Drug Prices, School Starting Times, Fashion, Good Moods

Guest: Joel Hay, Professor of Pharmaceutical at the University of Southern California Daraprim is the brand name of a generic medicine used to treat a parasitic infection called toxoplasmosis that is really dangerous to people with weakened immune systems, like people with AIDS or cancer. So it’s a smallish group of people who need the drug, but those who need it, really need it. And recently, the price of Daraprim has gone up from around $18 a pill to $750.  The small pharmaceutical company that recently bought the drug and hiked the price several thousand percent has taken a lot of heat – and even been accused of price gouging. But the thing is, it’s not the first company to acquire a drug and raise the price tag. There have been far more significant examples in recent years, all perfectly legal under the US system of drug regulation.

Guest: Anne Wheaton, Ph.D., Researcher with the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion The American Academy of Pediatrics says teens have a biological excuse for being so drowsy in the mornings and recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that’s later than most schools start across the country.

Guest: Dr. Matthew Ritchey, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion  The heart is among the body’s most powerful muscles - beating day in and day out, keeping our systems functioning until the day we die. Or so we hope. The sobering reality is that the average American adult has a heart that’s older than it should be. That is to say, it’s more worn down than you’d expect a person’s age. This idea of “Heart Age” is something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is attempting to increase awareness about.

Guesst: John Murphy, BYU Special Archives Historian; Carole Reid Burr, Daughter of Fashion Designer Rose Marie Reid  Any woman who’s bought a swimming suit with a slimming panel in the tummy, an underwire bra for extra support or a flouncy skirt to flatter the hips, owes a debt to Rose Marie Reid. If you’ve noticed the retro look that’s so popular right now poolside, thank Rose Marie Reid. During the 40s and 50s, she pioneered the notion that women could look and feel beautiful in a bathing suit. She used exotic fabrics and design tricks to flatter all shapes and sizes. Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and the cast of the movie “Gidget” wore Rose Marie Reid originals. By 1960, her company was worth $18 million. Adding to her intrigue is that fact that Reid was twice-divorced, a mother of three, and a Mormon.

Guest: Thomas House, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester  Have you ever forced yourself to go to a party or social event when you really weren’t in the mood for it, and then found that afterwards you were glad you did because you felt better? This effect might have real consequences for teenagers, particularly those with depressive symptoms. Researchers at the University of Manchester have found that teens with healthy moods are likely to spread these positive moods to their friends.

Guest: Theodote Pontikes, M.D., Pediatric Psychiatrist at Loyola University  For many, the first weeks of school are packed with excitement, new clothes, and the promise of new friends. And then there are the back-to-school jitters, which seem to persist from elementary school right up through college.