Letters

Kudos to the Kiwi blog posts

I enjoyed reading Joel Claycomb's articles at http://drugtopics.com/ and I am sorry to see this series end. I hope that you can encourage Joel to write some more. My interest began because of my love of New Zealand but was sustained because of his good writing. Or maybe good editing by your staff. Either way, thanks for the good reading.

Roger Musser, RPh
THURMONT, MARYLAND

I just finished the fourth installment of Joel Claycomb's "My time as a Kiwi apothecary." The series reminded me of an article I read in Drug Topics some years ago, written by a Georgia state hospital pharmacist. He had traveled to Tanzania, East Africa, where he worked and lived for two years while performing volunteer work.

How rich and intriguing it would be, if these kinds of stories were pulled together in one issue. The experiences of many pharmacists you know who have served overseas - especially those in the military stationed abroad - or those like Joel. who voluntarily chose to live abroad, would offer a refreshing perspective to explore.

I believe the stories of these unsung heroes would make a very interesting and challenging special edition of Drug Topics.

Oluwole Williams, BS Pharm
PHILADELPHIA, PENN.

Academics have it easy

Obesity is one of the most complex disease states to understand. Having had the privilege of working with some of the most brillant researchers in the field of obesity who for decades have been trying to unravel the mystery of this disease, I would guess that less then 1% of today's pharmacists understand the genetics and brain chemistry of this addiction. To ask pharmacists to manage weight loss and medication adherence is absurd, especially for patients who have multiple problems.

First of all, who has the time to manage all the disease states that academia thinks is necessary? If you give incorrect information and the patient is harmed, you may very well lose your license for good. I have been in both academia and community pharmacy, and I can tell you that academia is much easier.

I suggest that those in academia spend two weeks in a busy community chain environment to understand what the other world is doing. Leave all these other disease states to the experts, for the ultimate goal of the pharmacist is to be an integral part of the overall health team and to ensure the best possible outcome for the patient.

Robert Katz, RPh
STAMFORD, CONN.