The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 265 No 7116 p483
September 30, 2000 Letters

Inhalers

Dr C. S. DE WET (medical director, Boehringer Ingelheim) replies:

Dr C. S. DE WET (medical director, Boehringer Ingelheim)

With reference to the letter from Mr Bland, I would like to confirm that we indeed endeavoured to inform all health professionals about the pending withdrawal of Alupent and Berotec MDIs. To this extent I would like to reconfirm the actions listed in my reply of September 2.
Six months prior to discontinuation, letters were sent to:

• All general medical practices (addressed to practice manager or senior partner)
• Practice nurses running asthma clinics
• Community and hospital pharmacists
• Hospital doctors with a specialty in respiratory medicine
• Respiratory specialist nurses
• Primary care groups (including PCG chairmen, GP members, chief executives, prescribing leads and commissioning leads plus the Scottish and Welsh equivalents)
• Health authorities (pharmaceutical advisers, medical advisers and directors of public health)

These letters will be followed up by a second mailing to all the parties mentioned three months prior to discontinuation as well as by a notice in The Pharmaceutical Journal one month prior to discontinuation.
As a result of Mr Bland’s inquiry to the PJ we have also published an announcement on the products page of The Pharmaceutical Journal of August 12.
Each of these mailings involves approximately 40,000 letters which are sent out by a professional mailing company contracted by us for this purpose. It is our intention that these mailing lists are as complete and current as possible. We have managed to contact Mr Bland and have sent him an individual mailing with regard to the discontinuation of Alupent and Berotec CFC MDIs.