The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7269
4 October 2003

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Leading Articles PDF (55K)   436

Faking it 436
Text  
Counterfeit medicines present a huge problem to the pharmaceutical industry, governments and patients worldwide, and some of the issues were covered at sessions at both the British Pharmaceutical Conference and the World Congress of Pharmacy

Don't sob over your SOPs 436
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With only just over a year to go until SOP-day (1 January 2005), when all dispensaries must have standard operating procedures in place, the National Pharmaceutical Association, along with a number of other organisations, has produced a package to help its members write their own SOPs


News & Features   437-444

News summary 437-441
Text   PDF (370K)

An insider's view of the supplementary prescribing course for pharmacists 442
This week, the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen held its first one-week residential course that forms part of its supplementary prescribing course. Clare Bellingham spoke to two pharmacists on the course
Text   PDF (65K)

Writing SOPs: where should you start? 443-444
From 1 January 2005, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society will require pharmacies to have written standard operating procedures covering the dispensing process. Jonathan Buisson looks at how to get started on writing SOPs and what help is available
Text   PDF (110K)


Products PDF (75K)   445

• Products Text 445
• Announcements Text 445

• Drug tariff updates Text
• Recalls: Zopiclone 7.5mg tablets Text 445


Letters PDF (100K)   446-449

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Prescription charges / Community pharmacy / Medical research / Remuneration / Advertising / Primary care / Fluoridation / The Society


Continuing Professional Development (CPD)   450-452
Recent articles

How to deal with abuse at work  450-452
PDF (90K)
By Ruth McGuire, BSc
Any service that involves contact with the public presents some element of risk to employees and according to the British Crime Survey there are around 1.3 million incidents of work-related violence a year. This article looks at what pharmacy managers can do to ensure a safe working environment for their staff


British Pharmaceutical Conference   453-462

Counterfeiting 453-454
Text   PDF (100K)
Our coverage of the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Harrogate resumes with details of efforts to reduce the amount of counterfeit medicines circulating around the world, described at a session on 16 September. Christine Clark reports

Innovation and delivery in cancer care 455
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In this year's Conference symposium Karol Sikora, visiting professor of cancer medicine at Imperial College, London, gave his view of how cancer services might look over the coming decades. Harriet Adcock reports his predictions for pharmacy involvment in cancer care

Cancer care: Policies and practice 456
Text   PDF (75K)
The risks associated with oral chemotherapy was one of the topics discussed at the policies and practice cancer care session. Harriet Adcock reports the main themes

Practice symposium: Tomorrow’s world 457
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Chronic disease management, patient choice and special interest practitioners were among the topics discussed at a practice symposium on delivering care for, and with, patients. Harriet Adcock reports

Plants and psychopharmacology 458-459
Text   PDF (70K)
The Pharmacognosy Focus Group of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences hosted a symposium on "Plants and psychopharmacology" on 16 September. The session, chaired by Professor Peter Houghton of the pharmacognosy research group, King's College London, included presentations on both preclinical and clinical research

Public health 460
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The growing inequalities in the benefits derived from health care between social classes, and the differing approaches to dealing with public health throughout the United Kingdom were among the topics discussed at sessions on 17 September. Gareth Jones, editor of Hospital Pharmacist, reports

Pharmacy law and ethics 461-462
Text   PDF (80K)
This year’s Pharmacy Law and Ethics Association session, held on 17 September, focused on the delivery of mental health care. The session was well attended, with a strong presence of pharmacists working in the prison service and in nursing homes, as well as those working in National Health Service. Lin-Nam Wang reports

Drug delivery 462
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Delivering drugs via the inhalation route was among the topics covered at drug delivery sessions in honour of Professor Bob Davis on September 15. Gareth Jones, editor of Hospital Pharmacist, reports


Articles   463-464

Consent and decision making for patients who lack capacity: what should pharmacists know? 463-464
PDF (110K)
By Joy Wingfield, LLM, FRPharmS
This article looks at how the Mental Incapacity Bill might affect people who are not competent to consent to or refuse treatment or care


Meetings and Conferences   465-473
Reports page

World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences 465-472
PDF (170K)
We conclude our coverage of the International Pharmaceutical Federation congress in Sydney with reports on counterfeiting, concordance, ethical decision-making, hospital pharmacy and issues surrounding oral drug delivery

UniChem convention 473
Text   PDF (70K)
UniChem’s 2003 convention was held in Dubai from 26 September to 3 October. The convention was attended by more than 300 participants and the theme was “Perception is reality”. This week’s coverage examines how pharmacists and general practitioners can work more closely together. Dawn Connelly reports


Onlooker PDF (80K)   474

Bigger, not better There is an interesting discussion by Jared Diamond of Los Angeles in Nature for 21 August on the state of mind of some of the great ones of the earth when they marked their passage through history by building impressive monuments Text

Change of diet It appears from investigations carried out by Michael Richards of Bradford University and collaborators that at the onset of the Neolithic period in Britain some 5,000 years ago fishing as the main method of food seeking gave way abruptly to farming and the consumption of cultivated crops Text

Eat less, live longer It is known that reducing food intake increases the lifespan of many animal species. It is also recognised that there is no popular appeal in the suggestion that people might win an improved span, not only in quantity but in quality, if they ate less Text

Path to tranquillity And yet it is always conducive to tranquility of mind... Text


The Society PDF (170K)   475-478

News
• Media interest in BPC practice research Text 475
• Society's e-mail service for Scottish Parliament Text 475
• Welsh Executive briefs LHB pharmacists Text 475
• Leaflets available for “Ask about medicines” week Text 476

Medicines, ethics and practice
October cumulative list of amendments Text 476

Law and Ethics Bulletin 2001 to present
Changes to aspirin labelling and leaflets: transitional period for 75mg products Text 477

Obituaries & tributes Text 477

Official notices 2001 to present


Diary Text

• Branch meetings 477
• Society meetings 477
• Future events 445
• Conferences
• Reunions 445

Front Cover Picture
Our front cover picture draws attention to items this week about counterfeit medicines. Reports from the British Pharmaceutical Conference and the World Congress of Pharmacy highlight efforts being made to reduce the amount of counterfeit medicines in circulation in the world.
See also Leading article

Supplementary prescribing
A group of pharmacists in Scotland have attended a residential course at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen which will help them to become supplementary prescribers
See also News feature

Writing standard operating procedures
How to write standard operating procedures for the dispensing process is covered in a news feature this week

Allies in concordance
In the week before publication of our special theme issue on concordance on 11 October, we report from a workshop at the recent World Congress of Pharmacy in Sydney, Australia, during which participants discussed how pharmacists and the industry might become allies in concordance (p467).

Recalled products
Various batches of zopiclone 7.5mg tablets are being recalled by PLIVA Pharma because of concerns about compliance with the registered shelf-life of the products