THE PACT
Winter 2010 edition

The Perfect Valentine
~Erika Mott

I was recently hospitalized for a week from complications relating to my motility impairment, and found myself struck with the inevitable ennui that anyone that has ever been immobilized in a hospital bed can attest to. As an NPO patient (Nothing by mouth, or ‘Nil per os’ in Latin), I repeatedly scowled at the myriad of chocolate-related Valentine’s Day advertisements on the television. Not too long thereafter, my husband returned to the hospital from his job with his characteristically heartwarming smile and a get-well balloon.

Throughout my entire stay Andrew had, without complaint, spent the nights curled up in a sleeping bag in the corner of the room where he would not be in the way of the staff that frequented my bedside. I stared at him briefly as he slept and realized with a very powerful sense of gratitude that the perfect Valentine’s Day gift is not about chocolate. Nor is it about cards, stuffed animals, champagne, or candlelight dinners. It is, at the very core, about love. Love comes in many forms. Whether it be friends, family, or our partners: the unsurpassable feeling of caring and devotion towards those close to us is something we can always seek solace in during challenging times. For me, the best medicine I received in the hospital was not through my IV. Instead, it was the comfort in knowing that my Valentine was there for me, unconditionally. And that is a gift that should be celebrated far more often than one rosy-hued day in mid-winter.

Press Release from Tranzyme Pharma

Tranzyme Pharma released the name of their prokinetic drug candidate in a press release on January 27th.  “Ulimorelin”, a gherlin-targeting intravenously administered medicine, has shown promise in treating motility impairment throughout its phase two trials. Compared to patients taking placebos, patients taking this Ulimorelin (formerly referred to as TZP-101) demonstrated an improvement in gastric emptying as well as a significant reduction in the classic symptoms of Gastroparesis: nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

For more information regarding Tranzyme Pharma and their developments, go to
www.g-pact.org/research.html.

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