OTC drugs in the US & Japan

Very recently, I saw an article in the New York Times warning the use of OTC drugs in the US.

The New York Times: Over-the-Counter Medicines’ Benefits and Dangers

OTC, or Over The Counter drugs are available without permission by the physician. There are huge varieties of OTC drugs in the US. You can buy painkiller, laxative, and even some tranquilizers.

In spite that you can easily get ones, OTCs are not so benign to your body. Maladjusted usage could be fatal, as the article mentioned. I completely agree with the opinion.

On the other hand, very few drugs are available as OTCs in Japan, as I wrote in the past. The situation has not been amended. Until recently, merchandise of drugs via the internet had been illegal in Japan. And still now there are very few types of drugs are available without the prescription by the physician.

My past entry: Drug stores without drugs

The situation is very different in the both countries. There are some reasons for it.

Firstly, the US government is strongly eager to reduce the medical cost. If a drug is categorized to the OTC drug, it means that consultation and prescription fees regarding the drug will be no more required.

Secondly, many patients are also fond of buying the OTC based on their own assessment. It is due to the American culture in which self-decision is respected.

In contrast, Japanese patients tend to visit hospital frequently. They usually trust the physician's judgement more than their own sense. In addition, Japanese public health insurance enables us to consult a physician with relatively low cost. It is funny that some OTC drugs are more expensive than prescription drugs with equal effectiveness because of the health insurance system. It is quite rational few patients want to a drug on the drugstore in Japan.

The Japanese government is as well expanding the range of OTC drugs. However, medical associations are strongly opposing to this policy. They claim that OTC drugs sales cannot guarantee the safety of the patients. But the other reason against OTCs is the fear of decreased amount of patients visiting the hospital. Many Japanese hospitals belong a private sector. Thus, lessened patients mean shrunk income level directly for them.

In my opinion, neither the US nor Japan is the best. For example, SSRIs should not be the OTC drugs for their risk. Even psychiatrists can underestimate the toxicity of these drugs. On the other hand, Japan has excessively strict policy against painkillers, I think. Some years ago, the government planned to relax the regulation regarding the selling of poultices, but it was cancelled accepting the opposing voices by physicians' associations.

Medical drugs are highly specialized remedies to defeat diseases. But they are for the patients, not physicians.

Sequels in November 2015

November 27, 2015
Russian military jet was destroyed by Turkey

Turkey returned body of the pilot on Russian jet to Russia on Sunday. The reaction of Russia is unclear.

Reuters: Turkey recovers body of pilot from downed Russian jet


November 14, 2015
Carnage at the Bataclan etc. in Paris

In France, hatred against ISIS is rising more than ever before. Paris is still under state of emergency.


Friday, November 6, 2015
Russian airplane crashed in Egypt

Egypt is calling for international collaboration to deal with the terrorism. However, the relationship between Russia, Egypt, and Turkey is worsening.


Thursday, November 5, 2015
Bitcoin rising

The price of Bitcoin maintains high level. But the last year its price was even higher. I am not sure if this tendency will remain.

Headache and sore throat

Since yesterday, I have had terrible headache and sore throat. Maybe it is viral pharyngitis. I feel seriously ill, and this weekend is spoiled.

Sometimes, I catch a cold. In the UK, I had some bad experiences. I thought they were due to foreign bacteria or viruses. But, my body is getting vulnerable to viral infection recently, perhaps. In the forties, apparently I tend to catch a cold more frequently than previously, with the symptoms getting severer.

My past entry: Severe cold

Getting old is inevitable for all human beings. Nonetheless, we should be aware to maintain our health. On Friday, I enjoyed a dinner with my colleagues. Soon after returning home, I felt cold, and I rinsed my throat out. But it seems not to be adequate to prevent the infection.

I hope I will be OK tomorrow.

Merger of Pfizer and Allergan

Pfizer, a world-famous pharmaceutical company, decided to consolidate Allergan. The deal will cost 150 billion USD. The two companies have already agreed to the consolidation, and the biggest pharma in the world will be born.

International Business Times: Pfizer and Allergan agree on $160bn deal to create world's biggest pharma firm

Pfizer is an American company. But it will be able to be administered by Irish taxation rule because Allergan’s headquarter is in Dublin. It will benefit to Pfizer.

However, it is not the reason for this combination, although it is common for international companies to be seeking for tax havens. Pfizer made a large amount of profit from Viagra.

But it has not developed new innovative drugs for a decade. Instead, Pfizer bought several companies accompanied with the patents of newly drugs they had developed. Establishing a new drug needs the astronomical amount of money. The Pfizer model seems less risky than venturing for an innovative drug on its own.

Nowadays, even highly recognized companies are struggling to stabilize their financial status. Such a merger of big pharmaceutical companies is not rare at all.

