Pharma Pharma Pharma Chameleon We Come And Go

Whenever we are invited to tour companies, try a product or speak at an event, we have a meeting and discuss who is inviting us, what will be our purpose for being there, what (if any) is the expectation on the other end of that invite (overt and covert), who else benefits (if there is no benefit for the greater good, we pass on the invite), does it merit our time and attention, and do both of us need to be there. Often we'll split the country down the middle with Aviva to the West and Devra to the East which works well for all involved.

In the past we have been vocal about our opinion regarding Working Mother Magazine's list of "Best Companies" and so have others we respect, so when we were offered the opportunity to visit a company often listed as "Best" we accepted. Our primary reason, however, was not see if they offer an employee yoga class. We wanted to learn how vaccines are made and if our visit would then allow us to address angst parents express to us about vaccinating their kids.

Aviva was flown in from Colorado, Devra hopped aboard the Acela with Sarah and we all headed for Philly where we would have a pajama party and jump on the bed with a few other familiar folks and new faces before we headed out to Marietta, PA in the morning.

Destination, Glaxo Smith Kline's vaccine manufacturing facility. Yup, Big Pharma.

Before anyone begins with the booing and hissing, think for a moment if you know anyone who is taking Wellbutrin or Paxil. From a mental health standpoint, we are well aware that these two products in particular have helped many the mother and father be healthier parents. Additionally one of our dearest friends works for a non-profit public health organization which is entirely dedicated to the creation of a safe, accessible HIV vaccine. GSK is a member of their consortium and is working on two possible AIDS vaccines. As our friend put it, "There is quite a bit of cross pollination between non-profits and for profit companies" and the result of which is increased public health, which in turn means less stress on families due to illness.


Does this mean we checked our collective brain at the door? No. We retain our skepticism about whether or not there is a relationship between Autism and vaccines, we are still unsure about the newly introduced H1N1 vaccines and while HPV is something we'd definitely like to see go away, we're not so convinced about vaccinating 10 year olds. However, our purpose for the visit wasn't to put GSK on the defensive, we were invited to their corporate home and if they had brought any of those things up, we would have shared our opinions and questioned anything that sounded "off" to us. Who among us hasn't been in a situation where we discover a difference in opinion? The key is to be able to discuss differences and not turn it into audition material for the Jerry Springer Show.


As it turned out, there wasn't any need to grill them or hold anyone's feet to the fire. Much of what they presented we had read and heard elsewhere. Given the FDA rules of "Fair Balance" a large chunk of the information presented was culled from public sites such as the CDC, FDA and American Academy of Pediatrics. No products were mentioned during our visit, except for Devra sharing a story about how she once had a client who didn't realize "Zantac" wasn't a form of over the counter "Xanax" and couldn't understand why her anxiety levels had ramped up despite having increased the recommended dosage from a half pill to a full one. Had the client's anxiety been related to the fear of having heartburn, both problems would have been solved by one GSK product. Natch.

Aviva's father is on the board of ACOG, her uncle is also an OB/Gyn and specializes in high risk pregnancies. Aviva herself holds a certificate in health care systems management. Devra's grandfather was a founder of a hospital and director of education at a major cancer research center and both of Devra's parents have been on the faculties of Ivy League medical schools. No secret Devra and Aviva come from what we call, "DocStock". Perhaps it is this background that influences our shared belief vaccines are integral to public health and it makes sense pharmaceutical companies and the medical community overlap.

But what does this all mean for you? What is it we can tell you from our visit which may help you as you try to make your own decisions about vaccinations? Here is a list of considerations which we have put together based upon a combination of what we knew before we visited and information we picked up as a result of our visit:

• Vaccines aren't the money makers for big pharma. There are only a handful of companies who even manufacture vaccines. Polio and Smallpox are practically nil due to the existence of vaccines.


• Check with your local school district to determine which vaccines are required for your child to enter school, most private and public schools will be in lock step with the districts' requirement.


• If possible ,check into your family's allergy history. Even if your child doesn't have any allergies you know of, it helps to know your history so if your child does have a negative response to a vaccine you will be able to rule out certain allergens effecting your gene pool.


• If you have questions about whether or not to vaccinate consider what, if any, consequences you might encounter as a result and weigh the risk vs benefit.


• Efforts have been made for the vaccine schedule to align with well baby checks and other times when a parent or caregiver will be bringing a child to the pediatrician or family doctor. The idea is not to create more visits, but to incorporate what needs to be accomplished when you're going to be there anyway.
• Make your decision and leave others to make their own. You aren't going to win souls by hopping up on a podium and telling others you don't approve of their parenting decisions. Do you want that done to you? Exactly. We thought so.
• Report any adverse reactions your child may have to a vaccine, GSK and the CDC track them. This way they can be alerted to any problems or health risks, etc.
• GSK no longer advertises in Working Mother Magazine and they definitely acknowledge their male employees don't lactate, so life/work policies must be benefiicial to every employee regardless of gender.
• Alma De Cuba has kick ass food and drink (Doesn't M.O.M. sometimes stand for My Own Madai Tiridito? )

Thank you to David Wescott for putting the trip together and GSK for picking up our mojito tab, etc. And we apologize if any of you now have an earworm,. Here's the antidote: