Tag Archives: pharmacist writer

Generic Drugs – All Smoke and Mirrors?

Posted on May 29, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When people discover that I’m a pharmacist and that I practiced for over 40 years before becoming a full-time writer, some of the inevitable questions I get asked are, “What about generics?” “Are they really the same as brand name … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Are Generic Drugs Safe, Cheap Generic Drugs, Differences in Generic Drugs, Generic Drug Manufacturing, Generic Drug Safety, Generic Drug Use, Generic Drugs, Generic Drugs in the US, Generic vs Brand Name Drugs, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Drug Safety, Prescription Trends, The Pharmacy Profession | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

From Microbes to Biofuel

Posted on May 22, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

During my career as a clinical pharmacist, bacteria and I were NEVER friends. More often than not my patients were infected with some potentially lethal bacterium, and it was my job to provide the magic elixir to eradicate those nasty … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Bacteria Makes Biofuel, Bacteria Makes Diesel, Bacteria Makes Fuel, E. coli and Biofuel, E. coli and Diesel, Escherichia coli and Biofuel, Escherichia coli and Diesel, Microbes to Biofuel, Microbes to Diesel, Microbes to Fuel, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

When Soft Drinks Were Not So Soft

Posted on May 15, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Medical experts argue about the health benefits of soft drinks. Sodas have been linked to our country’s growing obesity problem as well as to a lengthening list of other diseases. But a review of the history of two popular soft … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Compounding Phamracy, History of 7-Up, History of Coca Cola, History of Coke, History of Seven Up, History of Soft Drinks, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Soft Drinks and Drugs, Soft Drinks and Health Risks, Soft Drinks and Psychotropic Drugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ricin – Another Weapon of Terror

Posted on May 1, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s often said that fact is stranger than fiction, so I pose this seemingly ridiculous question to you– What do a martial arts instructor, an Elvis impersonator and the deadly chemical agent ricin have in common? The answer has been … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Death by Ricin Poisoning, Drug Poisoning, Murder by Ricin, Ricin, Ricin as a Deadly Poison, Ricin as a Weapon of Terror, Ricin in Letters, Ricin in the Mail, Ricin in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Red Wine and Dark Chocolate are the Best Drugs!

Posted on April 17, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Two of my favorite food groups: red wine and dark chocolate – and now I discover that both are among the healthiest foods one can eat. But hold on a minute. There’s a catch. Scientists have found that it’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Dark Chocolate for Health, Drugs That Prevent Aging, Foods For Health, Foods to Prevent Aging, Pharmaceutical Fountain of Youth, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Red Wine for Health, Resveratrol for Health, Resveratrol Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Pharmacy Recall Epidemic

Posted on April 10, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In November 2012, I wrote a blog about an outbreak of fungal meningitis that resulted from poor quality control procedures at a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. It was first reported in September of that year, but evolved into national news because … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Compounding Pharmacy, Compounding Pharmacy Deaths, Compounding Pharmacy Disasters, Meningitis Outbreak, Our nation's drug supply, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, The Practice of Pharmacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bee Venom Kills HIV

Posted on April 3, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In the past few weeks I’ve presented two blogs on various drug resistant bacteria. The first was on March 13th about “Super Bugs” and another on March 20th about “Deadly CRE”. These hardy bacteria are a growing concern worldwide since … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bee Venom, Bee Venom Research, Bee Venom Therapy, Curing HIV with Bee Venom, Curing HIV with Mellitin, Curing Viral Infections, Drug Resistant Viruses, Mellitin, Mellitin Research, Mellitin Therapy, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Visine as a Deadly Poison?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog: “How to Write a Bloodless Death Scene”. The purpose was to stimulate ideas about how to write interesting murder scenarios. I had listed the most obvious ones and a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Drug Poisoning, Our nation's drug supply, What writers are called!, Why People Kill, Writing Dialogue, Writing Labels, wrLapinsky | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Super Bugs = Super Killers

Posted on March 13, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

We perceive bacterial infections to be little more than a nuisance—with a simple fix of taking an antibiotic for a few days and then we’re back to feeling one hundred percent. Fortunately, that’s usually the case. Certain bacteria, however, have become … Continue reading →

Posted in About Medications/Pharmacy, Antibiotic Overuse, Antibiotics in Agriculture, Drug Misadventures, Drug Resistant Bacteria, MRSA, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Superbugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

I’m a Writer – No Other Label Needed!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I started my professional career as a pharmacist: a graduate pharmacist first, then a registered one, and then a clinical one. Those labels defined not only who I was, but it described in a single word what I had achieved. … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, All About Writing, The Art of Writing, What writers are called!, Writing Labels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments