News summary
Society wins preregistration
appeal The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has successfully defended
in the Court of Appeal its power to restrict the number of attempts preregistration
trainees can make to pass the registration examination...[more]
NICE launches guidance on COX-2 selective inhibitors
The cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitors celecoxib
(Celebrex), etodolac (Lodine SR), rofecoxib (Vioxx) and meloxicam (Mobic)
should only be used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis
who are at high risk of developing serious gastrointestinal (GI) problems,
says the National Institute for Clinical Excellence...[more]
NICE to look at cancer, depression and diabetes
in new work list New medicines to treat colorectal cancer and
breast cancer, manic depressions and treatments for diabetes and kidney
disease patients are to be considered by the National Institute for Clinical
Excellence...[more]
Performance indicators can help assess pharmaceutical
care Delivery of pharmaceutical care can be monitored using
practical, patient-centred performance indicators, say researchers...[more]
Three new products set to become pharmacy only
medicines The latest round of proposed reclassifications from
POM to P will add new treatments to the pharmacists’ armamentarium
of products with which to treat diarrhoea, sore throat and fungal skin
infections...[more]
Self-treatment of UTIs safe and feasible Self-diagnosis
and self-treatment with antimicrobials of urinary tract infection (UTI)
in women with recurrent infections is safe and feasible, researchers have
found...[more]
£47.5m for sexual health strategy The
first national strategy for sexual health and HIV services in England
was published last week by the Department of Health, and is backed by
an investment of £47.5m. One of its aims is to reduce unintended
pregnancy rates...[more]
NHS Direct good but not perfect say researchers
NHS Direct is good but it is not perfect, researchers from
Sheffield University say in their third report on the development of the
telephone information service...[more]
NPA BOARD: NPA disagrees with P-to-GSL switches
/ EC recognition / Exclusive marketing Members of the National
Pharmaceutical Association’s board of management have disagreed with
the view of the Committee on Safety of Medicines that a number of medicines
can safely be sold from supermarkets and other non-pharmacy outlets...[more]
Irish crackdown on illegal medicines Extra
enforcement officers are being recruited by the Medicines Board in the
Irish Republic in a crackdown on those peddling illegal, and often dangerous,
health-related products to the public...[more]
European e-pharmacy guidelines published Guidelines
for the provision of online pharmacy services have been produced by the
Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU). They are intended to
be used by national authorities for the development of national codes
of conduct for internet pharmacy...[more]
Superdrug abandons web sales Superdrug
has closed its internet pharmacy operation (www.superdrug.com). The site
stopped trading on 25 July...[more]
New group formed across Pennines Peak
Pharmacy, which owns 32 pharmacies in Sheffield, Chesterfield and Staffordshire,
merged with Tims & Parker, which owns 30 pharmacies in Manchester,
on 1 August...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
The College of Pharmacy Practice has announced the members of the board
for its new faculty of prescribing and medicines management. The elected
members are are Joe Asghar, Peter Burrill, Anne Coppel, Clive Jackson,
Christine Macrae and Richard Seal.
The faculty of prescribing and medicines management was launched
on 15 March as part of a restructuring of the college’s activities
(PJ, 24 March).
New leukaemia treatment launched Alemtuzumab
(MabCampath), a monoclonal antibody that targets lymphocytes, has been
launched in the United Kingdom by Schering Health Care.
The drug is licensed for the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
which has progressed despite treatment with alkylating agents and fludarabine.
Alemtuzumab works by binding to the CD52+ antigen that appears on the
surface of both normal and malignant B-lymphocytes. The resulting CD52-
antibody complex signals other immune cells to destroy the tagged cell.
It is recommended that a gradual dose escalation of alemtuzumab is used
to reach a dosage regimen of 30mg, given as a two- hour intravenous infusion
three times a week for up to 12 weeks (see products
page).
Infliximab use in Behçet’s disease
Infliximab, the monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis and Crohn’s disease has been shown to prevent patients
with Behçet’s disease from losing their sight. Behçet’s
disease leads to uncontrolled inflammatory reactions in many different
sites of the body, including the eyes. Researchers from Greece treated
five patients with a single intravenous infusion of 5mg/kg infliximab.
Ocular inflammation was reversed within 24 hours, and complete suppression
of symptoms was seen seven days after treatment. No side effects were
noted. (Lancet 2001;358:295.)
Faulding takeover Australian injectables
manufacturer F. H. Faulding & Co Ltd (trading as Faulding Pharmaceuticals
in the United Kingdom) is being taken over by Mayne Nickless Ltd.
RPM boosts sales at Boots Sales of
non-prescription medicines and vitamins at Boots The Chemists Ltd rose
by 5 per cent in the three months to June 2001 compared with the previous
year. The company said sales volumes benefited from the initial effects
of the abolition of resale price maintenance on 15 May. Total sales at
Boots The Chemists were up 2.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis.
GSK research deal GlaxoSmithKline
Plc has set up a joint venture with Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi
& Co Ltd to develop and market new antiviral and central nervous system
drugs. GSK has stopped work on tranilast for restenosis, after disappointing
phase III trial results.
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