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Editorial: Change!
Ever heard of that word before? Let's look at modern-day definitions and definitions from "yesteryear" to see if the "definitions" of "change" have "changed."
From the American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition, "change" is defined as:
-to cause to be different; alter
-to give a completely different form or appearance to; transform
-to give and receive reciprocally: interchange
-to exchange for or replace by another, usually of the same kind or category
-to lay aside, abandon, or leave for another: switch: change methods
-to put fresh clothes or coverings on
-to become different or altered
-to go from one phase to another
-to make an exchange
From the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, "change" is defined as:
-any variation or alteration in form, state, quality, or essence, or a passing from one state or form to another
-a change of habits or principles
-a succession of one thing in the place of another
-a revolution; as a change of government
-a different state by removal; novelty; variety
-that which makes a variety, or may be substituted for another
-the dissolution of the body; death
For decades, politicians have run on a "platform of 'change'." Did we ever stop to think about what their definition of "change" might be?
Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief
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Walgreen's to Cut 1,000 Corporate Jobs
Walgreen's has announced major layoffs with plans to slash 1,000 jobs by midyear. The job cuts about 9 percent of the work force at the Deerfield corporate and district offices and will not include store employees.
Those selected for dismissal will have the option to resign or retire with severance pay and benefits based on their tenure. Involuntary layoffs will begin in February. The job reductions are part of the company's cost reductions designed to save Walgreen $1 billion by fiscal 2011, as well as part of the Rewiring for Growth plan that started in late summer. "The cuts will help us through a tough economic time," Polzin said. While Walgreen has seen growth in the number of new stores and sales, the recession has slowed consumer spending, hurting retailers across the board. Drug sales are one area that has been hit as, "Pharmacy sales everywhere have declined, in part because of the massive shift in generic drugs," said George Rosenbaum, president of Leo J. Shapiro Associates, a Chicago market research firm.
http://ncpa.yellowbrix.com/pages/ncpa/Story.nsp?story_id=125212446&ID=ncpa
FDA Scientists Call for Overhaul of Agency
A group of scientists at the FDA has sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team pleading with him to restructure the agency, saying managers have ordered, intimidated, and coerced scientists to manipulate data in violation of the law.
The nine scientists, whose names have been provided to the transition team and to some members of Congress, say the FDA is a "fundamentally broken" agency and describe it as a place where honest employees committed to integrity can't act without fear of reprisal.
"There is an atmosphere at FDA in which the honest employee fears the dishonest employee," according to the letter, addressed to John Podesta, head of Mr. Obama's transition team.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123142562104564381.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
Lilly to Pay Biggest Fine Ever to End Zyprexa Probe
Reports have been printed that Lilly "agreed to pay $1.42 billion to settle a probe into alleged improper marketing of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa (olanzapine), the Justice Department said Thursday." Lilly will pay $800 million to settle civil suits, including $438 million to the federal government, $362 million to states, will pay $615 million to resolve the criminal probe, and plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation for promoting Zyprexa as a dementia treatment." The medication "is approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."
Notably, court documents show Lilly sales representatives also pushed it to treat generalized sleep disorder, aggression, Alzheimer's-related dementia, and depression, among other unapproved uses, from 1999 through 2003.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aOgHFAH8vV98
FDA Ok's Sharing Off-Label Drug Uses with Physicians
FDA officials have finalized guidelines that make it easier for pharmaceutical companies to use medical journal articles to promote drugs for unapproved uses. The final guidelines allow companies to distribute articles about their products to doctors-even when they involve uses that have not been federally approved. Says PHARMA critic Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif, "This fundamentally undermines the requirement that companies prove to FDA that each new use is safe and effective."
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contentValue=1879494&contentType=sentryarticle&channelID=33
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