News summary
R & D News
in brief
OFT to investigate control of entry The
Office of Fair Trading is to examine the control of entry regulations,
which govern how National Health Service dispensing contracts are granted,
as part of a review of the whole market for pharmacy services, the director
general of fair trading, John Vickers, announced on 3 October...[more]
Boots tackles causes of dispensing errors
Boots The Chemists has launched an initiative aiming to analyse and eliminate
risks from dispensing...[more]
Boots to start ETP trial next month Boots
The Chemists says that it will start its electronic transfer of prescriptions
trial in Peterborough in November 2001...[more]
Scots gain small dispensing fee rise Scottish
pharmacy contractors are to receive a small increase in the standard dispensing
fee, which will rise by 0.1p to 94.6p per item, following agreement on
remuneration for 2001–02 between the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council
and the Scottish Executive Health Department...[more]
Concern over traditional Chinese medicines Consultation
has begun on a proposal to extend the list of potent or toxic ingredients
which are not permitted in unlicensed herbal medicines...[more]
Prescription charges discussed at Labour conference
Pharmacy bodies hosted a fringe meeting at which prescription
charges were discussed during the Labour party conference in Brighton
this week...[more]
Welsh penalty charges introduced Penalty
charges for people in Wales who fraudulently claim exemption from prescription
charges are to be introduced on 1 November 2001...[more]
IPMI fellowship portfolio launched The
Institute of Pharmacy Management International has launched a portfolio
that will allow its members to achieve fellowship status through a postgraduate
qualification accredited by the University of Portsmouth...[more]
Benefits reported for formoterol over ipratropium
in COPD The long acting beta2-agonist formoterol
is more effective than ipratropium in the treatment of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), a head-to-head study has shown...[more]
Bronchodilators slow down COPD Long-acting
bronchodilators might slow down, and even temporarily reverse, the effects
of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new study results...[more]
Levocetirizine launched by UCB Levocetirizine
(Xyzal), a new antihistamine, has been launched by UCB Pharma. Levocetirizine
is the active isomer of cetirizine (Zirtek)...[more]
Inhaled glucocorticoids cause bone loss Inhaled
glucocorticoid therapy leads to a dose-related loss of bone at the hip,
American researchers reveal...[more]
Adrenal insufficiency caused by inhaled corticosteroids
Health professionals should be vigilant about the possibility
of adrenal insufficiency occurring in patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids,
experts say. In addition, attempts should be made to reduce doses of inhaled
steroids in patients with well-controlled asthma...[more]
Pamidronate prevents cancer treatment bone loss
Pamidronate prevents bone loss in men receiving treatment for
prostate cancer, researchers say...[more]
Huntingdon MD wins industry award Brian
Cass, chief operating officer and managing director of Huntingdon Life
Sciences, has won the Pharmaceutical Times industry award for outstanding
achievement 2001...[more]
Progress made on pharmacist prescribing, says
President Progress is being made on the development of pharmacist
prescribing, the President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (Marshall
Davies) says in a letter to the chairman of the Young Pharmacists Group
(Alastair Buxton)...[more]
Welsh Assembly consults on clinical governance
A strategy for developing a consistent approach to improving
quality across the National Health Service in Wales was issued for consultation
on 1 October...[more]
CPP faculty of medicines management’s agenda
The College of Pharmacy Practice’s faculty of prescribing
and medicines management (FPMM) has set out a plan of work, following
its first board meeting on 14 September...[more]
Call for pharmacists to join the British Travel
Health Association The last decade has seen an enormous growth
in travel abroad by people living in the United Kingdom, and the destinations
to which UK travellers go have become ever more exotic...[more]
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Inhibitor of anthrax toxin tested
A synthetic peptide inhibitor of anthrax toxin has been designed
and tested by a team of American researchers...[more]
New class of monoclonal antibody for MS
Natalizumab (Antegren), a humanised monoclonal antibody, has
been shown to be effective in treating multiple sclerosis, according to
the results of a phase II trial...[more]
Nicotine addiction vaccine enters trials A
vaccine to treat nicotine addiction has entered phase I clinical trials...[more]
Acacia extract might have anticancer properties
Avicins, a family of triterpenoid saponins, extracted from
Australian Acacia victoriae trees, grown in Tuscon, Arizona, may
have anticarcinogenic properties, new research suggests...[more]
Cannabinoid may protect brain after injury Arachidonoyl
glycerol (2-AG), an endogenous cannabinoid, might protect the brain after
head injury, a new study shows...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
NRT to be trialled in under 16s Smokers
aged as young as 12 years are to be offered nicotine replacement therapy
as part of a trial supported by the Cancer Research Campaign.
Professor John Britton, department of respiratory medicine, University
of Nottingham, will work with counsellors and project workers at The Zone,
a voluntary sector youth project based in Nottingham, to examine whether
NRT can be effective in helping teenagers stop smoking. The researchers
aim to find out more about the smoking habits of the young people who
attend The Zone and those teenagers who want to stop smoking will, if
appropriate, be offered NRT.
IV montelukast being developed An
intravenous formulation of the leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast
improves lung function after acute asthma attacks, a study has shown.
Researchers gave patients with acute, severe asthma either 7mg or 14mg
IV montelukast or placebo after standard therapy for acute asthma. They
found that the patients who received IV montelukast had an improvement
in pulmonary function compared with the placebo group (P<0.01 for
both doses of montelukast). The results of the phase II study were presented
at the 11th European Respiratory Society Congress in Berlin last week.
Large LDL particles and CHD risk Large
low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size is a risk factor for coronary
heart disease, and not small LDL as has previously been suggested, American
researchers say. However, identifying patients on the basis of LDL size
may not be clinically necessary. Pravastatin treatment, given to reduce
elevated LDL levels, reduces the concentration of larger LDL particles
already, effectively treating any risk associated with large LDL (JAMA
2001;286:1468).
Euro note warning The Forum of Private
Business is warning small companies in the United Kingdom to prepare for
the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2002.
It says that businesses should be aware of the denominations of notes
that will be in circulation. These will be 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and
500 euros, valued from approximately £3.10 to £310.
Businesses should also be aware that all the currencies switching to the
euro will cease to be legal tender by the end of February 2002, and contracts
must be phrased to take account of this.
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