for Christmas shopping this season, or at least delay them for awhile to see what the economy does over the next month or so.