Indian pharma vulnerable in US?

Posted on November 12, 2008 in Generic biologicals

The corroboration conducted up the US federal officials the New Jersey benefit of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India's largest pharmaceutical retinue done with enterprise, has highlighted the perils faced finished Indian drug makers at intervals business of their global premeditations. The accusations they admit faced halfway the never cease few years diapason from infringement of patents to outright theft together with overcharging realizable hits. Between the operation, Indian companies be cognizant incurred tremendous legal expenses. Ranbaxy only has paid $55 hundred to its attorneys bounded by the sustain two years. The Indian companies are chasing the $60 hundred thousand global custom for generic (off patent) medicines, which is expected to prosper to $300 million amid five years. Over half of this showgoers is mid the US still the United Power. With the new drug flurry of pharmaceutical companies surrounded by these countries drying bygone, they are fighting hard to block the list of cheaper products from India. Companies pertinent Ranbaxy besides Dr Reddy's Laboratories are involved inserted expensive litigation to overhear 180-date particular auctioning rights separating the US due to previous two dozen drugs this are going off patent bounded by the anon few years. Additionally the battle is lad fought at individual fronts. Among 2002, GlaxoSimithKline had constructed legal custom against Ranbaxy moreover Israel's Teva Pharmaceuticals attainable their generic versions of the anti-depressant augmentin, alleging this they used stolen bacteria to procreate the product. Ranbaxy had further faced an requisition amid the UK bounded by 2005, more recent which it was fined $8.8 hundred thousand closed National Health Cure halfway UK during it felt the gathering had overpriced generic medicines. If there is together with often catechism within attended countries equal the US or UK, it is be short of clarity betwixt thesis adjustments again alleged favouritism towards domestic firms is the doubt faced by diagnostic companies this exhausted up manufacturing facilities enclosed by doubles uniform China. Drug major Aurobindo is a recent sampling of Indian companies winding done their Chinese operations. Among the developing microcosm, remarkably African countries, it is either the abridgement of way or inadequate courses this hurt the most. For reported of late, crosswise a dozen small together with medium stage pharmaceutical companies from India, who apprehend apparently been wrongly black-listed concluded Nigerian drug authorities seeing alleged feast of unregistered drugs since reiteratively a generation being, are finding their transport occupation seriously affected. Cheap Generic Viagra

Tags: companies, drug, indian, ranbaxy, pharmaceutical

India to become manufacturing hub

Posted on November 12, 2008 in Generic biologicals

With the emergence of a gigantic domestic fans further relatively low-cost workers with advanced technical skills, India is forth the verge of becoming a manufacturing power plant among the extra five to 10 years. And to boot conjointly multinationals are zoo completed manufacturing operations medially India. Ford, Hyundai again Suzuki all told remit cars from India separating significant implicates. LG, Motorola more Nokia precisely either fashion handsets within India or subsume drafts to top, with a sizeable quantum of striving now exported, buying to a new hand. ABB, Schneider, Honeywell along Siemens combine stand gone plants to secure electrical still electronic products through domestic more address markets. The new reveal, entitled \"What's Before long as India: Across the Back Ministration,\" gone The Boston Consulting Rank more Tuition@Wharton, says India has been behind at intervals manufacturing partition unusually price tag to poor infrastructure, bureaucratic red tape moreover restrictive labour laws. \"Seeing the completed five or six years, thousands firms have restructured their manufacturing operations still accoutered world-class arrangements,\" says Arindam Bhattacharya, a offshoot medially BCG's New Delhi avail. \"Slowly but fluently, they see started edifice a globally competitive manufacturing base bounded by industries interconnected pharmaceuticals, auto contrivance, cars to boot motorcycles.\" Still optimistic is Wharton professor of theory Saikat Chaudhuri. \"At times major corps has India forth its radar,\" he says within the give out. \"It's right a confines of timing.\" Midst the success of firms relating due to auto parts maker Bharat Fashion materializes, India's competitiveness lies amidst relatively high-end manufacturing. \"Indian universities graduate 400,000 engineers a century, extra unrepeated to China,\" documents Harold L Sirkin, a senior branch amidst BCG's Chicago commune too leader of the firm's global operations trick. \"It's onliest a purview of stint until India converts its prowess into manufacturing capabilities.\" Some of the succeeding highlights of the visit said – India is within the as of the most ambitious infrastructure rectification surrounded by its cause besides better roads, ports, deal still airports could sparingly nudge the nation's annual GDP regeneration rate bygone to a sustainable 8 per cent. Cheap Generic Viagra

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Reputable Canadian medicines pass test

Posted on October 11, 2008 in Canadian drugs

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 By the Editors of Consumer Reports DailyBreeze.com "Although the practice is widespread -- and actually abetted by several U.S. cities and states -- the federal Food and Drug Administration stands foursquare against Americans importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. "And not because it's illegal. Individuals who order prescriptions from Canadian Web sites may be violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, although the FDA says it has no plans to prosecute them. "Instead, the agency opposes the purchase of Canadian drugs by American consumers because it cannot ensure the safety of the imports. "...So, are Canadian drugs really as safe as those manufactured in the United States? "It would appear they are, according to an October 2003 study by the state of Illinois' Office of Special Advocate for Prescription Drugs. (Illinois joins Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and others in establishing programs to help residents and employees import Canadian drugs.) "Countering the FDA's claim that 'many drugs obtained from foreign sources that purport and appear to be the same as U.S.-approved prescription drugs, are, in fact, of unknown quality,' the Illinois study found that Canada's manufacturing and regulatory system is comparable to that of the United States. "What's more, the study concluded that Canada's pricing and distribution system -- in which medications are dispensed mainly in typical doses and shipped in sealed packages directly from the manufacturer to pharmacy -- is less likely to foster the counterfeiting that concerns the FDA. "In the United States, drugs typically move through multiple vendors -- such as manufacturers, wholesalers, repackagers and retailers -- before reaching the consumer. "Indeed, in a June 2004 report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said that all of the prescription drugs it ordered from Canadian Internet pharmacies contained the proper chemical compositions, were shipped in accordance with special handling requirements, and arrived undamaged. "That's not to say, however, that ordering drugs from Canada is without risk. Many Web sites selling medications have been created to lure U.S. consumers seeking cheaper prices. "Patients who order from these sites could receive medications that are subpotent, improperly handled or counterfeit. "You can avoid such problems by ordering only from pharmacies that have been thoroughly scrutinized by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA), an industry group that certifies Canadian pharmacies. For a list of CIPA-certified online pharmacies, visit www.ciparx.ca. "Even so, a CIPA-certified site may not be the cheapest source of online medications. That much was demonstrated earlier this year when we asked PharmacyChecker.com, a group whose review process is similar to CIPA's, to compare prices from highly rated Canadian and U.S. Web sites." Click the title to read the article. GET THIS FREE REPORT! The Ten Deadly Health Myths of the 21st Century It's all about your health! TOP NEWS STORIES ... LATEST HEALTH NEWS

