Monday, January 21, 2013

Great Medical Journals

Dear Mr. Contaoi,

Thank you for offering me a free subscription to the prestigious "Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News."



Really. I am not making this up.

You have no idea how excited I am to get a complimentary year of your journal. Breaking news on drug packaging trends is crucial to a modern physician. I often lie in bed thinking about topics such as "Paper or Plastic: The Future of Drugstore Bagging" or "Which Side are You On? Bubble Wrap vs. Peanuts." Regrettably, I've always been deeply unfulfilled by the lack of such coverage in run-of-the-mill neurology publications.

Your kind offer is especially timely, as my subscriptions to "American Lunch Trays" and the Pulitzer Prize winning "Condom Wrappers Quarterly" have recently run out.

You'll be hearing from me soon, and I can't wait for my first issue.

Yours truly,

Ibee Grumpy, M.D.

p.s. You misspelled "development."
at

12 comments:

  1. bunkywiseJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:13 AM

    Not to mention that the journalists writing for said publications dreamed of working for the New York Times and winning a Pulitzer. The whole thing is just SAD. But maybe that's just Monday talking...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ms. DonnaJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:53 AM

    Hey, you caught the spelling error! Ever think of entering the oh-so-exciting world of proofreading? Get those red pens ready!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PackerJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:38 AM

    It is a package deal comes with a comp subscription to Golf Digest, it is a big hit with all the Doctors.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MAJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    Perhaps they'll include a complimentary subscription to Medscape News so you can keep up-to-date concerning the topic of impaired driving when using opiates, alcohol or other mind altering substances.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:51 AM

    Their acronym is "PMPN" as in "Pmp'n out the Pharmaceuticals", I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ErinJanuary 21, 2013 at 11:03 AM

    I actually thought, "this can't be real," and then I saw your caption reading, "Really. I'm not making this up."

    I don't know how they could write a whole issue, let alone a whole journal's worth of material.

    PS - "pons" was in my WV. It's on to you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. DonJanuary 21, 2013 at 1:09 PM

    I've done quite a lot of packaging design over the years, and while I can't see the appeal to a doctor, if I was working in the health engineering sector this might be a worthwhile publication.
    Packaging design can be fun, especially when one is given a box of electronic components and told to fit them into a small box, with various restrictions specified by the engineer and/or industry standards. Oh, and under a tight deadline for even more fun.
    The spelling error is irritating, but I see much worse every day on my current assignment as a design checker. The proofreading pays to keep my cats and scorpions(as well as my wonderful wife) in the lifestyle they've become accustomed to.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Li'l AzathothJanuary 21, 2013 at 1:18 PM

    Hey, that's art you're talking about:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/arts/design/23heroin.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. RehabRNJanuary 21, 2013 at 8:39 PM

    Grumpy:

    So now, does this mean all the packaging engineers will abandon your blog since you won't kvetch anymore about childproof caps, etc.? Awww... (tongue firmly in cheek--have a relative who designs packaging, for adult beverages).

    Guess you'll just have to find out if there are any reflex hammer engineers out there...now that would be interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. CharlesJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:19 PM

    Actually, the spelling error doesn't bother me as much as the fact that they spell the same word in two different ways.

    Now, just what does that tell us about the quality and, especially, the consistency of their packaging?

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2013 at 10:20 PM

    Marketing types put a great deal of time into figuring out where to position items on store shelves for the most profitability, so why not medical and OTC health related things as well?

    Those heavy plastic containers that surround everything from electric toothbrushes, to office supplies, lead to many bad cuts and trips to the local ED. Maybe the packaging people are in cahoots with ED docs.

    Why oh why is my MS med Gilenya packaged in bubble packs, similar to how nursing home meds are packaged? Now does Novartis assume that we will end up in nursing homes and it will already be correctly packaged for us?

    Or are they simply seeking to charge more money, as this bubble pack type of packaging is extremely expensive, adding a great deal to the cost of the meds? What was their rationale?

    This has been a question for a long time. Now I have a journal editor that I can query.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2013 at 6:04 AM

    I receive a subscription to this at my place of work. I don't need it there, so I can pass it along to anyone who can't get on this elite list...

    MBee

    ReplyDelete

So wadda you think?