Editorials
Tuesday, August 31, 1999Stadium flea market
decision is under fireA decision by the Aloha Stadium Authority to terminate its agreement with the current operator of the stadium flea market has raised the ire of hundreds of market vendors and provoked a charge of political retaliation.The issue: The Aloha Stadium Authority terminated the contract of the operator of the stadium flea market.
The uproar has forced the authority to reconsider its decision -- a prudent step given the circumstances.
At a meeting on May 20, the authority voted to terminate the contract with Aloha Flea Market Inc. when it expires on Sept. 30 -- without notifying the vendors.
Another meeting was held last Friday, with nearly 200 vendors in attendance, many of whom fear they may lose their livelihoods.
Also present were Edward Medeiros, owner of Aloha Flea Market Inc., former Maui mayor and gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle, and her former campaign chairman, Bob Awana. Medeiros has filed suit, accusing the authority of violating the open meetings law. He also charges that his contract was terminated because he supported Republican Lingle in the 1998 election campaign.
Friday's meeting lasted 11/2 hours and ended with no decision. Stadium Authority Chairman Michael Green said the public will be notified when the board is ready to vote.
There has been no explanation for the decision reached last May. At the time the board announced it would be seeking bidders to "market, coordinate and manage" the swap meet. According to Medeiros' attorney, Bob Merce, the state decided to go into the swap meet business and will hire someone else to run it.
What is wrong with the current arrangement isn't clear. Lingle testified that the flea market paid the stadium $3.8 million in rent last year and the Stadium Authority's request for proposals seeks $3 million.
She asked why the authority was willing to give up $3.8 million to receive $3 million. "It doesn't make sense," Lingle said, and indeed it doesn't seem to.
Medeiros said 800 to 1,000 vendors operate at the flea market, and if their employees are included 3,000-4,000 people make their living there. Presumably the vendors would be able to stay even under a new management system, but some are afraid they wouldn't be. By terminating the operator's contract without notifying the vendors, the authority has antagonized many of them.
If Medeiros' charge of retaliation is correct, the board ought to be thrown out. Such partisanship in the conduct of official business cannot be condoned. This is an issue that could reflect badly on the Cayetano administration.
Whatever the ultimate decision, a full explanation is in order.
Drug name confusion
IMPORTANT strides are being made in developing medicines that are effective in treating serious illnesses. Unfortunately, people needing treatment for one illness may end up picking up medication for another because the drug names sound alike. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may need to review the new drug names and order changes to avoid dangerous confusion.
The fastest-selling drug this year -- with about 9.3 million prescriptions -- is Celebrex, Monsanto Co.'s new arthritis pill sold jointly by Monsanto and Pfizer Inc. Monsanto initially called the pill Celebra but federal regulators ordered the name change because it sounded too much like other drugs. It still does.
Celexa is an anti-depressant and Cerebyx is an anti-seizure pill. The pharmacist trying to determine from a doctor's handwritten prescription which is which could make a disastrous mistake.
Since January federal regulators have received 95 reports of errors by doctors and pharmacists dispensing Celebrex involving confusing the painkiller with similarly named drugs.
The problem extends to other like-sounding drugs: While Lamictal is used to treat epilepsy, Lamisil is an anti-fungal drug; Flomax is for asthma while Fosomax is for osteoporosis; Navane is a psychotic treatment and Norvasc is for blood pressure.
"This is an accident waiting to happen," says Hedy Cohen, vice president of nursing at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit Pennsylvania group that tracks medication errors. "It's a matter of time until a person that is already sick gets the wrong drug and the chance for a serious injury can occur."
Monsanto and Pfizer have begun an educational campaign aimed at physicians and pharmacists to clear up the confusion about Celebrex, but a broader effort is needed by the FDA encompassing other like-sounding medications.
Pill manufacturers are concerned that changing the names of drugs could damage sales, but that concern pales in comparison with the consequences of a patient taking the wrong medicine.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
