werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (03/06/85)
The end of an era has come: As of March 1, 1985, the patent by which Hoffman-LaRoche had exclusive rights to make and market Valium, has expired. Thus, the world's best selling tranquilizer (and for awhile the world's best selling drug) will probably soon be available as generic diazepam. Anyone in the pharmaceutical manufacturing business out there has a chance to make a killing. (Incidentally, for you trivia buffs out there, the current best selling drug worldwide is Tagamet, a treatment for Ulcers.) -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner What do you expect? Watermelons are out of season!
seifert@mako.UUCP (Snoopy) (03/08/85)
In article <1214@aecom.UUCP> werner@aecom.UUCP (Watermelon Werner) writes: > (Incidentally, for you trivia buffs out there, the current best >selling drug worldwide is Tagamet, a treatment for Ulcers.) Even better selling than caffiene and nicotine? _____ |___| the Bavarian Beagle _|___|_ Snoopy \_____/ tektronix!mako!seifert \___/ If God had intended Man to Smoke, He would have set him on Fire. -the fortune AI project
carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard) (03/09/85)
> As of March 1, 1985, the patent by which Hoffman-LaRoche had > exclusive rights to make and market Valium, has expired. Thus, the > world's best selling tranquilizer (and for awhile the world's best > selling drug) will probably soon be available as generic diazepam. > Anyone in the pharmaceutical manufacturing business out there has a > chance to make a killing. Excuse me, but valium in not a tranquilizer. It is an anxiolytic. It may seem that I am being a little picky, but to say that valium is a tranquilizer is very wrong. Phenothiazines are major tranquilizers, and barbiturates are minor tranquilizers, just to give you some examples. The chances for making a killing off generic valium, now is extremely slim. If you wanted to make money off generic valium, you needed to start about 4-5 years ago. And you wouldn't make a killing, not as long as the sole international producer of valium is Hoffman-LaRoche. Building a factory to make cars in your back yard is alot easier to do than building a drug production plant in the United States. Also remember, that the "exclusive right" only applies to the United States and its territories. Foriegn competition for the new valium market is going to be at first quite high. Well anyway, don't bet your house. > (Incidentally, for you trivia buffs out there, the current best > selling drug worldwide is Tagamet, a treatment for Ulcers.) Actually, cocaine is the current best selling drug worldwide, only beacuse of the US market, in both gross income, profit margin and number of refills. But in total weight processed and distributed, I think ethanol is still number 1, especially since they are putting it in gasoline now. -- Carter Bullard ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332 CSNet:Carter @ Gatech ARPA:Carter.Gatech @ CSNet-relay.arpa uucp:...!{akgua,allegra,amd,ihnp4,hplabs,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!carter
sdyer@bbnccv.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (03/10/85)
> Excuse me, but valium in [sic] not a tranquilizer. It is an anxiolytic. > It may seem that I am being a little picky, but to say that valium is a > tranquilizer is very wrong. Phenothiazines are major tranquilizers, > and barbiturates are minor tranquilizers, just to give you some examples. Oh, puhleeaze! To gleefully invoke Authority, here is Goodman and Gilman (1980), p. 436: "III. Drugs Used in the Treatment of Anxiety Sedatives with useful antianxiety effects are consistently among the most commonly prescribed drugs. The appropriate generic name for this group of agents remains uncertain, although there is much reason to suspect that terms such as "anti-anxiety agents", "anxiolytics", and "tranquilizers" represent to some extent wishful thinking and the impact of advertising." I would dare say that "tranquilizer" is the most common lay description for drugs like Valium, other benzodiazepines, meprobamate and even low doses of phenobarbital. Slightly more informed usage would prepend "minor" before the word. Because all these drugs share certain properties and differ in others, a single word can't do full justice to their pharmacology. But, when someone refers to Valium as a tranquilizer, we all know immediately what they mean--I don't care what kind of improved calming effect Valium has on rhesus monkeys over phenobarbital. At least, it is hardly worse than "anxiolytic." -- /Steve Dyer {decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbnccv.ARPA
dharris@watarts.UUCP (Dave Harris) (03/11/85)
My sister takes valium as a *muscle relaxant* when she needs one
(which is very infrequently). She's also a nurse, and you'd think
she'd know, but it seemed strange to me. Anyone out there ever
heard of such a thing? I'd have thought that with all the specific
muscle relaxants around (my own favorite is Flexeril), she'd take
one of those, but there she is with her valium.
