News summary
News in brief
Central role for hospital pharmacists identified by Audit Commission Pharmacists
have a central role to play in managing medicines effectively in hospitals,
according to an Audit Commission report published this week...[more]
First part of NSF for diabetes launched
The first part of the National Service Framework for Diabetes was published
this week. It sets out 12 standards of care for people with diabetes...[more]
Research trust to look at how people take medicines
The Pharmacy Practice Research Trust is to look at how people
actually use medicines as part of a 10-year programme of research entitled
"Medicines and people"...[more]
King's wins grant for online CPD King's
College London has received a £250,000 grant from the European Community's
social fund to undertake research on the use of online methods for providing
continuing professional development programmes to pharmacists and dentists...[more]
Eleven pharmacy schools improve research grades
Eleven of the 16 United Kingdom schools of pharmacy have improved
the rating of the quality of their research, according to the results
of the 2001 research assessment exercise...[more]
New health council to cover N. Ireland The
Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland will come under the remit of
the Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals (CRHP) in
the same way as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society...[more]
School of Pharmacy to study Mediterranean nutraceuticals
Consumption of fruit, vegetables and oils is generally higher
in southern European countries and has been dubbed "the Mediterranean
diet"...[more]
Pharmacy numbers continue to fall slowly The
number of pharmacies in contract with health authorities in England and
Wales has continued a slow decline from its peak, falling by three during
the year to 31 March to 10,471, one fewer than in 1991–92...[more]
Research fraud body report published The
fourth annual report from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) outlines
proposals for a national regulatory body to combat research fraud...[more]
England and Scotland clear script backlogs Backlogs
of prescriptions waiting to be priced, which built up as a result of the
problems with generic medicines in 1999, have been cleared in England
and Scotland; however, Wales is still six months behind...[more]
Guidance on media scares launched A
guide for health care professionals on how to anticipate and handle health
scares in the media has been launched by Media Medics, a group of practising
doctors...[more]
Cost analysis supports ramipril use Treating
patients who have diabetes and who are at high risk of cardiovascular
events with ramipril (Tritace) is likely to be a good investment of National
Health Service resources, an analysis has found...[more]
Inflammatory bowel drugs reviewed Maintenance
treatment for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are reviewed in this
month's Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin...[more]
Consider removing Kava-kava products Pharmacists
may wish to consider temporarily withdrawing products containing Kava-kava,
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says, following reported links between
the herbal product and cases of hepatotoxicity...[more]
Anti-obesity drug criticised by the DTB but supported
by NICE advice This month's Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin
says that it finds sibutramine (Reductil) "difficult to recommend"...[more]
Linezolid superior to teicoplanin in treatment
of G-positive infections Patients with Gram-positive infections
who are treated with the oxazolidinone linezolid (Zyvox) respond better
than those treated with teicoplanin (Targocid), new data indicate...[more]
People in low social classes delay seeking treatment
for schizophrenia People with schizophrenia born into lower
socio-economic classes tend to present later than those from higher classes,
new research has shown...[more]
No new evidence to change official advice on
BSE risk and vaccines An investigation into five cases of variant
Creutzfeldt Jakob disease by the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee
has not revealed any evidence that warrants changing the Committee on
Safety of Medicines's recent assessment of the BSE risks associated with
a recalled oral polio vaccine (OPV), says the Department of Health...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
Recalled hepatitis A vaccine
Regulatory bodies in some
European countries have advised that individuals who received the recalled
Aventis Pasteur MSD Vaqta hepatitis
A vaccine (PJ, 8 December, p812) should have their immune response
checked. Aventis Pasteur MSD have offered to pay for this testing. However,
this advice is not applicable to the United Kingdom.
At the time of the recall, the Department
of Health recommended reimmunisation for individuals who intend to travel
to high-risk areas, those at occupational risk and others who have been
immunised for long-term protection.
LPS guidance in
spring Guidance on local pharmaceutical
services (LPS) pilots is to be issued by the Department of Health "in
the early spring". A spokeswoman for the Department said that a lot of
important work, including consultations with stakeholders, was still going
on with regard to the guidance.
Scottish strategy next month
The Scottish Executive's strategy for pharmaceutical
care in Scotland is expected to be published before the end of January
2002, according to Findlay Hickey, deputy secretary of the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society's Scottish Department. Publication of the strategy has been held
up by the recent change of health minister in Scotland with Malcolm Chisholm
replacing Susan Deacon in November.
Letrozole data published
The study
showing that letrozole (Femara) is more effective than tamoxifen for the
treatment of hormone-receptor positive breast cancer in postmenopausal
women (see PJ, 7 October, 2000, p508) has been published in Annals
of Oncology (2001;12:1527).
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