If only syphilis was really this cute! Win a dose in time for Christmas

Was Rudolf’s red nose caused by the common cold? Did ‘Mommy’ contract Epstein–Barr virus from kissing Santa Claus? Did Frosty the Snowman harbour cholera?

From such questions it would seem Christmas and disease go hand-in-hand and while we at in-Pharmatechnologist, Outsourcing-Pharma and Biopharma-Reporter wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season, we want to give you a variety of festive viruses courtesy of our friends at Giantmicrobes.com.

We have cute and cuddly versions of some of your favourite microorganisms to dish out, including the pox, the common cold and cancer. If only such diseases were this adorable in real life we’d all be nurturing them rather than developing drugs to destroy them!

Simply estimate how many drugs have been prescribed so far in 2014 in the North Pole.

OK, to give you a hand, we’re talking about the town of North Pole, Alaska. With its Christmas-themed attractions including Santa Claus’ house, the town attracts tourists galore on top of the 2,210 permanent residents.

So according to Richard Holm, Manager of North Pole Prescription Lab and Compounding Pharmacy, how many subscriptions have been filled this year? Submit your answer below and the entrants closest to the correct figure will be alerted by email.

NOTE - THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Terms and Conditions

1. By entering the Promotion, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

2. Entries close on Sunday 14 December. Winners will be notified the following week. The prize is not exchangeable for cash.

3. By entering this competition you agree to receive the electronic newsletter (Web Savvy) which you can unsubscribe from at any time.

4. Employees of William Reed Business Media, its advertising and promotional agencies and their immediate families are able to enter but ineligible to win.

5. The winners will be the three closest to the total, as told to this publication by North Pole Prescription Lab. In the case of identical answers, there will be a random draw. If any winner does not send us a mailing address by email within 2 weeks of original notification by email, the Promoter reserves the right to redraw the prize. In all cases the Promoter’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

6. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the validity of any entry. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entrant for submitting inappropriate or offensive material, or for tampering with the entry process or attempting to act in a fraudulent or otherwise dishonest manner.

7. Winners will be notified by email to the email address supplied when completing the online entry. This notification will include information on how a prize may be claimed.