Skip to main content

An interesting factoid

Edie started her treatment with Thalidomide and Dexamethasome yesterday, but what we never realized was just how tightly regulated Thalidomide use has become, and how many hoops she had to jump through to get the drug.

Not only did she have to fill out various forms and sign disclaimers about the drug, but she had to fill out a survey initiated by Celgene (the manufacturer of Thalidomide), which had to be reviewed and approve by Celgene before she could be given Thalidomide. (It appears Celgene doesn't want a repeat of what happened several years ago, which resulted in birth defects attributed to Thalidomide.)

On top of that, because Thalidomide is so tightly regulated, only one of the several pharmacies in the Kaiser Bellflower/Imperial complex is authorized to dispense Thalidomide, and the interesting fact that I refer to in the title, stems from the fact.

The pharmacy chosen, Building D - Imperial site, was chosen because that is where the Dermatology Clinic is located, and Thalidomide is used in the treatment of Leprosy.

The obvious conclusion to be drawn from that, has to be that Leprosy is a greater problem in the Los Angeles area than Multiple Myeloma, and Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, where it is also being used in particular cases.

That sure was news to me! I didn't even realize Leprosy was a concern, anywhere in the world, let alone LA, but that just goes to show you, how little I really know.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...
5 comments
Read more

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...
6 comments
Read more

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...
11 comments
Read more