Top 8 BioPharm Stories of 2008
Well, the first article of this blog was posted in May of 2007. As we approach our second year in existence, I decided to post a second annual review of stories over the past year, and pick out some of my favorites. I’ve continued to use the blog as a center for Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals and Personal Heatlh stories, but we’ve also done some cool stories on green technologies and other topics that might not quite fit completely in the original focus of the blog. Perhaps 2009 will see a name change…but that’s something I’ll consider for our 2-year anniversary. Feel free to write in with any suggestions you may have.
There are over 110 posts on this site now, totalling roughly 165 typewritten pages of information, with contributions from approximately 6 different sources. Many thanks to those of you who have made this blog a success so far. I look forward to the many changes 2009 will bring.
The following 8 stories are presented in no particular order. A summary of the story is provided, and if you want to read more, clicking the link will open up the full story in a new window. I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these, or if your “top 8″ would include another set of stories.
Thanks for keeping up with the reading so far, and I look forward to keeping you up to date in 2009.
8 ) Appreciating Happiness Through Melancholy – Would it truly be a dream come true if we were always happy, or is there a silver lining in the sadness we feel throughout our lives? Scientists are beginning to more closely examine the phenomenon of happiness, and melancholy’s role in keeping us that way.
7) Superbugs – Antibiotics are becoming less effective as a method to defeat the bacteria that wages war against us, a problem exacerbated by doctors prescribing the drugs like candy in examination rooms throughout the world. Through this, we could be contributing to our eventual demise, as we wait for the day that a bug simply can’t be killed by a prescription.
6) Seeing Double: Pet Cloning – Are we willing to play “god” just to resurrect a beloved pet? Would any expense be prohibitive enough to do so? These questions have been thrust to the fore as a Korean company has developed a method to bring back a faithful companion at an exorbitant price. Would you be willing to pay?
5) Succeeding in Spite of a Black Box – In most cases, if a released drug were to be given a black box warning, I would consider it the death knell for that drug, or at least have a serious impact on the bottom line. In this post, however, I discovered how some companies can learn to cope with the black box warning and enjoy great success in spite of it. Novartis’ Zelnorm and Pfizer’s Celebrex are just two examples of how drug companies can make this warning work for them.
4) Drinking Other’s Prescriptions – Your drinking water could be contaminated with drugs that have been circulated by the general population for years. At last count, up to 41 million of us could be drinking these drugs, including some right here in Jersey.
3) The Agonist/Antagonist Duel for Enhanced Pharmaceuticals – In Scott Alexander’s first article, he examines Richard G. Lanzara’s unique approach to the problem of decreased efficacy of drugs over the course of a patient’s regimen. If Lanzara’s trials and theories work, he could help drug companies bring products to their patients that are safer, more effective, and with better longevity than ever before.
2) New War on Drugs: Vaccinations? – Could there be a day when our children are vaccinated from drugs? Could the “high” we get from taking these drugs be eliminated as the motivating factor in addicts? Read on as Scott examines the implications of a new method being developed to counteract illegal drugs in just such a way.
1) AIDS Cure on the Horizon? – AIDS has been a disease that has become far too prominent in the English lexicon of deadly diseases. However, a new era could be approaching as we read about German hematologists Eckhard Thiel and Gero Huetter of Berlin’s Charite Medical University and a new method they’ve developed that could irradicate the AIDS virus from an infected person’s body. While perfecting the method may still be a way off, it’s temptiing to think what life could be like without this disease.
And those are my picks for 2008. I hope you’ve enjoyed all of our articles, and I look forward to brining you more in 2009. Please be sure to continue to check the blog regularly for updates, and also be sure to check out our monthly Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical meetup if you’re in the New York City area.
Happy 2009!
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