--
- Dave Harris, Arts Computing Office
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canadawerner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (03/12/85)
I have been informed of 3 corrections: One: Valium is not technically a tranquilizer, it is an anxiolytic. True, I know that and you know that, but UPI says "H-LaR's patent on the tranquilizer Valium..." expires, so I stuck to the lay wording. Two: The suggestion to begin marketing generic Diazepam was only a joke (unless you already happen to be a major pharmaceutical maker :-)) Three: That Cocaine and not Tagamet is really the world`s best selling drug. Well, Marijuana is California's leading Cash crop, but only in Dollar value. I suspect the same is true here. Furthermore, I believe the usage of the word drug really meant "Pharmaceutical," even "Prescription Pharmaceutical." otherwise I see Aspirin edging out all else. -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner What do you expect? Watermelons are out of season!
carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard) (03/13/85)
> My sister takes valium as a *muscle relaxant* when she needs one > (which is very infrequently). She's also a nurse, and you'd think > she'd know, but it seemed strange to me. Anyone out there ever > heard of such a thing? I'd have thought that with all the specific > muscle relaxants around (my own favorite is Flexeril), she'd take > one of those, but there she is with her valium. > Yes, valium is a muscle relaxant, anxiolytic( which is a fancy name for anti-anxiety agent ), and an anticonvulsant. It was thought that the anxiolytic actions were the result of the muscle relaxant properties and then later it was thought that the corollary was true, no one really knows if they have anything to do with each other or not. -- Carter Bullard ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332 CSNet:Carter @ Gatech ARPA:Carter.Gatech @ CSNet-relay.arpa uucp:...!{akgua,allegra,amd,ihnp4,hplabs,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!carter
morris@Shasta.ARPA (03/13/85)
> My sister takes valium as a *muscle relaxant* when she needs one > (which is very infrequently). She's also a nurse, and you'd think > she'd know, but it seemed strange to me. Anyone out there ever > heard of such a thing? I'd have thought that with all the specific > - Dave Harris, Arts Computing Office Immediately after some reconstructive surgery on my knee a few years ago, my doctor prescribed valium to relax the muscles to give it a chance to heal properly. I only used it for about a week, but it was effective. Kathy Morris (.. decvax!decwrl!shasta!morris)
suki@reed.UUCP (Monica Nosek) (03/28/85)
> My sister takes valium as a *muscle relaxant* when she needs one > (which is very infrequently). She's also a nurse, and you'd think > she'd know, but it seemed strange to me. Anyone out there ever > heard of such a thing? I'd have thought that with all the specific > muscle relaxants around (my own favorite is Flexeril), she'd take > one of those, but there she is with her valium. My mom, also a nurse, was diagnosed several years ago as suffering from "mitral valve prolapse", an arrythmia that didn't seem to cause her any problems but that her doctor felt was caused by stress (rotten children will do that to you :-)), so he prescribed Valium as a relaxant. It had an astounding effect: the woman was wound up like I've never seen, talking a mile-and-a-half a minute and cleaning the house three or four times a day to expend the excess energy that the Valium gave her. Odd, for a drug that is supposed to be a relaxant, anti-depressant, tranquilizer, etc. Down the toilet went the Valium, and she was soon back to normal and on a different medication. Why did this happen? No on seems to know. I've heard reports that Valium isn't the wonder drug that many people seem to think it is; this would seem to support that view, at least for people like me dear ol' Mum. Any similar experiences with it out there? Monica ...!tektronix!reed!suki