News summary
Research & Development News
in brief
First come, first served for LPS pilots? Local pharmaceutical
services (LPS) pilot schemes may be funded by the Department of Health
on a "first come, first served" basis, according to guidance issued by
the Department on 21 December 2001...[more]
Medicines Control Agency proposes to simplify
and accelerate the medicines reclassification process Proposals
for a new process to change the legal status of medicines have been put
forward by the Medicines Control Agency...[more]
Studies provide new evidence for role of H pylori
in peptic ulcer disease Infection with Helicobacter pylori
and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are independent
risk factors for peptic-ulcer disease, according to a study published
in The Lancet...[more]
Hospital staff set to get 3.6 per cent Hospital
pharmacists can expect pay rises well ahead of inflation this year...[more]
UKCPA calls for clinical pharmacy guidelines
to reduce variation National guidelines for clinical pharmacy
services in National Health Service hospitals have been called for by
the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association...[more]
GPs to issue "non-prescriptions" General
practitioners in England have been issued with "non-prescription" pads
by the Department of Health as part of a campaign to persuade people not
to ask for antibiotics to treat coughs, cold and 'flu...[more]
PSNC project gets ethics approval The
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee-led community pharmacy medicines
management project has been approved by the Multi-centre Research Ethics
Committee (MREC)...[more]
Training for technicians wins special recognition
The National Pharmaceutical Association has won what the National
Training Awards scheme calls its ultimate accolade — a special award
for training...[more]
Pharmacies should accept euros, the NPA advises
Community pharmacies should accept payments in euros if they
are asked to, the National Pharmaceutical Association is advising its
members...[more]
Strategic health authority names and areas released
There will be 28 new strategic health authorities (StHAs) in
England, the Department of Health has announced...[more]
Ibuprofen leads to inhibition of cardioprotective
effects of aspirin Ibuprofen might limit the cardioprotective
effect of aspirin, new research shows...[more]
Irish rural pharmacies under threat The
future of rural and community-based pharmacies in the Irish Republic will
be under threat if the market is deregulated, according to the Irish Pharmaceutical
Union (IPU)...[more]
Animal prescriptions give clients choice Veterinary
surgeons should offer written prescriptions to clients, the Government
says in an interim response to a review of veterinary dispensing...[more]
Pharmaceutical industry worth extra £2–£4bn
to United Kingdom The pharmaceutical industry in the United
Kingdom is worth between £2bn and £4bn a year more to the
UK economy than the sum of its parts, according to a study by the Pharmaceutical
Industry Competitiveness Task Force (PICTF)...[more]
PPRS is working, says Department of Health review
The revised Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme is providing
greater transparency, compliance and support for research and development,
according to a review of the scheme carried out by the Department of Health...[more]
Relapse benefit with risperidone over haloperidol
Risperidone is more effective than haloperidol at preventing
relapse in schizophrenia, a new study shows...[more]
Arthritis relief greater with rofecoxib than
with paracetamol or celecoxib Rofecoxib (Vioxx) has benefits
over paracetamol and celecoxib (Celebrex) in reducing the symptoms of
osteoarthritis of the knee, a new study indicates...[more]
High vitamin A intake increases risk of hip fractures
A diet rich in retinol (vitamin A) increases the risk of hip
fractures in postmenopausal women, researchers have confirmed...[more]
Meningitis vaccination programme to be extended
Immunisation against meningitis C using Group C conjugate meningococcal
vaccine should be made available to all young people up to and including
the age of 24 years, says the Department of Health...[more]
Research & Development
Vaccine provides protection against endemic malaria
infection in adults A malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS02, has been
shown to provide partial protection against endemic Plasmodium falciparum
infection...[more]
New oxazolidinone in development AZD2563,
a new oxazolidinone, is under early stage development for the treatment
of infection with Gram-positive bacteria...[more]
Fusion inhibitors are promising antiretrovirals
A class of antiretroviral drugs which prevents the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) from fusing with host cells has shown promising results in
suppressing viral load...[more]
New class of hypolipidaemic drugs French
researchers have identified a potential new class of hypolipidaemic drugs,
SCAP ligands...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
Meta-analysis
of antiplatelet trials A
meta-analysis of randomised trials of antiplatelet therapy for the prevention
of death, myocardial infarction and stroke in high risk patients has been
published in the BMJ this week (2002;324:71).
The Antithrombotic Trialists' Collaboration
says that the results reinforce the value of routinely considering antiplatelet
therapy with 75mg to 150mg of aspirin daily for all patients at high or
intermediate risk of occlusive vascular events, irrespective of whether
they have already had a major vascular event.
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