News summary

Pharmacists tackle teenage pregnancy PHARMACISTS in East Kent are tackling the problem of teenage pregnancy through the introduction of a patient group direction to supply emergency hormonal contraception. Under the PGD, launched on 2 July, women aged below 20 years can obtain Levonelle-2 free from designated pharmacies...[more]

Too early to say if loss of RPM has affected sales of pharmacies IT IS too early to say if the loss of resale price maintenance has led to more independent community pharmacists offering their businesses for sale, according to industry figures contacted by The Journal this week...[more]

New OTC fertility tests in development NEW “his and her” fertility tests should be on sale in the United Kingdom next year. The test kit, known as Fertell, has been developed by researchers from the University of Birmingham and medical devices company Genosis...[more]

Harmful effects raise concerns over long-term use of nicotine therapy, but not short-course replacement HARMFUL effects of nicotine, in the absence of tobacco, have been demonstrated in a study published in Nature Medicine this week (2001;7:833). However, the relevance of the work to smokers using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to help them stop has been questioned...[more]

High-dose statin temporarily withdrawn Marketing and distribution of the 800µg dose of cerivastatin (Lipobay) has been suspended in the United Kingdom. The drug’s manufacturer, Bayer, says that the move is temporary and that its licence remains active...[more]

GEHE to build one-stop health centres that include pharmacies GEHE UK Plc, the parent company of Lloydspharmacy and AAH Pharmaceuticals, is to build health centres that bring together GP surgeries, pharmacies and other health and community facilities...[more]

Superdrug sold to Dutch store chain SUPERDRUG, the health, beauty and pharmacy chain, has been sold by Kingfisher Plc to Kruidvat Beheer BV, a Dutch drug store chain for £280m in cash...[more]

Criminal Records Bureau sets up employee checks EMPLOYERS in England and Wales will soon be able to check the criminal records of pharmacists through a new one-stop disclosure service that will be offered by the Criminal Records Bureau...[more]

GMC gets charitable status after 70 years CHARITABLE status has been granted to the General Medical Council after a 70-year battle...[more]

New concept in primary care pharmacy could be model for future practice A CONCEPT pharmacy that aims to deliver “a complete, community-based pharmaceutical service for patients, commissioners of health care and health professionals” was officially opened by Lord Hunt, parliamentary under-secretary of state for health, on 29 June...[more]

Guidance on consent sent out in England PHARMACISTS in England are being sent a 12-point guidance document on how to obtain consent for treatment...[more]

New directive for clinical research will have huge impact on pharmacists SIGNIFICANT changes to the way clinical trials are conducted will come in the wake of the publication of the European directive on clinical trials...[more]

Statins’ anti-inflammatory properties confirmed STATINS reduce C-reactive protein (CRP), a measure of inflammation and a predictor of cardiovascular risk, independently of reductions in low-density lipoprotein, the findings of the PRINCE study have confirmed...[more]

New plans for kidneys, cancer and heart disease STRATEGIES for tackling cancer in Scotland and heart disease in Wales were launched on 3 July. At the same time a task group, which may include a pharmacist, was set up in England to develop a new national service framework for kidney patients...[more]

Good service award made to Yorkshire pharmacy VICE-PRESIDENT of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Dr Gillian Hawksworth, and the staff of her pharmacy, have won a National Health Service champion of the year award for the good service they provide to the local community...[more]

NPA opposes open display of P medicines OPPOSITION to the open display of pharmacy medicines for self-selection has come from the board of the National Pharmaceutical Association. The board considers this development not to be in the best interests of either patients or pharmacists...[more]

New erection drug acts centrally A first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction that acts centrally on the brain has been launched by Abbott Laboratories. Uprima, a sublingual formulation of apomorphine hydrochloride, dissolves within 10 minutes...[more]

Mixed results for cannabis in pain and nausea therapy Cannabinoids might be useful for controlling chemotherapy induced sickness, but serious side affects are likely to limit their use, say researchers in this week’s BMJ...[more]


NEWS IN BRIEF

EMEA approves Foscan FOSCAN, Scotia Holdings Plc’s photodynamic therapy product for head and neck cancers, was approved by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency at a two-day hearing ending on 28 June.

The EMEA’s initial decision in January not to approve Foscan resulted in Scotia’s directors putting the company into voluntary administration (PJ, 3 February, p143). The decision increases the chances that Scotia will be successfully sold by administrator, Ernst & Young.