Pharmacists are being prevented from using a Zyban (bupropion) website to find out what information they should give to patients using the drug to help them stop smoking.
The medical information website (www.zyban.co.uk) is only available to doctors, who must enter their General Medical Council number in order to can gain access to the site - there is no provision for using a Royal Pharmaceutical Society registration number.
A reader made The Journal aware of the issue, saying that comprehensive information on the product was available to anyone on the US site (www.zyban.com). However, much of this information was only relevant to use of the product in the US.
When asked on July 12 why the site was exclusive to doctors, a spokeswoman for Glaxo Wellcome said that the UK site was still quite new.
The company hoped to give pharmacists access to the information on the site within two months and was setting up a system, similar to that used for GMC numbers, which could verify Society registration numbers and names.
Verification was important, she said, as the company was anxious to remain within the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's code of practice, which prevented advertising of prescription-only products to the general public.