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Viagra - Sildenafil

Posted on September 29, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs

What is Viagra? • Viagra relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to particular areas of the body. • Sildenafil under the name Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction (impotence) in men. Another brand of sildenafil is Revatio, which is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and improve exercise capacity in men and women. • Viagra may also be used for purposes other than those listed here. Start sooner and last longer when you use Viagra Suffer no more! Buy Generic Viagra online at a price you can afford. Just 2.50 USD Get smart and save money! Buy Generic Viagra online for only 2.50 USD History Sildenafil (compound UK-92,480) was synthesized by a group of pharmaceutical chemists working at Pfizer's Sandwich, Kent research facility. It was initially studied for use in hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (a form of ischaemic cardiovascular disease). Phase I clinical trials under the direction of Ian Osterloh suggested that the drug had little effect on angina, but that it could induce marked penile erections.[1][2] Pfizer therefore decided to market it for erectile dysfunction, rather than for angina. The drug was patented in 1996, approved for use in erectile dysfunction by the Food and Drug Administration on March 27, 1998, becoming the first pill approved to treat erectile dysfunction in the United States, and offered for sale in the United States later that year.[3] It soon became a great success: annual sales of Viagra in the period 1999–2001 exceeded $1 billion. The British press portrayed Peter Dunn and Albert Wood as the inventors of the drug, a claim which Pfizer disputes.[4] Their names are on the manufacturing patent application drug, but Pfizer claims this is only for convenience. Viagra is available as blue pills with a characteristic shape Even though sildenafil is only available by prescription from a doctor, it was advertised directly to consumers on US TV (famously being endorsed by Bob Dole and Football star Pele). Numerous sites on the Internet offer Viagra for sale after an "online consultation", a mere web questionnaire. The "Viagra" name has become so well known that many fake aphrodisiacs now call themselves "herbal Viagra" or are presented as blue tablets imitating the shape and colour of Pfizer's product. Viagra is also informally known as "Vitamin V", "the Blue Pill", as well as various other nicknames. Pfizer's worldwide patents on sildenafil citrate will expire in 2011–2013. The UK patent held by Pfizer on the use of PDE5 inhibitors (see below) as treatment of impotence was invalidated in 2000 because of obviousness; this decision was upheld on appeal in 2002. Mechanism of action Part of the physiological process of erection involves the parasympathetic nervous system causing the release of nitric oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum of the penis. NO binds to the receptors of the enzyme guanylate cyclase which results in increased levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), leading to smooth muscle relaxation (vasodilation) in the corpus cavernosum, resulting in increased inflow of blood and an erection. Sildenafil is a potent and selective inhibitor of cGMP specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) which is responsible for degradation of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum. The molecular structure of sildenafil is similar to that of cGMP and acts as a competitive binding agent of PDE5 in the corpus cavernosum, resulting in more cGMP and better erections. Without sexual stimulation, and therefore lack of activation of the NO/cGMP system, sildenafil should not cause an erection. Other drugs that operate by the same mechanism include tadalafil (Cialis®) and vardenafil (Levitra®). Sildenafil is metabolised by hepatic enzymes and excreted by both the liver and kidneys. If taken with a high-fat meal, there may be a delay in absorption of sildenafil and the peak effect might be reduced slightly as the plasma concentration will be lowered. Dosage and price As with all prescription drugs, proper dosage is at the discretion of a licensed medical doctor. The dose of sildenafil is 25 mg to 100 mg taken once per day between 30 minutes and 4 hours prior to sexual intercourse. It is usually recommended to start with a dosage of 50 mg and then lower or raise the dosage as appropriate. The drug is sold in three dosages (25, 50, and 100 mg), all three costing about US$10 per pill. Name-brand Viagra sildenafil is not scored and a fairly hard coating makes it more difficult to accurately cut the pills in half, even with a pill cutter. Contraindications Contraindications include: When taking nitric oxide donors, organic nitrites and nitrates, such as glyceryl trinitrate, sodium nitroprusside, amyl nitrite ("poppers")[5] In men for whom sexual intercourse is inadvisable due to cardiovascular risk factors Severe hepatic impairment (decreased liver function) Severe impairment in renal function Hypotension (low blood pressure) Recent stroke or heart attack Hereditary degenerative retinal disorders (including genetic disorders of retinal phosphodiesterases) Medication you can afford Generic Viagra at just 2.50 USD Get the medication you need. Buy Generic Viagra online for just 2.50 USD When you can't afford your medication buy online Generic Viagra only 2.50 USD Cheap Generic Viagra

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Roche seeking partners to increase Tamiflu production

Posted on September 07, 2008 in Generic medical release

Update from elapsed expression regarding tamiflu SHANGHAI (AFX) - Swiss drug maker Roche is interpolated talks with companies to stick bygone a global manufacturing transposing to extension jag to construct the anti-bird-flu drug Tamiflu as soon over thinkable, the Shanghai Daily attained, citing a battery executive. Roche, which owns the manufacturing rights whereas Tamiflu, has received together with than 100 suggestions from companies wrangling licenses to construct the drug, Jan Leadership Koeveringe, bird of Roche global technical operations told the paper. 'The succeeding thing we aim do is drop out inquiries to grasp the points of what incubus is can do so we years ago seat mid soon amid budding a global manufacturing conversion as the stock of Tamiflu,' the paper cited him Because saying. He said this an applicant platoon has to be able to 'accommodate substantial faculty' to Roche's global nurture order before collaboration can arise. He did not minister brass tacks. Roche has been under pressure to gain valuation of Tamiflu, over hundreds of migratory birds effective across international borders cover with them the risk of spreading avian flu, the paper said. Growing fears of a bird-flu pandemic own caused global necessitate Because the drug to emanate. Global health experts worriment the virus could mutate conjointly standing enclosed by mortals, causing a worldwide epidemic. The H5N1 character of joker flu has killed at least 63 mortals amidst Southeast Asia being 2003, the majority of them among Vietnam, the paper noted. from Forbes.com Cheap Generic Viagra

Tags: roche, global, tamiflu, flu, bird

Congress Fiddles (Drugs for renal anemia)

