The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 pp721-756 No 7431
16 December 2006

Jobs and Classified advertising

Leading Article   722

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Putting the house in order 722
When the battle between the modernisers and the traditionalists over the future of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society was at its height a few years ago, the then Council was berated for taking notice of what the Government wanted for the Society and for failing to stand up to the mandarins in Richmond House (the home of the Department of Health)
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News & Features   723-730

News summary, including R&D  723-729
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Headlines   PDF (270K)

Lead stories
-Independent review to clarify Society's future role
-Society seeks to decriminalise single dispensing and labelling errors
-Quality of pharmacy CPD challenged at APPG inquiry
-Other companies consider distribution shake-up
-NICE guidance must not stifle innovation, says NPA
-Scotland rejects drugs for multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and adrenocortical carcinoma

-Pharmacists win share of £18.5m project funding
-"Molecular condom" tested as preventive measure against HIV

TGN1412: lessons learnt the hard way 730
Last week the expert scientific group on phase I clinical trials — established in the wake of the TGN1412 disaster involving trial volunteers at Northwick Park — published its final report. Tom Moberly looks at its recommendations and their implications for the future of phase I clinical trials
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Products   731

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Products   731
-Prescription products
-Counter products
-Products miscellany
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Announcements   731
-Conference abstracts
-Symposium abstracts
-Welsh Executive
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Drug tariff updates   731
-England and Wales
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Broad Spectrum   732

Medicines use review: would calling it a medicines check-up make more sense? 732
By Parastou Donyai and Melandi van den Berg
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Letters   733-736

-The Society
-The profession
-Methadone dispensing
-CD prescribing
-Dispensing
-Dress codes
-Pharmacy services
-Work breaks
-Pharmacy in Spain
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Original papers   737-739

Optimising medical treatment — how pharmacist-acquired medication histories have a positive impact on patient care 737-739
By Ann Slee, Keith Farrar, Don Hughes and Simon Constable
Aim — To identify whether a proactive clinical pharmacy review of a patient's treatment at the point of admission could potentially avoid adverse events
PJ   2006;277:737-739
Abstract   PDF (70K)

Articles   740-747

Nutraceuticals for healthy joints 740-746
A wide variety of nutraceuticals have been claimed to be of benefit in joint disease, particularly in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In this article, Helen Ramsbottom and Brian Lockwood review the relevant literature
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Summary   PDF (200K)

Pharmacy education in the UK needs an overhaul 747
In this article, Alan Nathan explains why fundamental changes to pharmacy education are needed
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Onlooker   748

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Providing help for victims of dementia 748
Medicines for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease are restricted in accordance with recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), but the decision has been challenged in the High Court
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Mystery of the sinister-looking cherry tree 748
The bird cherry (Prunus padus) is a common sight in woodlands, in hedges and beside streams in parts of Britain — from the Welsh marches up into Scotland. In May or thereabouts it flaunts its drooping spikes of white flowers but, with the approach of autumn, it sometimes presents a fantastic sight, appearing almost leafless but heavily festooned with a fine network structure that gives it an arresting and vaguely sinister appearance
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How to boost your memory while you are fast asleep 748
A commentary in the 9 November issue of Nature offers some fascinating aspects of sleep and its potential for improving memory. One function of sleep may be the consolidation of memories, for it is known that certain tasks learned before a brief nap are better remembered than when there is no interval of this nature
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Did earthly life originate in the ocean's depths? 748
Experts in France and Germany have suggested that earthly life probably originated in the depths of the ocean. A note on this supposition appears in the November issue of Chemistry World
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December Council meeting
Council meeting reports

December Council meeting: attendance and guests 749
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Council to commission review of Society's future structure 749
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Council members praise Society's integrated role but accept need to consider a clearer separation 750-752
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Council seeks decriminalisation of dispensing errors 753
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Council objects to Society having to notify employers about fitness-to-practise referrals 753
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Retiring Council members 753
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New Council members 753
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SOCIETY NEWS

Support staff advisory group members sought 754
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Dispensing of CD instalments due on holidays 754
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New museum displays at Society's HQ 754
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Five receive research awards totalling £50K 754
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New address and contact details for Welsh Executive 754
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Obituaries & tributes 755-756

Obituaries
-Agnew
-Aveson
-Brooks
-Davies
-Iles
-Jennings
-Kendall
-Parkinson
-Powell
-Procter
-Roebuck
-Seal
-Smith
-Vaudrey
-Wilson
-Wood
-Wright

Tributes
-Davies
-Roebuck

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Diary
Diary / Health events

Society meetings 755
-Residential course: Stability testing of pharmaceuticals (19-21 February 2007)
-Residential course: Pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic data analysis (20-24 May 2007)
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Future events 731
-DURG (18 January 2007)
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Resources 731
-Diabetes support
-Stroke
-EudraPharm database
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