Wyeth posted a 19 per cent increase in fourth-quarter profit Thursday as the drugmaker's revenues rose 10 per cent and lower spending on sales, administration and research more than offset higher materials ... via 680News
"FDA is not aware of any evidence to suggest the issue that occurred at the leukemia drug facility is linked in any way with the facility that manufactures the mifepristone"
BEIJING - A huge state-owned Chinese pharmaceutical company that exports to dozens of countries, including the United States, is at the center of a nationwide drug scandal after nearly 200 Chinese cancer ... via Chicago Tribune
"We aren't going to compromise the health of the public for 3 1/2 years"
A statewide smoking ban may be snuffed out by Democratic opponents. An offer from Senate Democrats to delay the ban for taverns until July 1, 2011, was rejected Tuesday by anti-smoking groups. via Racine Journal Times
"We've said pretty much all we're going to be able to say on this."
Eli Lilly and Co. and federal prosecutors are exploring a settlement of an investigation into the drugmaker's marketing of its top seller, the anti-psychotic Zyprexa, The New York Times reported Wednesday. via Alaska Journal of Commerce
Well, interviews are done! I had the great pleasure of meeting one Dr. Nick Genes whilst in New York. My first-ever in-real-life blogger meeting. He is even cooler in person!
Expect posting to be light for the next month or so: I’ve got both parts of Step 2 (”The Boards”) to take, which I’m already loathing.
There appears to be no published information about how we’re truly graded for Step 2 CS (”Clinical Skills”) besides if we went through the motions of “listening” with our stethoscope and speaking English. The patient note we have to write tells us to list “up to 5 possible diagnoses” and “up to 5 tests or procedures for workup.”
A mysterious physician apparently grades us, but on what basis we’re not told. For including a broad differential, or a narrow one? Can I, and should I include the great imitators, like HIV, TB, or syphilis on my differential? How about malingering? Should I go all out for the million dollar workup for patients? Classic ankle sprain. Ankle MR and X-Ray, please. But maybe we should tap it and send the aspirate for analysis. Or maybe he has disseminated gonococcus? Might as well get a CBC and test for GC/CT, too. Throw in an HIV there too, just for completeness’s sake. Is it honestly more important for me to know how to order a bunch of worthless, expensive tests than have a clue how to treat someone with an ankle sprain? (Treatment is not part of the “Clinical Skills” exam.)
Not that any of this matters, though. I speak English, am a pretty compassionate guy, pretty socially adept when talking to patients*, and know where to put my stethoscope. So I probably won’t be one of the 10 people that don’t pass this year — yes, that’s right, I have a 0.05% (those decimals are correct, 0.0005) chance of not passing the exam.
* I find it totally fascinating that I actually have a pretty darn good rapport with strangers-turned-patients, but put me in a social situation at a bar, club, party, or other social gathering and I freeze up socially pretty consistently. Little know Graham fact.
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