Wellness Weekly

What Drug Companies Do: Well, they aim to make money and never have I seen this clearer than while reading an article in the WSJ this week. The article, by Jonathon Rockoff, discusses plans by Cephalon as it braces for a generic version of its narcolepsy drug Provigil. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder. Provigil is sometimes misused by people who need an artificial means to feel rested and alert. Cephalon is only able to market it for narcolepsy, sleep apnea and shift-work sleep disorder. Anyway, the patent is about to expire and people who use Provigil would likely switch to the less expensive drug. I am not someone who thinks that generics are second class drugs, I think that they can be a bargain and if no contraindication exists, a better option for the over prescribed public. Anyhoo, if a company changes something in their drug to make it, longer lasting for instance (that happens A LOT) then they can get a new patent. Cephalon is indeed making a longer lasting version which they call Nuvigil. Patients are being switched to it now and it costs less than Provigil. When the generic comes out people will likely stay on Nuvigil. So instead of losing all the revenue they are losing a smaller percentage.
Tri’s: No not triathlons, triglycerides. A cardiologist/researcher speaking at an American Heart Association meeting this week reported on a review of the literature from several decades of NHANES statistics. What is noted is a drop in the numbers of persons who have high bad cholesterol, probably due to more low fat eating and definitely more medication. What was not so good is that the numbers of persons who have high triglyceride levels has really gone up. It is important that people lower the amount of fat or triglycerides in their blood. Dr. Cohen is concerned about the staggering rates of overweight and obesity in this country and was quoted in this article, saying, “….it’s weight loss, weight loss, weight loss.” He said exactly what I say every week, move more, eat better, and eat less. He also noted that our pill popping had reached its limits.
Memory: Results from a multi state multi year research project on Ginkgo Biloba has ended. The supplement was not found to enhance memory or prevent memory loss. The scientists involved advise that taking it for such an effect would be a waste of money. I just wanted to mention this study because my dad was part of it. Sometimes when you read the actual journal articles on these studies you can see how they break people into study and control groups. Also the authors will explain how many people got the pills versus placebo, what the drop out rate was and about adverse events. Sometimes it will say that a person died of a heart attack and that it was not considered to be from the study medication. I just wanted to note that because my Dad was such a person. He was very excited about being in the study though. I was his proxy or something. They asked him memory questions and separately asked me the same ones so they would be able to ask again later and see if he retained true memories, etc. I also remember that I had to turn in all the study medicine when he died. I do not know if he had the supplement or placebo. I do know this, he was pretty damn sharp for an eighty year old and now, my mom is too.
Cholesterol: Some members of my family have high bad cholesterol. Most of them are like me and do not want to take medications, especially not as a first line response. Well truthfully, one is like me, one is stubborn and won’t go to the doctor and the other takes the pills. One member has lost weight and exercises regularly but her LDL did not come down. That sent me looking for research on diet and cholesterol as compared to statins. Her doctor mentioned fish oil supplements and I thought that though fish oil helps with inflammation it is not usually recommended for cholesterol lowering. I also think that for some people the statin may be necessary, I mean, it beats a heart attack. Good news from a 2003 study may help my medicine adverse family member. Eating a low fat diet with certain specific cholesterol lowering foods did match the effect of a statin drug in the study group. Foods include fiber, plant sterols, soy and phytochemicals. Oh yes, the diet included almonds. Also, in the study everyone ate six times a day……… Yes SIR.

It is cold here in the South, but the sun is bright and it is the Weekend

Be Well