News summary
Pharmacists should share benefits
of reducing generics prices Community pharmacists should share
the benefits of reducing the prices paid for generic medicines in order
to maintain a competitive market, according to their representative bodies...[more]
Cannabis is to be reclassified The
Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has signalled that possession of cannabis
will no longer be an arrestable offence...[more]
Anthrax update The United States Food
and Drug Administration has approved doxycycline for the treatment of
anthrax...[more]
Reluctance to change treatment is a problem in
epilepsy Considerable scope for improving care of patients
with epilepsy has been identified by a new study...[more]
Metered dose inhalers most cost-effective for
asthma There is no evidence that alternative inhaler devices
are more effective than pressurised metered dose inhalers (MDIs), with
or without a spacer, for administering inhaled beta2-agonist
bronchodilators and corticosteroids, according to new reviews...[more]
Similar efficacy and safety for all antihypertensives
All antihypertensives have similar long-term efficacy and safety,
the results of a review show. Any differences in outcome can largely be
accounted for by differences in the reduction of blood pressure control...[more]
Zoledronic acid reduces bone effects of cancer
Zoledronic acid (Zometa) reduces the incidence of cancer-related
bone complications (skeletal related events) in patients with multiple
myeloma or breast cancer, new research shows...[more]
Trial supports safety of meningitis C vaccine
The meningococcal C vaccine introduced into the United Kingdom
primary immunisation schedule two years ago is safe for infants, a study
has shown...[more]
Risedronate’s effect partly due to decreases
in bone turnover Decreases in bone turnover during the first
three to six months of treatment with risedronate (Actonel) partly explain
the drug's early effect on vertebral fracture risk in osteoporosis, researchers
suggest...[more]
AAH pharmacy technician of the year The
winner of the AAH hospital pharmacy technician of the year award 2001
is Julie Thomas, pharmacy technician, Colchester General Hospital...[more]
Boots to spend £2m on preparing for euro
in Ireland Boots The Chemists is to spend over £2m on
preparations for the euro at its stores in the Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland...[more]
Accusation of misleading claims for antimalarial
GlaxoSmithKline's claims over the efficacy of atovaquone plus
proguanil (Malarone) are misleading and should be withdrawn, according
to the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin...[more]
Disease reduction claims on foods and supplements
called for Claims that a product can reduce the risk of a particular
disease should be allowed on food and dietary supplement labels, says
Rosemary Hignett, food labelling, standards and consumer protection division,
Food Standards Agency...[more]
Antiretroviral monitoring needed Yearly
surveys of people on antiretroviral therapy could help to identify changes
in prevalence of specific toxic side effects, say Swiss researchers...[more]
East Hampshire to host ETP pilot East
Hampshire Primary Care Trust is to host an electronic transfer of prescriptions
pilot trial run by the TransScript consortium...[more]
Warm reaction to GSK's new agency deal GlaxoSmithKline's
new trading programme for community pharmacists, +Plus, has met with measured
approval from pharmacy organisations...[more]
NPA to support veterinary pharmacy The
National Pharmaceutical Association is to offer its members more support
for providing veterinary pharmacy services...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
Pharmacist praised by CHI The Commission
for Health Improvement has praised Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust for
having a dedicated paediatric pharmacist available for its children's
wards.
In a clinical governance review published on 24 October, the CHI said
that having a pharmacist in the paediatric department reduces the chance
of drug administration errors and allows children to go home quickly after
medication is administered.
However, overall the review said that the trust needed stronger leadership
on issues such as risk.
TV advert to recruit trial patients
Ethics committee approval has been given for a television advertisement
to recruit patients into a phase III trial.
The advertisement for Synexus, a contract research organisation, aims
to recruit patients for a study of obesity in patients with diabetes,
and will run in the Granada Television region.
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