News summary
Managing medicines (conference) /
News in brief
Competition Commission to examine animal medicines
A Competition Commission inquiry into the distribution of veterinary
medicines has been ordered by the director-general of fair trading, Sir
John Vickers...[more]
Scottish pharmacists astonished by OFT
Representatives of community pharmacists throughout Scotland are astonished
by the announcement of the Office of Fair Trading’s inquiry into
the provision of pharmacy services, according to the Scottish Pharmaceutical
Federation...[more]
£165,000 to see if prescription charge
deters patients Research to find out if prescription charges
are a barrier to meeting primary health care goals is to be paid for by
under the National Primary Care Award Scheme...[more]
Boots denies rumours of hospital drug procurement
take-over Boots the Chemists has denied that it is in talks
with the Government about taking over drug procurement services in hospitals...[more]
No good evidence for popular PMS treatments There
is no convincing evidence to support the use of progesterone or progestogens
for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), despite the continued
popularity of these therapies, say researchers...[more]
Call for conventional licensing of herbal remedy
Pharmacists at the Maudsley Hospital, London have suggested
that St John’s Wort should be licensed so that doctors are able to
prescribe it for the treatment of depression...[more]
New NRT lozenge A new oral form of
nicotine replacement therapy, NiQuitin CQ lozenge, has been launched by
GlaxoSmithKline...[more]
Latest reports of adverse events associated with
amfebutamone A safety update for amfebutamone (bupropion, Zyban),
which gives details of suspected adverse events associated with the drug,
has been issued by the Medicines Control Agency...[more]
Health authorities given seed money for LPS pilots
Health authorities in England have been sent a minimum of £2,000
each to help them get started on the development of local pharmaceutical
services (LPSs)...[more]
Esomeprazole more effective than lansoprazole
in erosive oesophagitis Esomeprazole (Nexium) is more effective
than lansoprazole at healing erosive oesophagitis, a new study shows...[more]
Breath-actuated inhaler improves asthma control
Patients using a breath-actuated inhaler have better control
of their asthma than those using a traditional metered-dose inhaler (MDI),
new research shows...[more]
Older people with depression or dementia need
pharmacists’ support A need for pharmacists to provide
more support for older people with mental health problems has been identified...[more]
Pharmacies to supply gluten-free foods at no
charge Community pharmacies in England are to be required to
supply gluten-free foods on the National Health Service to eligible patients
without prescriptions if a Department of Health proposal is accepted...[more]
Women tackle tricky pharmacy situations more
often Women pharmacists are more likely to intervene than men
when they suspect a customer is misusing over-the-counter (OTC) medicines,
a study suggests...[more]
Curtain goes up at Nottingham school The
refurbished pharmacy school at the University of Nottingham was officially
opened by Marshall Davies, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society...[more]
Analysts expect more serious medication errors
Systems analysts who have studied the drug distribution system
used in National Health Service hospitals have expressed surprise that
serious medication errors are not more common...[more]
Ramipril reverses left ventricular hypertrophy
The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril
prevents and gradually reverses left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), according
to results from a sub-study of the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation
(HOPE) trial...[more]
Pharmacists could prevent more drug interactions
American researchers have identified pharmacists as an underused
intervention point for preventing adverse drug interactions...[more]
MANAGING MEDICINES (Conference)
The following items are from sessions at the “Managing medicines
thru’ pharmaceutical care” conference which took place in Birmingham
from 5–8 October 2001. Sessions were organised by the Young Pharmacists
Group, the British Pharmaceutical Students Association, the Institute
of Pharmacy Management International, the Primary Care Pharmacists Association
and the Fourth International Symposium on Innovation in Pharmaceutical
Care.
A full report on the conference will appear in the October 20 issue.
Community pharmacy must fight for its future
Community pharmacy must fight for its future if that future
is to be healthy, according to Sue Sharpe, chief executive, Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee. It cannot rely on Government support...[more]
Smartcards needed for pharmacists to access records
Patients should be given a smartcard carrying their medical
records to hand to pharmacists, David Mitchell, commercial director of
Johnson & Johnson MSD, said during a Young Pharmacists Group question
time session...[more]
NI pharmacists start managing medicines A
medication review service has just been launched in Northern Ireland,
Dr Denis Morrison, pharmaceutical director, Northern Health and Social
Services Board, Northern Ireland, explained during a Young Pharmacists
Group session on medicines management...[more]
Repeat dispensing is key to pharmacy care Repeat
dispensing is the key to providing pharmaceutical care, according to Alison
Strath, chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Scottish Executive...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
Superdrug’s plans Superdrug has
announced plans to open 100 new non-contract pharmacies within a year.
It says that the move will position it to capitalise on any change to
the rules on new National Health Service pharmacies following the Office
of Fair Trading’s inquiry.
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