News summary
News in brief
Nurses to be allowed to prescribe nine antibiotics Nurses are
to be allowed to prescribe nine oral antibiotics for specified conditions
in a major extension of prescribing rights for a specially trained section
of the profession...[more]
Pharmacists should use buying power to change
unsafe packaging and labelling of medicines Hospital pharmacists
should use their purchasing power to influence the design of drug packaging
and so reduce the potential for medication errors, drug and patient safety
experts said this week...[more]
Pharmacies not to supply gluten-free foods on
NHS Plans to allow community pharmacies in England to make
National Health Service supplies of gluten-free foods to coeliac patients
on request have been dropped...[more]
No cannabis medicines before 2004 Prescribing
cannabis-based drugs on the National Health Service will not be cleared
until 2004–05, following the same sort of exhaustive tests as apply to
any newly marketed drugs, the Prime Minister's press spokesman said this
week...[more]
£2.5m for research into autism The
Government has given the Medical Research Council an additional £2.5m
for its research on the epidemiology and causes of autism...[more]
New NICE appraisals New drugs to treat
breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease and hepatitis C, and to give pain relief
in multiple sclerosis are being considered for the seventh wave of appraisals
by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in April 2003...[more]
Heroin recommended in the Netherlands Diamorphine
(heroin) should be prescribable for treatment-resistant addicts, according
to the Netherlands' Central Committee on the Treatment of Heroin Addicts...[more]
New faces expected on PSNC this year The
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee will have at least three
new faces this year...[more]
GSK profits now top £6bn GLAXOSMITHKLINE
reported pre-tax profits of over £6bn for last year on 14 February,
citing strong new products as one of the driving forces behind this growth...[more]
Minister is committed, says PSNC The
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee believes that Hazel Blears,
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, is committed to the
future of community pharmacy...[more]
Irish pharmacists threaten court action Pharmacists
in the Irish Republic may go to court to try to block the deregulation
of the pharmacy market...[more]
Europe proposes regulatory reform Proposals
for significant reform to the European system for licensing medicines
have been brought forward by the European Commission...[more]
Raised homocysteine is risk factor for Alzheimer's
An increased plasma homocysteine level is a strong, independent
risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease, suggests a study
in this week's New England Journal of Medicine...[more]
NICE chairman to present Care Awards Professor
Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence,
is to speak at the Pharmaceutical Care Awards on 5 July and present the
prizes to the winners...[more]
Raloxifene reduces cardiovascular events in older
women at CHD risk Raloxifene (Evista) reduces the risk of cardiovascular
events in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at increased
risk of heart disease, researchers say...[more]
Four cases of etanercept-induced SLE Etanercept
(Enbrel), an inhibitor of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), should
be considered in the list of agents associated with drug-induced systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE)...[more]
Obese patients not served by guidance Guidelines
for the treatment of hypertension fail to provide specific advice on its
management in obese patients, said Professor Arya Sharma, Humboldt University
of Berlin...[more]
No increased risk of heart attacks with celecoxib
Treatment with celecoxib (Celebrex) does not increase risk
of heart attack or stroke compared with other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs, researchers say...[more]
Life-member, Reginald Davis, celebrates his centenary
next week Reginald Davis, MRPharmS, one of two known surviving
life-members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, is to celebrate his
100th birthday next week...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
Patients
prefer pharmacists for obtaining repeat prescriptions Most
people would prefer to get repeat prescriptions from their pharmacists,
according to a MORI poll commissioned by the British Medical Association.
MORI found that 84 per cent of people would be happy to see a pharmacist
instead of a general practitioner to get a repeat prescription. The poll
also found that 87 per cent of people were happy to see a nurse instead
of a doctor if their condition was not serious.
Why cod liver
oil stops joint pain Researchers from Cardiff University have
confirmed why cod liver oil is effective in treating joint pain. Professor
Bruce Caterson found that omega-3 fatty acids can stop the action of the
degradative enzymes and inflammatory factors that are involved in breaking
down joint cartilage, thus slowing down the progress of cartilage destruction
and reducing inflammation and pain. The research is expected to be published
this year in Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Honey contaminated
with antibiotic The Food Standards Agency has found that many
jars of blended honey which include Chinese honey are contaminated
with streptomycin, which is classified as an illegal contaminant. Jars
in shops are to be removed.
(Food Standards Agency www.food.gov.uk)
Seizure risk
for babies exposed to HIV treatment during birth Children born
to HIV-infected mothers who receive antiretroviral treatment perinatally,
are at higher risk of early febrile seizures, say researchers. The cumulative
risk for febrile seizure at 18 months was 11.0±2.2 for children exposed
to antiretrovirals versus 4.1±1.7 for those who were not. "The long-term
consequences of these early febrile seizures are unknown and not necessarily
deleterious. However, these findings prompt careful monitoring of the
cognitive and behavioural development of the children concerned," they
say (Lancet 2002;359: 583).
MMR population
study published The population study that found no
association between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and a new
form of autism (PJ, 16 February, p198) has been published in the
BMJ (2002;324:393).
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