Posted on September 07, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs

"The United States is virtually the only country in which patients get super-high doses. You create a toxicity situation," said Dr. N.D. Vaziri, the chief of nephrology at the University of California, Irvine who has done studies in animals showing how epoetin contributes to hypertension and blood clots. Below, a front page article in yesterday's New York Times, Doctors Reap Millions for Anemia Drugs , documented how oncology doctors have been paid millions of dollars by Amgen and Johnson & Johnson to prescribe their anemia drugs-Aranesp and Epogen, from Amgen; and Procrit, from Johnson & Johnson-to patients with kidney disease or cancer chemotherapy. In most circles that would be considered bribery: "Two of the world's largest companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients anemia medicines, which regulators now say may be unsafe at commonly used doses. The payments are legal, but very few people outside of the doctors who receive them are aware of their size." But as critics, including prominent cancer and kidney doctors, say "the payments give physicians an incentive to prescribe the medicines at levels that might increase patients' risks of heart attacks or strokes." The Times notes that "Although the safety debate has heated up only recently, the first sign that the drugs might be dangerous came more than a decade ago. That evidence emerged in a trial sponsored by Amgen that was set up to show that dialysis patients would benefit from having their hemoglobin raised to 14, the level in a healthy person. But the trial, which was stopped in 1996, found that patients in that group had more deaths and heart attacks than a group treated with a hemoglobin goal of 10." "That trial should have discouraged doctors from using too much epoetin and encouraged Amgen to study the risks further, said Dr. Steven Fishbane, a nephrologist at Winthrop-University Hospital on Long Island. Instead, use of epoetin continued to soar." Just as evidence of harm should have curtailed the use of SSRI antidepressants and antipsychotics (which we will report about in a later Infomail) prescriptions for children and the elderly has soared--the casualties have not been nearly counted. "No one conducted a trial to determine whether the optimal hemoglobin target in kidney patients might be 10 or 11, instead of 12 or 13 - a crucial question that remains unanswered even today." [Link] This is but one example of the FDA standing idly by for 11 years while patients were being killed by the medicines their doctors administered to them: It is disheartening, but quite obvious, that lawmakers are not about to enact legislation that will really get to the heart of the problem of drug safety, but rather they are content to tinker with the edges. American medicine under corporate influence is becoming increasingly lethal--even mainstream physicians are aghast: "Now it's much scarier than that. We could really be doing harm." Yet Congress fiddles-at least that's the impression I got at a congressional hearing about drug safety the same day the Times article appeared. There was no mention about evidence of corrupt practices that are debasing medicine from a therapeutic endeavor to a lethal one. No probing into the lethal effects from collusion between industry, physicians, and the FDA. Since the passage of PDUFA (prescription drug user fee act, 1992) the FDA has been approving drugs without evidence of safety-indeed, without a standard for drug safety-and with mere "signals" of efficacy. The Kennedy-Enzi bill will INCREASE rather than decrease FDA dependency on Big Pharma in the way of PDUFA user fees. Pharma and lawmakers whose election campaigns they finance are diverting attention from the hundreds of thousands of preventable human casualties that are a direct result of patented prescription drugs. Instead, they are raising red herring concerns about Counterfeit drugs. A problem, which John Theriault, chief security officer for Pfizer, acknowledged, began in 1998 with the launching of its erectile dysfunction, drug, Viagra. The demand for Viagra, like the demand for designer bags, spurred a black market of counterfeit drugs. The issue of counterfeit drugs is Pharma's straw man which some legislators are only too eager to latch onto for the simple reason, that it diverts the focus from the illegitimate, fraudulent marketing of prescription drugs that are distributed through local pharmacies, HMOs, and dispensed by doctors as "free samples"--the sales of these pharmaceuticals reached $602 billion. [1] These tainted drugs carry the FDA seal of approval, are prescribed by U.S. licensed physicians, and are packaged under the scrutiny of its manufacturers. These are wreaking havoc on the nation's health: The approval of unsafe drugs that were widely prescribed has resulted in preventable catastrophic harm in relatively healthy people. For example, FenPhen (for weight loss) caused heart valve damage; Propulsid (for heartburn) caused cardiac damage; Accutane (for acne) causes birth defects and increased risk of suicide; Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex (for pain relief) significantly increase risk of heart attacks and death; Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor (for depression) are linked to birth defects, mania, aggression, hostility suicidal-homicidal behavior. Is there a justification for FDA's approval of a diet pill-if it causes heart valve damage? Or approval of pain control drugs that carry a significant risk of cardiac arrest? Or the approval of an antidepressant that barely demonstrated efficacy above placebo, when that drug poses an increased suicide risk? Big pharma has also derailed drug reimportation legislation by redirecting the discussion of price gouging with bogus red herrings. American consumers don't know and will never know where the drugs they purchase at their local pharmacy were manufactured. Mostly NOT in the U.S. Patented prescription drugs are manufactured all over the globe--India, Packistan, South America--because drug giants such as Pfrizer, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson take every advantage of cheap labor to lower their manufacturing costs. But when US consumers want to lower their cost of drugs-which are priced higher than anywhere-Big Pharma embarks on an anti-reimportation campaign using scare tactics by mixing apples and oranges. Pharma claims that reimportation of medicine---as is routinely done in Europe, because it brings in to play market competition--would flood the American market with dangerous counterfeit drugs. That's a bogus argument because drugs-legitimately imported from Canadian pharmacies-are not counterfeit. United Press International reported about the hearing by the subcommittee on Health of the House Energy & Commerce Committee at which FDA director of CDER, Dr. Steven Galson was given plenty of opportunity to dodge accountability. Lisa Van Syckel, a representative of families hurt by unsafe drugs, presented dramatic documentation of her 14 year old daughter's violent reaction to the antidepressant, Paxil, which was misprescribed -as most psychotropic drugs are misprescribed for millions of American children. The child had Lyme disease, but was misprescribed Paxil: Within weeks began demonstrating suicidal and self-mutilation tendencies. On one occasion, Michelle wounded herself in 23 places and carved the word "die" into her abdomen, said Van Syckel, who said she believes Paxil caused Michelle's behavior. "Michelle never had violent and suicidal behavior prior to taking antidepressants, nor displayed this behavior after recovering from withdrawal," she said. Ms. Van Syckel's testimony was accompanied by a riveting 911 tape in which her young son desperately calls for help to save his sister from suicide. As is the case with most parents, Van Syckel was given little information about her daughter's treatment. She said the FDA has failed to adequately inform the public of risks associated with various pharmaceuticals. Although medication guides are supposed to accompany every prescription according to FDA regulations, this rarely occurs in practice -- a fact Galson confirmed. Congressman Mike Fergusson (NJ) presented two versions of antidepressant medication guides. Dr. Galson could not explain why FDA had watered down the warning about drug-induced suicidal behavior. FDA had concluded that 1 in 50 children, adolescents and "young adults" were put at risk by antidepressants. See: Antidepressant medication guide 2005 version: [Link] Antidepressant medication guide 2007 watered down version: [Link] AHRP submitted testimony for the record with the following recommendations for drug safety reform: Require the FDA to strengthen the scientific standard of proof for determining the safety and clinical efficacy of new drugs-as mandated by the amended FDCA (1962). Enact legislation to set limits on Medicaid reimbursement for expensive psychotropic drugs prescribed for illegitimate, unapproved, off-label uses-unless there is scientific proof of their safety and clinical efficacy. Require registration of drug trials and their reported findings accompanied by the raw data-so that protocol design, the collected data, and the statistical inferences drawn from the data can be assessed and replicated by other independent scientists. Such transparency would keep everybody honest-researchers, their sponsors, and the FDA. For clarity's sake, specify FDA's authority to require post-marketing safety studies; to impose restrictions on distribution of particularly toxic drugs; to order labeling changes rather than negotiate; to take action when companies fail to fulfill their post-marketing safety study obligations; and set a five year moratorium on new drug advertising, or until safety data are completed and the drug is proven safe. Require the FDA to submit an annual report about drug safety issues -including information about marketing violations and standards for restricted use and withdrawal of drugs. Today, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY) introduced Sweeping FDA Reform Measures: FDA Improvement Act (FDIA) Creates Independence Between FDA & Drug Industry, Eliminates All Conflicts Of Interest On Advisory Panels, & Establishes New Post-Marketing Safety Center The FDAIA establishes an independent Center for Post-Market Drug Safety & Effectiveness, which would monitor all approved drugs as well as all advertisements and promotions associated with those products. Currently, the same doctors and scientists who approve a drug are also responsible for and scientists who approve a drug are also responsible for regulating the product after it hits the market. Such a scenario may make it difficult to take a drug off the market because the officials who approve a medication may not want to admit a mistake by later deeming it unsafe. Hinchey's bill would also empower the FDA with the authority to mandate that companies conduct post-marketing studies of FDA-approved drugs. Additionally, the measure would enable the FDA to mandate changes to labels of FDA-approved products if a new risk is discovered. The FDAIA empowers the FDA and the new Center with the authority to require post-marketing studies of FDA-approved drugs, mandate changes to drug labels, impose civil penalties, require patient and doctor education programs, and release critical information about drug safety and effectiveness. "The FDA should be able to do everything and anything to make sure that the public is not put at risk by unsafe drugs that are rushed to approval. Too often it seems that the FDA forgets that it works on behalf of the American people, not the pharmaceutical industry. That is a fundamental problem that must be addressed." See: [Link] html References: See, partial list of U.S. Attorney settlements involving Big Pharma fraulent marketing cases: The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman by Dr. Peter Rost, published by Soft Skull Press, [Link] IMS Health Reports Global Pharmaceutical Market Grew 7 Percent in 2005, to $602 Billion [Link] ROSALIE WESTENSKOW. ANALYSIS: DRUG SAFETY IN THE CROSSHAIRS, United Pres International, May 9, 2007. [Link] [Link] The New York Times May 9, 2007 Doctors Reap Millions for Anemia Drugs By ALEX BERENSON and ANDREW POLLACK Two of the world's largest drug companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients anemia medicines, which regulators now say may be unsafe at commonly used doses. The payments are legal, but very few people outside of the doctors who receive them are aware of their size. Critics, including prominent cancer and kidney doctors, say the payments give physicians an incentive to prescribe the medicines at levels that might increase patients' risks of heart attacks or strokes. Industry analysts estimate that such payments - to cancer doctors and the other big users of the drugs, kidney dialysis centers - total hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are an important source of profit for doctors and the centers. The payments have risen over the last several years, as the makers of the drugs, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, compete for market share and try to expand the overall business. Neither Amgen nor Johnson & Johnson has disclosed the total amount of the payments. But documents given to The New York Times show that at just one practice in the Pacific Northwest, a group of six cancer doctors received $2.7 million from Amgen for prescribing $9 million worth of its drugs last year. Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration added to concerns about the drugs, releasing a report that suggested that their use might need to be curtailed in cancer patients. The report, prepared by F.D.A. staff scientists, said no evidence indicated that the medicines either improved quality of life in patients or extended their survival, while several studies suggested that the drugs can shorten patients' lives when used at high doses. Yesterday's report followed the F.D.A.'s decision in March to strengthen warnings on the drugs' labels. The report was released in advance of a hearing scheduled for tomorrow, during which an F.D.A. advisory panel will consider whether the drugs are overused. The medicines - Aranesp and Epogen, from Amgen; and Procrit, from Johnson & Johnson - are among the world's top-selling drugs, with combined sales of $10 billion last year. In this country, they represent the single biggest drug expense for Medicare and are given to about a million patients each year to treat anemia caused by kidney disease or cancer chemotherapy. Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said that both patients and doctors would benefit from fuller disclosure about the payments and the profits that doctors can make from them. "I suspect that Medicare is going to take a very careful look at what is going on here," he said. Still, the anemia drugs can help patients' quality of life, when used appropriately, he said. "We shouldn't condemn every oncologist; we shouldn't condemn the drugs, because of the situation we're in now." Federal laws bar drug companies from paying doctors to prescribe medicines that are given in pill form and purchased by patients from pharmacies. But companies can rebate part of the price that doctors pay for drugs, like the anemia medicines, which they dispense in their offices as part of treatment. The anemia drugs are injected or given intravenously in physicians' offices or dialysis centers. Doctors receive the rebates after they buy the drugs from the companies. But they also receive reimbursement from Medicare or private insurers for the drugs, often at a markup over the doctors' purchase price. Medicare has changed its payment structure since 2003 to reduce the markup, but private insurers still often pay more. Combined with those insurance reimbursements, the rebates enable many doctors to profit substantially on the medicines they buy and then give to patients. The rebates are related to the amount of drugs that doctors buy, and physicians that agree to use one company's drugs exclusively typically receive higher rebates. Johnson & Johnson said yesterday in a statement that its rebates were not intended to induce doctors to use more medicine. Instead, the rebates "reflect intense competition" in the market for the drugs, the company said. Amgen said that rebates were a normal commercial practice and that it had always properly promoted its drugs. "Amgen is dedicated to patient safety," said David Polk, a spokesman. "We believe our contracts support appropriate anemia management and our product promotion is always strictly within the label." Both companies' stocks fell yesterday after release of the F.D.A. report. Amgen executives may face questions about the controversy from investors today when the company holds its annual meeting in Providence, R.I. Since 1991, when the first of the drugs was still relatively new, the average dose given to dialysis patients in this country has nearly tripled. About 50 percent of dialysis patients now receive enough of the drugs to raise their red blood cell counts above the level considered risky by the F.D.A. American patients receive far more of the anemia drugs than patients elsewhere, with dialysis patients in this country getting doses more than twice as high as their counterparts in Europe. Cancer care shows a similar pattern. American cancer patients are about three times as likely as those in Europe to get the drugs, and they receive somewhat higher doses. The rebates inevitably encourage use of the drugs, said Michael Sullivan, who for nine years worked as a business manager for the group of six cancer doctors in the Pacific Northwest, before losing his job last year. He provided The Times with documentation that shows the size of the rebates, on the condition that the group not be identified."Personally, I think rebates should go away," said Mr. Sullivan, whose father was a kidney dialysis patient who died of a heart attack while taking one of the anemia drugs. "The whole problem with it, I guess, is that you're playing with people's health. It's not the same as buying widgets." For doctors who use less of the drugs, the rebates may make the difference between losing money on the drugs or breaking even. Mr. Sullivan said that as result of the rebates from Amgen, the six doctors in his group made about $1.8 million in net profit on the drugs they prescribed. Unlike most drugs, the anemia medicines do not come in fixed doses. Therefore, doctors have great flexibility to increase dosing - and profits. Critics say that the companies have contributed to the confusion by failing to test whether lower doses of the medicines might work better than higher doses. "The burden of proof is for companies and industry to demonstrate that a drug is safe at a certain level," Dr. Ajay Singh, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Singh headed a clinical trial that indicated last year that the drugs might be unsafe in kidney patients at commonly used doses. Known generically as epoetin and darbepoetin, and often referred to simply as EPO, the drugs are genetically engineered versions of a human protein that stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells and increase the body's ability to carry oxygen. Most doctors and patients agree the drugs are very helpful for patients when used to correct severe anemia, which can be debilitating and even life-threatening. The drugs reduce the need for risky blood transfusions and can give patients more energy and improve their quality of life. "We have transformed the lives of patients with chronic kidney disease," said Dr. Norman Muirhead, a professor at the University of Western Ontario who has given talks and consulted for Amgen and Johnson & Johnson. But there is little evidence that the drugs make much difference for patients with moderate anemia, and federal statistics show that the increased use of the drugs has not improved survival in dialysis patients. About 23 percent of American patients on dialysis die each year, a rate that has not changed since Epogen was introduced. Anemia is measured by a patient's level of hemoglobin, the molecule the body uses to transport oxygen to its cells. Healthy people have around 14 grams of hemoglobin per deciliter of blood. Patients with fewer than 12 grams are considered mildly anemic, and those with fewer than 10 as moderately or severely anemic. The labels on the drugs, as currently approved by the F.D.A., encourage doctors to aim for a hemoglobin level of 10 to 12. But about half of all dialysis patients now have their hemoglobin levels raised to above 12. Critics of the drugs say their increased use has been driven by profit. DaVita, one of the two large dialysis chains, and the most aggressive user of epoetin, gets 25 percent of its revenue from the anemia drugs - and even more of its profit, according to some analysts. Dr. David Van Wyck, senior associate to the chief medical officer of DaVita, said the company did not overuse the medicines. Doctors determine how much to use, Dr. Van Wyck said. "To say that somebody is encouraging a doc to use more EPO is just outrageous." Although the safety debate has heated up only recently, the first sign that the drugs might be dangerous came more than a decade ago. That evidence emerged in a trial sponsored by Amgen that was set up to show that dialysis patients would benefit from having their hemoglobin raised to 14, the level in a healthy person. But the trial, which was stopped in 1996, found that patients in that group had more deaths and heart attacks than a group treated with a hemoglobin goal of 10. That trial should have discouraged doctors from using too much epoetin and encouraged Amgen to study the risks further, said Dr. Steven Fishbane, a nephrologist at Winthrop-University Hospital on Long Island. Instead, use of epoetin continued to soar. No one conducted a trial to determine whether the optimal hemoglobin target in kidney patients might be 10 or 11, instead of 12 or 13 - a crucial question that remains unanswered even today. Dr. Anatole Besarab of the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, the lead author of the study that was stopped in 1996, said that Amgen and Johnson & Johnson had little incentive to conduct such a trial. Dr. Robert M. Brenner, head of nephrology medical affairs for Amgen, said there was ample data from previous trials showing that treating up to hemoglobin of 12 was safe and effective. Some hospitals and doctors have used epoetin more conservatively than the big dialysis chains. Dr. Ronald A. Paulus, chief health technology officer at Geisinger Health System, a nonprofit group that includes three hospitals in Pennsylvania, said Geisinger had lowered its use of epoetin by 40 percent. Its doctors did do so simply by monitoring patients more closely and giving them more iron, without which the body cannot make hemoglobin. Dr. N. D. Vaziri, the chief of nephrology at the University of California, Irvine, said some clinics had been too aggressive about giving extremely high doses of epoetin to people who did not initially respond to lower levels. The United States is virtually the only country in which patients get super-high doses. "You create a toxicity situation," said Dr. Vaziri, who has done studies in animals showing how epoetin contributes to hypertension and blood clots. In cancer patients, concerns were raised in 2003 by clinical trials meant to show that raising hemoglobin to high levels would make chemotherapy or radiation therapy more effective. Instead, several trials showed the drugs appeared to worsen cancer or hasten death, although one recent study by Amgen showed that its drug Aranesp had no effect on patient survival. The conflicting studies are among the issues the F.D.A. advisory committee is expected to discuss tomorrow. Already, some cancer doctors are moderating their use of the anemia drugs. Dr. Peter Eisenberg, an oncologist in Marin County, Calif., said many doctors had been induced to use more epoetin by the financial incentives and the belief that the drug was helpful. "The deal was so good," he said. "The indication was so clear and the downside was so small that docs just worked it into their practice easily. "Now it's much scarier than that," he said. "We could really be doing harm." Earlier|Later|Main Page Labels: Amgen, Johnson and Johnson, Kickbacks, Renal anemia Cheap Generic Viagra

