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Yes, you read the title of this post correctly. A Brazilian study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine identified that zoophila (having sex with animals) along with smoking, sex with prostitutes, being nonwhite and several other factors were risk factors for penile cancer. 

The conclusions in the study were reached after Brazilian urologists’ surveyed 492 Brazilian men 18 to 80, including 118 who had penile cancer. Surprisingly, 171 of the men admitted having sex with animals. Of them, 44 percent had penile cancer whereas 31.6 did not. The incidence of penile cancer was not associated with the number of times the men had sex with animals nor was there any link between the species of animals involved including mares, sows, cows or chickens.

While the study does not show that sex with animals causes penile cancer, it certainly elevates the risk of developing the disease. One of the authors speculated that abrasions of the penis during sex with animals may explain the link. However, additional research will be necessary before a firm (pardon the pun) conclusion regarding the link between sex with animals and penile cancer can be reached.

Hat tip to the Pharmalot Blog!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Can getting high be more important than sex? Probably not if you are in your teens or early 20s, but if you are of  an age where managing the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy or the pain of glaucoma then medical marijuana is likely to be more important than the need for sex! But, to be fair, despite the title of this post, Viagra will lose patent protection shortly (in some places it already has) and the drugs sales have been shrinking. Nevertheless, a report authored by See Change LLC, a Colorado company that provides investment advice to businesses found that the sale of  that medical marijuana has already reached $1.7 billion (in states where it is legal) as compared with annual Viagra sales of $1.9 billion!  

Unfortunately, See Change LLC is charging $1,150 for the report. And since I don't have the money to purchase  it, I cannot determine the veracity or accuracy of the report. But, according to comments made by the editor of the report roughly 1 in 4 Americans lives in a state in which medical marijuana is legal, and that nearly 25 million people in those states have medical problems for which the drug can be prescribed. The report suggests that medical marijuana sales will reach $8.9 billion in five years.

Despite repeated scientific findings that medical marijuana can be used to effectively treat a variety of clinical indications that include chronic pain, nausea and anxiety, the myth of marijuana as a gateway drug to more serious drug like cocaine, heroin and others has been indelibly burned into the American psyche—not withstanding the statistics that show that prescription drugs like OcyContin, fentanyl and methamphetamine are the most abused drugs in America.  

While marijuana hasn’t been a part of my life for over 35 years, there is no question that it has enormous therapeutic value and ought to be legally prescribed when appropriate. In my opinion, the only thing that is preventing marijuana from being legalized is a business model that allows corporate America and the US government to maximize profits  from sale of the "deadly weed." 

It is time for Americans to forever expunge the "unbridled horrors" of Refer Madness from their collective psyches!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (be careful out there)

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The Internet and print media were buzzing this past week about the decision by a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel of expert medical reviewers to not recommend approval of Boehringer Ingelheim flibanserin; a new medication to treat female sexual dysfunction or perhaps more apt lack of sexual interest.

Flibanserin was originally developed as an antidepressant but while it failed to treat depression women who participated in clinical trials reported increased sexual interest. The lack of drugs to treat female sexual dysfunction propelled Boehringer to continue to develop flibanserin to treat low libido in women. Previously, drug makers attempted to develop Viagra-like drugs and testosterone patches (testosterone increases sexual desire) to increase female libido—neither worked (without substantial side effects) to warrant approval. The FDA panel decided to not recommend flibanserin for approval because its modest effects on heightening female sexual desire did not outweigh side effects like dizziness and nausea.

A 2005 article in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery suggested that the size of the female sexual dysfunction market in the US could exceed $4 billion annually with only about 15 per cent of patients receiving treatment. Not surprisingly, many pharmaceutical companies have invested billions to develop new drugs to treat this indication.

There is no question that quality of life drugs like Viagra, Latisse and Botox generate billions of dollars in sales each year. While these drugs may help small numbers of patients who truly suffer from serious medical conditions, they are mainly used for so-called recreational purposes (sexual performance and beauty enhancement) by a majority of “patients.” That said, pharmaceutical companies have the right to develop whatever drugs or treatments that they choose. However, I contend that there are more serious medical conditions out there than failure to achieve orgasm or the need to not apply mascara on a daily basis.

Hat tip to Ed at Pharmalot for some outstanding investigative reporting!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

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As many of you may recall, Merck tried unsuccessfully last year to lobby state and federal officials to pass legislation that would require mandatory vaccination of girls aged 9-26 with Gardasil, its anti-HPV, cervical cancer vaccine. Merck came under fire for its efforts (which seemed ethically disingenuous to many). Consequently, the company’s image took a hit and its stock price started to tumble. Although Merck stopped its lobbying campaign (mostly because of bad press and a flagging stock price), Gardasil ads continued to run and went largely unnoticed.

Because GlaxoSmithKline may be close to launching Cervarix^Tm—its cervical cancer vaccine—  the company recently decided that it was time to ramp up its Gardasil advertising efforts. Starting this past Saturday and continuing through June 26, Gardasil ads will be gracing the screens of a theater  near you. The ads will be shown with films like “Sex and the City” (hmmm, clever wouldn’t you say?), “Get Smart” (who doesn’t remember Barbara Feldon), “The Happening” (what woman doesn’t love a scary movie), “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” (Adam Sandler is hot) and several others. I want to thank Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot for the heads up on this story!  I don't know about you, but I think that showing commercials at the movies, especially those hawking pharmaceutical products, is just plain wrong!!!!!!!!

This isn’t the first appearance of Gardasil ads at the cinema—I recall seeing an ad for Gardasil the last time I went to the movies (I don’t remember the movie but I clearly can recall the ad!). According to a Merck spokeswoman (aren’t pharmaceutical companies clever?), “We purchased advertised space that is relevant for our older female target audiences; specifically for the summer movies that are relevant to those aged 19 through 26.” 

As Ed so eloquently stated in his Pharmalot post: “Of course, plenty of teenagers will be seeing some of these flicks, too. Zohan and Get Smart are rated PG-13. And Sex and The Happening are rated R, but the restrictions only apply for kids under 17– some of whom will, no doubt, see them anyway.  In any event, Gardasil is unlikely to be available as a value pack that includes soda and popcorn. But we (Pharmalot) are curious to know whether the Gardasil beach towel is about to make a comeback.”

 Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Movie Watching!!!!!!!!!!

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