Editorial: Balance: It's Important

Have you ever wondered about the importance of "balancing"?

If you have trouble balancing, it is difficult to stand up straight and to walk straight.

If you have trouble balancing chemical reactions, you may end up with a different product!

If you have trouble balancing your mathematical equations, you will end up with wrong answers!

If you don't balance your diet nutritionally, you will not stay healthy!

If you don't balance your dietary input and output, you may gain or lose weight!

If you don't balance your checkbook, you may overspend!

Now, let's look at that last unique statement!!! Does that mean I can't spend more than I make? YES!!! It means that if I make $50,000 per year, then I must pay my taxes, rent, food, insurances, transportation, etc. out of the money I earn�correct? What happens if I don't? Well, I go in debt! But, if I don't spend it all, I can save it for later when I need it. If I spend more than I make, then I am in debt and have to work more to pay off the debt, or I have to spend less and pay off the debt!

Balancing the budget is critical. In Oklahoma, our legislature is required to "balance our state budget" every year. In other words, they can only spend what money they bring in. Sure they have to cut back on some programs and delete some programs when the income is not what is expected�but that's life!

Why is it that our federal government can spend and spend, blame someone else for overspending, and then raise our taxes to try to correct their mistakes and poor decisions? Do they not understand that they can also cut back on or eliminate programs that are not serving their purpose (instead of giving these agencies/groups more money)? Cut back on spending before any new taxes are imposed!!! Spending beyond one's means is irresponsible and undisciplined. It's time to cut spending, eliminate and reduce programs, and get back in "balance"! I have been taught that "A debtor is slave to the lender"!!! Well, I guess that the U.S. is a slave to China and other countries then!!!

Balance serves nature well�balance serves our lives and families well�balance serves our businesses well�balance can also serve the federal government well (income must balance with expenditures!).


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

Propofol Shortage to be Addressed by Unapproved Propofol Product
Thanks for the positive comments received from this notice that IJPC sent out on Tuesday. The manipulations required for preparing this product for administration using a 5 micron filter are based on an article that was published in IJPC's March/April 1997 issue. The article, titled "Particle Size Distribution of Propofol Injection from Ampules and Vials: The Benefits of Filtration," was written by David Driscoll, Kenneth Lawrence, Keith Lewis, and Bruce Bistrian. You can obtain a free copy of this article at: http://ijpc.com/Sample/Article.cfm?SID=95

Mustargen Supplies Will Run Out by September
The only maker of mechlorethamine injection for the U.S. market, Lundbeck Inc., is expected to have some Mustargen vials available in late April, and these vials will have an expiration date of September 2010. There will apparently be no more supplies until the end of 2010 at the earliest.
www.fda.gov/Drugs/NewsEvents/ssLINK/ucm050792.htm#mustargen

Simcere Says Rabies Shot Lacked Active ingredient
Simcere Pharmaceutical Group announced that Chinese state regulators determined that four batches of a rabies vaccine made by one of its subsidiaries did not have enough active ingredient. The China State Food and Drug Association determined the nonworking vaccine reached the market because laws were broken, quality controls were not sufficient, and regulatory inspection was misrepresented and avoided. The division could face administrative penalties and criminal prosecution, which Simcere said may hurt its financial results.
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=695442&categoryid=9&newsletter=1

H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine May be Thrown Out
Tens of thousands of doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine may have to be thrown out if they are not used before their expiration date. The U.S. ordered enough antigen to make 229 million doses of vaccine as the swine flu pandemic began to ramp up a year ago. About 162 million doses were shipped and 81 to 91 million doses were administered (Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]).

An estimated 71.5 million doses of H1N1 vaccine may have to be discarded if not used before its expiration date, costing millions in taxpayer dollars. It is not uncommon to discard seasonal flu vaccine every year, but the difference with the H1N1 vaccine was that the federal government had bought the supplies with taxpayer dollars.

When the swine flu outbreak was first detected last April, officials got flu manufacturers working on a vaccine within weeks, and the CDC said more than half the U.S. population should be vaccinated quickly. As of the end of January 2010, only about one fifth of U.S. adults had been vaccinated and more than one third of American children, according to CDC estimates.

Early on, there were long lines and sometimes chaos with people clamoring for H1N1 vaccines, but the supply was insufficient. By the time vaccines were available, most of the public had lost interest.
www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63046G20100402

APhA's Immunization Handbook
Angelo LB
Washington, DC: American Pharmacists Association; 2010
$39.95; 225 pages; Paperback

This new book contains very practical information for all involved in pharmacy-based immunization services. It is concise but contains the required information to establish and operate an immunization program with its guidelines, tips, and resources; it includes details on implementation, workflow models, and standing orders.

�that truth seems to be a rare commodity these days.

Recovery

The economy will recover, not based on the actions of the government, but upon the actions of the hardworking citizens of this country!