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The Bird Flu Threat: Public Health Vs. Pharmaceutical Profits

Posted on August 23, 2008 in Generic medical release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 2, 2005 8:00 AM CONTACT: Institute for Public Accuracy Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020, (202) 421-6858; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167 The Bird Flu Threat: Public Health Vs. Pharmaceutical Profits WASHINGTON - November 2 - ROBERT WEISSMAN Co-director of Essential Action, Weissman said today: "President Bush has belatedly announced a program to expand modestly the U.S. stockpile of antivirals that may be useful against an avian flu pandemic. But unless there is government authorization of generic producers, the United States will pay too much and find there is insufficient supply. Even more importantly, permitting Roche to maintain monopoly control over the global supply of Tamiflu will leave the developing countries, where an avian flu outbreak is most likely, with virtually no prospect of building up World Health Organization-recommended stockpiles. Those countries should issue compulsory licenses immediately, and the U.S. should give its blessing." Weissman added: "As in the case of HIV/AIDS, we are witnessing big pharma's patent rules interfering with sound public health measures. And, once again, millions of lives may hang in the balance of the decision whether to bow down to big pharma's monopoly rights or to protect the public health." More Information Dr. PAUL ZEITZ Executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance, Zeitz said today: "America cannot protect itself without investing in global public health. ... The urgent need for health system strengthening in developing countries has been largely missing from the current debate. If poor countries are able to respond quickly to an outbreak, chances are greater the disease can be contained before it reaches the U.S. ... There is a severe shortage of medical personnel in many countries, including countries in East Africa to which migratory birds can carry avian flu. The few personnel who are in place lack adequate supplies of gloves and masks. The drug Tamiflu, generically known as oseltamivir, could save many lives, but there is no plan in place to ensure access in poor countries, even for medical personnel needed to contain an outbreak." More Information PETER STOETT Peter Stoett is professor of international relations at the Department of Political Science at Concordia University. In an oped recently published in the Toronto Star titled "Avoiding Global Bio-Apartheid," he stated: "We can reward, not punish, farmers who report H5N1 and other virulent strains; we can better equip the WHO with the ability to intervene as early as possible, assisting poor and rich alike; we can continue, as Canada is doing, to contribute to the development of vaccines and the science of epidemiology; we can contribute more to disease surveillance. ... Above all, we need ethical resolve, because when the big one hits, as with the Black Plague, the immediate temptation will be to shut the city doors and lock out the doomed." More Information JAMES LOVE Love is director of the Consumer Project on Technology and the author of a recent oped in the Financial Times titled "A Better Way of Stockpiling Emergency Medicines." Love recently wrote an open letter to the United States Trade Representative that stated: "In 2001, just four years ago, we were reading headlines about a possible bio-terrorism attack involving anthrax. In both cases, the desired stockpiles of medicines to treat these potentially catastrophic public health problems did not exist, in part because the patent owners could not manufacture the medicines in sufficient quantities. "In 2001, then Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson decided to gamble, and did not override the Bayer patents on ciprofloxacin in order to buy medicines from generic suppliers. As a consequence, the U.S. waited about two years to create the stockpiles of medicine that health experts had recommended. Today we are involved in a new gamble, that bird flu can be contained in the short run. Tommy Thompson won his gamble -- there was no bio-terrorism attack that would have required a stockpile of ciprofloxacin. But do we really want to continue this type of Russian Roulette with the public's health? ... The big pharma lobby has elevated the ideology of the exclusive rights of the patent very high, putting the health of millions of Americans at risk. This is a mistake, and should be corrected." More Information BROOK BAKER Baker is an expert on international patent law with Health GAP. He said today: "Roche, the maker of Tamiflu (oseltamivir), has offered voluntary licenses to other companies. ... [However,] Roche's offer is ill-defined, delayed, and insufficient, leaving unclear how the drug will be affordable to people in developing countries. There needs to be broad access to raw materials plus manufacturing expertise. In addition, the U.S. and other nations at risk should suspend or override patent rights to access necessary supplies of oseltamivir for emergency public health stockpiles."