Pfizer is selling some psychotropic drugs such as Solanax, a benzodiazepine-type anxiolytic. I owe my clinical practice partially to Pfizer, though not meaning any direct interest. Therefore, I hope it will get the further achievement, for the benefit of the patients.

Russian military jet was destroyed by Turkey

An astonishing news. Turkey shot down Russian military plane on Nov 24. The Turkish government explained the reason that an unidentified plane had violated Turkish airspace. When I heard the news at first, I misunderstood as if Russia had shot Turkish airplane, to be honest.

Reuters: Turkey downs Russian warplane near Syria border, Putin warns of 'serious consequences'

It is for the first time for NATO that its member attacked Russian force, since its establishment. This fact means that the relationship between NATO and Russia is in tension more seriously than during the cold war.

Russia blamed Turkey with comparing it to a terrorist. The NATO is aiming to calm Turkey down not to burn further conflict. However, Turkey seems not to make an apology to Russia. On the contrary, it blames Russia for the border violation again.

Independent: Turkey shoots down Russian jet: War of words rages on as Nato convenes emergency meeting in Brussels


Russia decided to bring sanctions against Turkey. They will influence the economic status of both countries. Russia is the second largest trading partner of Turkey, and Turkey is the most popular resort for Russian tourists.

Russia plans sanctions against Turkey over jet downing

It is obvious that this conflict will inflict serious damage to the both country. Since the leaders are hesitating to make a compromise with each other, some third person, such as France, will be required to repair the relationship.

Russia and Turkey are on the opposite side upon the policy against Syria. Turkey, as well as other Western allies, are eager to dismiss ruling Asad administration in Syria. But Russia wants Asad to survive. This discrepancy has been considered to be a barrier in joint operation against ISIS.

I hope nobody wants to worsen the situation. If someone make an error in dealing with this issue, it is possible that an international war, not even against ISIS, begins.

*Sequel
**Sequel

Agony of iPad Pro

Apple’s iPad Pro seems suffering in the sales.

iPad Pro, a new model of iPad with 12.9-inch touch panel was released on Nov. 11. It equips A9X CPU and 4GB RAM. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, said that iPad Pro would replace conventional PCs.

However, its sales are quite sluggish. Its speed of spread is less than a sixth of iPad Air’s. Now, iPad Pro is occupying only 0.3% of all iPad family.

ITProPortal: iPad Pro adoption is the worst for any iPad ever

Surprisingly, iPad 2 is still dominant even in 2015. Indeed, iPad 2 is working well in my home. This fact suggests the excellence of iOS and products of Apple. Consumers need not abandon an old iPad because of its good endurance, ironically. On the other hand, I feel that any Android devices get obsolescent within a couple of years.

There are other reasons why iPad Pro does not become popular. People do not believe that it can be an alternative of PCs. Being attached to the keyboard, iPad Pro has almost the same weight as MacBook. Their performance is also similar. Thus, there is no benefit to change your Mac to iPad Pro.

It is fatal that most apps have not been optimized to iPad Pro. The situation is similar to the moment just after the release of the first iPad. If many apps for iPad Pro are released, the usability of iPad Pro will be improved. But providers may hesitate to adjust the apps to iPad Pro quickly, because it has not been dominant.

iPad Pro does well match as a magazine reader because of its footprint. However, I am afraid that the industry of magazines itself is shrinking. In the near future, no one will read such a bundle of large paper.

I think that the ultimate solution of Apple is the integration of OS X and iOS. The next generation of MacBook would be an iPad.

My dreams (1)

I have some dreams.

I declare my goal of the year at every beginning of the years, as I wrote in 2013, 2014, and 2015. These statements are rather a concept than a dream. I also desire to be always progressive. It is not a concrete dream, either.

So, what are my dreams? Actually, I wrote a list of my dreams at Yakushima when I visited there some years ago. Some of them I have accomplished, and some others are still fantastic.

In the list, a total of 43 items were described. To be honest, I tried to make 100 dreams, but I could not continue to make more dreams. And, there are the items of the list I have already realized below.

(1) Write a blog.
(2) Live abroad.
(3) Begin a side business on the internet.
(4) Eat a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

Unfortunately, only four goals I have achieved so far.

However, it is blessing for me, because it means many dreams remain to be realized, such as:

(4) Become a man who wears an Armani suit naturally.
(5) Wear glasses of Concept Y bland to fit.
(6) Make creating custom-made shoes.
(7) Eat a course of Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
(8) Eat a fully ripened Banana in Philippine.
(9) Create a bottle of pickles at home.
(10) Purchase a castle.

My ambitions are still expanding, even not so great they are, to be glad.

(To be continued, some day.)