#5SmartReads - January 10, 2023

India’s lax oversight of pharmaceutical manufacturing imperils health around the world (STAT)

The lack of standardization among drug regulatory authorities (especially in the emerging markets) is something that very much keeps me up at night.

And while I think it’s very important to highlight that there are some incredible Indian manufacturers that produce safe, effective medications at the highest quality and safety standards, there are also plenty of manufacturers focused on the lesser regulated markets that take advantage of these minimal requirements - and some people are dying because of it.

This interview with Dinesh Thakur and Prashant Reddy Thikkavarapu (the former was a whistleblower that brought Ranbaxy’s fraud to light) is a very important one (and I definitely recommend Bottle of Lies, a book that unpacks the Ranbaxy fraud with strong reporting).

I have a lot of thoughts about this topic (you can listen to them on this episode of The Heart of Healthcare podcast). Change won’t happen without public awareness, and I know many of you have family all over the world that could be affected by this.

This is not an Indian issue or a life sciences industry issue - it’s very much a global one. This interview is worth your time, and I’ve also ordered a copy of Thakur and Thikkavarapu’s book to learn more about this issue.

How the 20-20-20 Rule Can Help Ease Digital Eye Strain (Health)

When we think of health, eye health likely is not the first thing to come to mind. For many folks, it likely doesn’t break the top 5 health areas they focus on.

But given how many hours we spend staring at screens, it is something we should pay some attention to. Do your eyes feel this way after a long day?

If you do, let me introduce you to the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break to look at something 20 feet away).

Did I download the recommended Eye Care 20 20 20 app to help establish this habit? Most definitely. It also fits neatly with the Pomodoro method, and I set my Forest timer for a 20 minute work session to complement this habit.

Here’s hoping the 20-20-20 rule is the linchpin habit for eye health, and helps remind me to put on my glasses earlier in the day and use eyedrops more often (as my ophthalmologist has been urging me to do for the past 7 years).

Bolsonaro backers ransack Brazil presidential palace, Congress, Supreme Court (Reuters)

Insurrections becoming a norm is not something I hoped would happen, but we have our second in 2 years.

In Brazil, thousands of supporters of the former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded the country’s presidential palace, Supreme Court, and Congress this past Sunday. Authorities regained control of these buildings after a few hours, but the chatter on social media about the planned demonstrations didn’t seem to translate to increasing security forces - something that could be said of the January 6th insurrection as well.

Both democracy’s greatest strength and weakness is that it is based on the will of the people. But what happens when a vocal base is mobilized by simplistic, oft-repeated messaging rooted in disinformation from a charismatic messenger.

Insurrections, apparently, are what happen.

This Is What Experts Say Happens To Our Brains After Taking On Marathon Meetings (Essence)

We all have our icks. Mine are misinformation peddlers, the Dallas Cowboys, people who claim Del Taco is better than Taco Bell, and unnecessary meetings.

One of the most powerful management lessons I learned from my father and Joe (my boss at SciDose) is to hire self-motivated folks, establish regular check-ins based on how they work best, and meet only when you need to.

This is how I’ve been working for the past 14 years, before I ever heard of the term “asynchronous work” and well before remote work was a mainstream term.

This just didn’t work at SciDose (and now Rhoshan Pharma). A larger report published last year showed that when meetings were reduced by almost half, employee productivity more than doubled, as did satisfaction.

Now I recognize I’m in a privileged position, but I do have a few tips to offer to minimize your own meetings and to take better breaks:

• If you’re the meeting host, circulate an agenda and list the key decisions that need to be made in that meeting at the top. Include any briefing materials and communicate clearly that the meeting will be focused on observations, analysis, and decisions to be made. Circulate detailed meeting minutes (with the action items & deadlines on top) shortly after every meeting, and touch base with the action item holders on the deadline, and only convene follow-up meetings when necessary.

• If you’re invited to a meeting that you don’t view as valuable, email the host and ask what the objective of the meeting is so you can understand how your participation would be valuable. Most of the time, we invite our colleagues as a formality or to keep them in the loop. If this is the reason you’re invited, politely decline but ask that you’re CC’ed on the meeting minutes so you can stay in the loop while protecting your time.

• Something I learned while writing We’re Speaking was how to take better breaks. When I’m in the midst of a creating task (writing, editing videos, putting together decks, etc), taking a creative break (coloring, stitching a small section of a needlepoint project or a row in a crochet project) helps me stay in that mode. When I’m in a consumption task (research), my breaks are closing my eyes for 5 minutes and listening to my current audiobook. When I’m doing administrative work, my break task will be a quick chore - loading the dishwasher, organizing a desk drawer, or finally putting away laundry).

Got any advice on better managing meetings or taking better breaks? Share them in the comments:

Virginia is getting ready for flying cars (Axios Richmond)

As a child of the Jetsons and Back To The Future generation:

Of course the car - a single passenger aircraft that can take off and land on a driveway) is called the Jetson One. And with delivery of the first vehicle scheduled for late 2023, regulations are needed for to keep everyone safe.

Pending safety inspections and establishing strong standards, the Jetson One will be the first - but not the last - flying car.

I wouldn’t say no to an crosstown flying bus in uptown Manhattan…