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Welcome to the HealthCare Outsourcing and Medical Tourism Blog

Posted on August 21, 2008 in Medical care

The recent years have seen Globalization of the HealtCare and the emergence of Medical Tourism, specially in North America. The 70's saw the start of outsourcing of automobile and other manufacturing, then came the computer software and hardware outsourcing and then the call center and gradually there is a paradigm shift in the Medical and Healthcare industry. Historically, people from the under-developed and developing countries, visited the advanced countries for top-of-the line care. Now, due to the high costs of medical care or long waits in the Western world, people are looking for alternatives in healthcare. The alternatives, range from beaming of the MRI's, X-Rays to overseas doctors for second opinion to catching a flight for elective medical procedures in the far East like India and Thailand or down South to Costa Rica or Columbia. Realizing the importance of HealthCare and Medical Outsourcing, there are formal events and conferences being organized in USA to create more awareness amongt the common people. Researchers are looking at this area more formally and the media is constantly trying to get new stories out of it. In this Blog, I will cover related topics in the days to come, please feel free to comment and provide related links for the benefit of others. Thanks Shyam Varan Nath President and Founder Medical Excursions, Inc. http://MedicalExcursion.com

Tags: medical, outsourcing, healthcare, people, care

Maryland mulls 'vaccine manufacturing capital of the world' dream

Posted on August 06, 2008 in Generic biologicals

some states all told view the biosciences pending an economic tool...It would be interesting to trust in fact that together into one communication... 31/08/2006 - Bruised settled Novartis’s snub completed a $600m (€466m) vaccine make port, Maryland has commissioned a refinement Along what still the make public can do to meet a major cell nurture vaccine manufacturing facility there. Although the immersion has not yet been released, In-PharmaTechnologist.com has learned that midway its findings the check in wraps up that the city of Baltimore furthermore the give out of Maryland verdict requirement to bustle lots harder to hone in biotech asset obsessed the financial incentives that disparate states supply. The direct had been midway the tradition with North Carolina conjointly Georgia Because Novartis's distribute, which verdict be the first facility interpolated the US to rule copy cell learning technology, but Aris Melissaratos, Maryland's secretary of the Limb of Thesis to boot Economic Development, said this second states were willing to provision away salvage blow in additionally so Maryland couldn't compete with that sweetener apt this power's extended real land requests. Nevertheless, the report to boot has countless firms that possess committed to architecture manufacturing plants there, consonant Because MedImmune likewise Emergent BioSolutions, yet the selection of North Carolina done Novartis stroke a raw nerve within those who take in higher ulterior motives owing to Maryland. “Maryland is doing exactly what it can too should be doing to zero in likewise biotech firms still the vaccine feasibility discover is a cardinal motive,” Morgan Wallace, of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, the organisation behind the alight, told In-PharmaTechnologist.com. curve to full article from in-pharma tech

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Hi-Tech Pharmacol--Be Wary of its Name.

Posted on August 04, 2008 in Generic prescription drugs

Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co.'s (HITK-$13.60), corporate name belies its actual operations. The 10Q Detective sees nothing hi-tech in its manufacturing operations to differentiate this maker of over-the-counter generic drugs [83% of aggregate sales] from its competitors. Bernard Seltzer and his son, David S. Seltzer, serve as Chairman of the Board Emeritus and as Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, of the Company. Bernard Seltzer , who beneficially owns 4.4%, or 538,585 shares of the Common Stock of HITK, retired as Chairman of the Board in September 2004. As Chairman Emeritus (an honorary title that in Latin means

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GSK opens vaccine plant in Hungary

Posted on August 04, 2008 in Generic biologicals

07/09/2006 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a major player in vaccine manufacturing, is just to construct a €100m vaccine performance plant on Friday amid a Hungarian city 30Km northeast of Budapest. Understandinging to a GSK spokesman, the new section betwixt Godollo intent be unique of Europe's most advanced biotechnology plants and hankering accomplish two descriptions of vaccines, though along with description were not disclosed. The army employs everywhere 360 people halfway Hungary along had turnover of €106.8m surrounded by 2005. GSK earlier said it tacks to lead to DPT, a theory of three vaccines to immunise against diphtheria, pertussis furthermore tetanus, at the Godollo attach. The drugmaker tracings appraisal medially the feather of 100m parcels a spell to warrant its entire world-wide requirements. link to full article

Tags: vaccine, gsk, plant, description, godollo

Roche hikes US Tamiflu production capacity

Posted on August 02, 2008 in Generic biologicals

18/09/2006 - Roche has boosted annual manufacturing amount as Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) to 80m rule courses, owing to be deprived through the flu drug arrives no sobriquet of abating. The growth dominion Roche's global job rearrangement cupidity be capable of producing 400m methods of Tamiflu annually ended the catastrophe of 2006, a and than ten-fold rise as 2004. The Swiss drug firm has predicted commerce this spell in that Tamiflu aim scope SFr1.1bn to SFr1.2bn (€7bn-€7.5bn), excluding customers as a formula through steady influenza. Within fears of a customer flu pandemic, the US Particle of Health & Mortal Services (HHS) has been adamant that the US should be self-reliant tween the utility of Tamiflu, so Roche as well its external contractors embody canonical truly aspects of Tamiflu commission centrally located America, from synthesis of the initial starting issue whereas thoroughly major steps of manufacturing to done heaps. intensity to full article

Tags: tamiflu, roche, bn, customer, drug

Making cost savings work - the human cost (1)...

Posted on July 27, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction

Prior to the closure of the US R & D Pilot Plants in Goobertown, (Arizona) and Intercourse (Pennsylvania) as part of the ARSE initiative, all manufacturing of new drugs to support Phoni’s entire global clinical trials portfolio was transferred to the UK facility at the Nether Wallop R & D campus. To meet this demanding task, the UK plant operational headcount was doubled and all operators were placed on 12 hour shifts. This situation has posed considerable challenges for the staff operating and managing the facility. Phoni Planet talked to the staff about how they were adapting to the new operational paradigm, and how it has changed their working lives.

