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Editorial: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, the holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has been an annual tradition in the U.S. since 1863. The event that we commonly call the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive their first brutal winter in New England. This feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans and consisted of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, squash, beetroot, and turkey. This was continued in later years, first as an impromptu religious observance, and later as a civil tradition.
The Pilgrims held an even greater Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 where after a switch from communal farming to privatized farming, a fast, and a refreshing 14-day rain resulted in a larger harvest. This 1623 thanksgiving was significant because the order to recognize the event was from civil authority and not from the church. This likely made it the first civil recognition of Thanksgiving in New England.
The Continental Congress, during the American Revolutionary War, appointed one or more thanksgiving days each year, each time recommending to the executives of the various states the observance of these days in their states. The First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving was given by the Continental Congress in 1777.
On October 3, 1789, George Washington, as President, made a proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the U.S. of America. Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the U.S. since 1863.
On October 6, 1941, both houses of the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution fixing the traditional last-Thursday date for the holiday beginning in 1942. However, in December of that year the Senate passed an amendment to the resolution that split the difference by requiring that Thanksgiving be observed annually on the fourth Thursday of November, which was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes (less frequently) the next to last. On December 26, 1941, President Roosevelt signed this bill and for the first time, the date of Thanksgiving was a matter of federal law.
Traditionally, baked or roasted turkey is usually the featured item on any Thanksgiving feast table. Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner. These items are actually native to the Americas or were introduced as a new food source to the Europeans when they arrived.
The less fortunate are often provided with food at Thanksgiving time as most communities have annual food drives that collect nonperishable packaged and canned foods; and church groups, private organizations, and corporations sponsor distribution of staple foods and Thanksgiving dinners. Thanksgiving was originally a religious observance for all the members of the community to give thanks to God for a common purpose. The tradition of giving thanks to God is continued today in various forms.
Loyd V. Allen, Jr., Ph.D., R.Ph.
Editor-in-Chief
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94% of Physicians Report Patients Rationing, Skipping Medications
A recent survey of 500 U.S. primary care physicians revealed that 97.8 percent saw a rise in financial concerns among their patients within the past six months. The survey also revealed that 94.6 percent of the physicians reported that their patients had rationed and skipped medications and treatments within the past six months. The surveying company said that this sort of near unanimity in polling results is almost unprecedented. They also state that this level of concern and even anger in the comments from the responding physicians was quite surprising.
Physicians are expressing frustration with tightening insurance deductibles and options. They say that due to restrictive formularies, they will soon be practicing with 1980's drugs. They wish they were able to put the patient first like they were trained. Many physicians are pessimistic about the future. They state that the new labyrinth of bureaucratic regulation will undoubtedly prevent the medical community from pursuing excellence in the delivery of care.
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=745119&categoryid=9&newsletter=1
Alcohol and Caffeine Energy Drinks
Federal agencies have moved quickly to eliminate the potent alcoholic "energy" drinks spiked with caffeine that have become wildly popular on college campuses in recent years from the market.
The FDA stated in their letters that they have concluded that adding caffeine to alcohol created "adulterated" products that were unsafe and illegal. If the companies do not take action immediately, the FDA could begin seizing the products or seek a court order barring companies from continuing to sell the products.
The Treasury Department officials announced that, based on the FDA's conclusion, the companies would be told that the products had been mislabeled and were, therefore, illegal to be shipped. Also, the Federal Trade Commission informed the companies that marketing their products risked violating federal law.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111707102.html
Needleless Pre-filled Glass Syringes: Stakeholder Advisory - Compatibility Problems with Needleless Intravenous Access Systems
The FDA is notifying healthcare professionals, especially those working in emergency and critical care settings, of reports of compatibility problems when certain needleless prefilled glass syringes that are used with some needleless intravenous (IV) access systems.
These syringes may malfunction, break, or become clogged during the process of attempting to connect to needleless IV access systems. Most of the reports have been related to prefilled needleless glass syringes that contain adenosine.
Roche to Cut 4,800 Jobs Over 2 Years to Help Save $2.4 Billion
Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, will cut 4,800 jobs over two years, mostly in the U.S., to help save 2.4 billion Swiss francs ($2.4 billion) by 2012, the company said Wednesday. The cuts amount to 6 percent of its 82,000-strong global work force and will mainly affect positions in sales, marketing, and manufacturing.
Roche reported a 7 percent year-on-year drop in third-quarter sales last month to 11.5 billion francs. U.S. locations will be hit hardest by Roche's "Operational Excellence Program," with some 3,550 jobs cut or moved elsewhere. Sites in Florence, South Carolina; Boulder, Colorado; Nutley, New Jersey; Madison, Wisconsin; and Vacaville, South San Francisco and Oceanside in California will be affected.
The company has suffered from cuts to healthcare budgets in the wake of the global economic downturn and more stringent rules for the approval of new drugs.
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=744926&categoryid=9&newsletter=1
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