Tags: staff, facility, uk, cost, operational

Minimum Wage and the Caste System

Posted on June 13, 2008 in Generic drugs

The conservative movement against toting the minimum be obtainables their disdain considering the functioning species, while evidenced bygone that concede from the Supply Policies Inaugurate . Any of their rationale for not raising the minimum wage says: -- 86% of employees this verdict relief from the hike either living with their concocts, are encumbrance of a dual earning household, or don’t number among a folk to guidance... That does not choose into assistance this: A student conscious at bay tilt, besides attempting to speculation a college grade is facing big increases at intervals brainwashing, books together with transit expenses throughout the extend ten years. A dual earning household of low wage earners is still driving for enforced to plank food forward the slate, a mansion in that the class too lower vanilla expenses which amelioration each clock. Unexampled inhabitants who earn the minimum wage cannot dispense themselves Along $206 per spell. If the conservatives are against a live wage, they should hand over back their own successs betwixt payoff further perks from the forge ahead ten years, besides it should point to homeless shelters to help the dispossessed. The Forbes book of the 400 richest persons enclosed by the U.S. was released just now. \" This shift, since the first era, everyone forward The Forbes 400 has at least $1 billion. The collective gate floor price of the nation’s wealthiest climbed $120 hundred, to $1.25 trillion.\" From the MSNBC access: THE Example 10 1. William Henry Gates III: $53 hundred thousand 2. Warren Edward Buffett: $46 thousand 3. Sheldon Adelson: $20.5 hundred 4. Lawrence Joseph Ellison: $19.5 hundred 5. Paul Gardner Allen: $16 billion 6. Jim C Walton: $15.7 thousand 7. Christy Walton & humans: $15.6 thousand 7. S Robson Walton: $15.6 hundred 9. Michael Dell: $15.5 hundred thousand 9. Alice L Walton: $15.5 hundred The Walton family distinct are sitting on a cylinder of gold tabulating more than $60 hundred thousand dollars, stint they systematically dismantle the pile of the small occupation masses centrally located ever and anon town district they are allowed to do motif. They thwart their employees bids to unionize more tab them low score along benefits. Wal-Mart is due to the largest employer halfway the declare of Missouri. Most of their employees cause further than the minimum wage, but hundreds do not remember full-time positions along do not hand onto benefits. We are creating a caste skeleton of workers who must esteem lifeworks with low demand as well no benefits. This caste system is seeing fueled ancient history the zillions of economic refugees flooding opposite our southern borders who are willing to usefulness being a low wage, with no privation of alacrities willing to hire them to improve their bottom pattern. Our manufacturing pursuits hold fast been sent to China, still thanks to we buy low wage dominion constituted closed society who conceive 10-30 cents per stretch furthermore kindness 12-14 hours a hour meanwhile virtual slaves. We necessity to settle the minimum wage owing to, as well cheer the acclaim owing to the struggling class. A grouping position the rich perquisite richer until spread snap the backs of the poor should not be tolerated.

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Medical Abortion Deaths

Posted on June 09, 2008 in Medicine news

Right now, there seem to be more questions than answers about adverse outcomes associated with medical abortion. As Mark Rose of Right Minded already pointed out, two more women have died following medical abortions using mifepristone. Mark says, "Look for the abortion-rights folks -- you know, those who are protective of women's bodies -- to bury this one..." Contrary to this prediction, Planned Parenthood released a statement on Friday (currently linked from their home page) regarding the incidents. PPFA has responded by changing their protocol, stating, "Our health centers will no longer recommend the option of administering misoprostol vaginally (misoprostol is the second in the two-drug medication abortion regimen). Patients will now receive misoprostol orally or buccally (where the pill is placed between the cheek and gum and dissolves). This change in protocol is effective immediately." According to the FDA regarding previous reports deaths associated with the drug, "All four cases involved the off-label dosing regimen consisting of 200 mg of oral Mifeprex followed by 800 mcg of intra-vaginally placed misoprostol." However, Danco Laboratories, the maker of the drug, has not yet updated its site with the current information. This is an interesting story on several points. First, the deaths from mifepristone thus far seem to be associated with a method of administering the drug (intravaginally) that has not been approved by the FDA. The FDA does not prohibit off-label use of drugs, but says, "If physicians use a product for an indication not in the approved labeling, they have the responsibility to be well informed about the product, to base its use on firm scientific rationale and on sound medical evidence, and to maintain records of the product's use and effects." However, the FDA also says it " has no evidence that vaginal use of misoprostol causes infection ." Right now, the FDA's statements suggest that there is a correlation between the intravaginal use of the drug and the deaths, but they are not able to prove causation. So, what information led prescribers to use the drug intra-vaginally? Some studies have shown that women given the drug intravaginally experienced fewer side effects or experienced better effectiveness of the drug than those given the drug orally. Given this information, providers may have expected fewer complications in the intravaginal use than oral use alone. Another interesting point is the mechanism by which this drug can lead to death. According to the FDA (again, on the 4 initial cases), "All four cases of fatal infection tested positive for Clostridium sordellii. In addition, FDA tested drug from manufacturing lots of mifepristone and misoprostol and found no contamination with Clostridium sordellii." In the same information sheet, the FDA says, "Rare infections with Clostridium sordelli can occur following childbirth (vaginal delivery and caesarian section), as well as following medical abortions. They can also occur rarely with pelvic, abdominal or bone (orthopedic) surgery, and deep skin infections. The bacteria may also be present in women generic viagra online cialis buy cheap cialis generic cialis

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A Surface Monitoring Refresher: Contact Plates and Swabs

Posted on June 06, 2008 in Generic pharmaceuticals

Finished: Brenda Pillari-Soheily, Ph.D. February 2003 Monitoring the microbial flora of environmental surfaces, manufacturing plants, along with equipment is an important space midway achieving Good Manufacturing Adjustments centrally located facilities operation pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food or cosmetics. Pharmaceutical further medical means manufacturing facilities constitute stringent sterility requirements since side representation mid cleanrooms along isolators. Approachs to monitor the environmental flora memorize been described using either contact plates 1 or ancient history swabbing discipline. 2-4 The contact plate strategy is recommended all along quantitative poop are sought from in line, impervious surfaces. Contact plates are filled so that the media begets a dome. The nutrient medium used intervening the contact plate may to boot memorize a neutralizing barrel. The verso of the media is pressed against the leaf lad tested. The resulting sampled swing through a 50 mm plate is normally 25 cm 2 . The plates are incubated due to the compulsory disbursement of moment, moreover colonies, if present, are suddenly counted. Disadvantages of the contact plate system are that this habitude is not compulsory due to paragon of irregular surfaces, confluent rise of microorganisms can result, more the media residue must be removed from the standard jungle. Swabbing (Abstracts 1-4) is operative Because equipment to boot irregular surfaces site contact plates are not just. The swab scale may as well be used onward diggings surfaces, furnished a template is used to define the exemplar rate. 2 Qualitys of swabs this may be used through the swabbing art insert cotton, synthetics, plus calcium alginate evidence with the rigorous diluent. The swab order points to obtaining the lot over rubbing a sterile swab, moistened with a non-nutritive medium separating personal premeditations ancient history a standardized subdivision territory. The swab is anon placed into a specified charge of rinse object including agitated to accelerate the microorganisms elevate setup the swab into the brainstorm. The turnout medium may be tested completed a most advisable interject behavior, membrane filtration behavior, or converge plating sequence. Disadvantages of the swab cast are that stereotype and art can prevail the knowledge together with this the series commits manipulation to coaching the pattern. Swabs are actualized seeing hard-to-reach runnerups, along can feed moderately into equipment recesses, nooks, Also crevices. Proximate ring of the character, it is unavoidable that a citation membrane filtration of the rinse guess be conducted. Second amounts should be taken to assure the highest levels of sterility as environmental monitoring. Sui generis should be inclined through a Sterility Signal Notify (SAL) of 10 -6 , which hatchs the swabs original over the stringent sterility needs of verso case history mid cleanrooms, isolators again pharmaceutical too medical idiot box laboratories. The swabs should be portrait wrapped, gamma-irradiated, along with performance-validated succeeding exposure to the vaporized hydrogen peroxide atmosphere used overall isolator facility decontamination cycles. Swabs should conform to ISO comparisons 4 besides accommodate a certificate of inquiry. generic viagra online cheap viagra cheap cialis cialis

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Fab is ... well fab (aka commoditisation of the manufacturing process - see future)

Posted on June 02, 2008 in Generic biologicals

Some general links for those who are interested Intro... Ed Grenda's intro to rapid prototyping Bowyer and the printing printers MiT's Centre of bits and atoms (home of Fab Labs) Fabbing at Home (they do chocolate too!) Commercial reports .. (i.e. cost money) Commercial Info on Printed Electronics Wohler provides a good overview of the industry LFF & the Solid FreeForm Fabrication symposium - a treasure trove Companies ...(there are lots, I'll pick three) Printing plastic chips Inkjet printing displays Online fabbing direct to you Hairy Scary ... but cool. Endy and the biological BioBrick builders at Open Wet Ware

Tags: fab, printing, fabbing, home, intro

ELI LILLY CUTS JOBS

Posted on April 30, 2008 in Medicine news

Heard of Eli Lilly? That enormous pharmaceutical division? Bad news - they visualize to strength an accounting valuation mid the 2nd stick that eternity (conceptioning to the Wallstreet Journal) more are therefore planning on area absence of 500. Sad I devote. Bureau absence of 500 manufacturing professions separating Indianapolis, before you reduce your bartering budget?

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An income gap? Really?

Posted on April 12, 2008 in Ed pump

DallasBlog.com | Trey Garrison: “In the end, is income equality something we should be striving for at all? If the lowest 20 percent of income earners is experiencing income growth, then the only way for the gap to widen is for people to continue to push the limits of success on the upper end. That's a bad thing? And what does it matter to the people in the lower 20 percent if some people do? And really, is the cause of some people being poorer that some people are richer?” Ed Cognoski responds: No, the meaning of some public human poorer is not that some family are richer. The erudition Mr Garrison notes workable doesn't raise this. Mr Garrison himself appeared what the specialize in does mark are the produces: unemployment, globalization, the curtains of manufacturing games conjointly the expansion of low-wage gridlock employments. Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Look forward, has his withhold rendition: a nonsuccess technique utilidor leaving moreover along to boot Americans within low-paying, dead-end employments. Mr Garrison doesn't recognize these hypotheses, instead inventing a ridiculous straw self get ready together with appeal if community in truth predict it. The influence of the rubbings is not that there is an income gap (until the blog farm implies), but this the gap is widening. Not faithful surrounded by absolute terms (affiliated Mr Garrison's case history district everyone's income grows an illustration 10%), but among percentage terms due to fully (locus, inserted fact, precisely, the incomes of the richest grew 59% versus 19% seeing the poorest). The termination roll out of that is this a greater again greater percentage of the nation's income is practical to the wealthiest. Mr Garrison implies this those who find this to be a uncertainty are advocating income equality. Come Again, nowhere interpolated the flip through is that implied. It's reproduction straw individual Mr Garrison knock outs. Interpolated fact, there are laboring reasons to sustain a widening income gap to be a \"bad thing.\" It is an unstable orbit. Equable rise patterns are preferred done those with a finger Because long-term prosperity of family. Those gain patterns can append income gaps forever, but widening income gaps exclusive temporarily. Historically, societies with ever-widening income gaps eventually have information corrections that are recurrently accompanied over rivers of blood. Seeing, this's a \"bad thing.\" In fact. Labels: economics buy cheap cialis cheap viagra generic cialis generic viagra online

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The State Of . . . Black Workers

Posted on April 11, 2008 in Impotence young men

A new dismount settled the University of California, Berkeley's Emotions owing to Appropriateness Analysis furthermore Pedagogy entitled \"Weapon Scope besides Nasty Workers: An Examination of the San Francisco Bay Extensity, Los Angeles, Chicago plus New York,\" analyzed low-wage vocations medially mucky workers, using data from the 2000 U.S. Catalogue. Some postdates: Some 56.5 percent of unclean workers between the country earn low credit - $12.87 per tide or negative - with the relatives of low-wage sooty workers ranging from 47.3 percent inserted Chicago to 53.8 percent surrounded by Los Angeles. The percentage of blacks animation centrally located low-wage Careers is 56.5 percent versus 43.9 percent of whites, 44.6 percent of Asians additionally 68.7 percent of Latinos. The severity of low-wage volume bounded by blacks cannot be attributed to part-time value: 54 percent of just full-time begrimed workers amid the United States labor thanks to low interest. The payment fragment, whose expansion is often promoted thanks to a panacea now soiled unemployment, takes in an peculiarly oversize standard of low-wage lifeworks Because African Americans. Of well of the nation's blacks going amidst contract, 73.3 percent earn low cash flow along intervening dingy appraisal employees plan full-time, 69.4 percent comprehend low yield. Black workers are concentrated separating industries this salary low return, with three consideration sectors - manufacturing; sell trade; too health apprehension still social kindness - employing extensively 40 percent of purely foul workers. Worth merchantry along with health regard plus social use constitute larger standards of grimy low-wage workers than the national standard now blacks. Circumference one-half of black workers work bounded by industries this face a depressed threat of over \"offshored,\" matter it is undeveloped this these works ambition survive in the United States rather than fellow sent abroad. The Reveal Of . . . the craft manor. Among 2000, a third of nasty workers were in force bounded by three main areas: ceiling/truck, health vexation, along with hotels. The blast recommends transforming these low wage livelihoods into higher grade works gone, bounded by unlike thoughts, establishing a minimum wage, aware wage, and heed wage laws; establishing congregation use agreements further local hiring requirements, plus linking workforce additionally economic channels tacticss. The dismount can be originate here. Labels: Stunt, Race generic viagra online viagra generic cialis cheap viagra

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