News summary
ABPI opposes number plates
for packs The proposed "number plate" system for drug packaging
is poorly-thought out and could put patient's lives at risk, Andrew Curl,
deputy director general of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry,
said this week...[more]
No place for pharmacy on PCTs Although
community pharmacists, like other health services contractors, are eligible
for appointment to the executive committees or boards of primary care
trusts in England, the Department of Health says it will not be a requirement
for any to be appointed. However, PCT boards will now have to include
a director of public health...[more]
EHC ruling imminent The High Court
judge hearing the case brought by the Society for the Protection of Unborn
Children is expected to give his ruling shortly...[more]
Six generics companies are under investigation
for NHS price fraud Six generics companies are under investigation
for conspiracy to defraud the National Health Service...[more]
Recruitment squeeze helps employees The
impact of the fallow year and continuing demand for pharmacists made last
year particularly difficult for recruitment, according to the Institute
of Pharmacy Management International's 12th annual survey. However, employee
pharmacists have benefited through salary increases and the reappearance
of incentive schemes...[more]
Ovarian cancer risk may be limited to specific
HRT Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with sequential rather
than continuous progestogen might increase risk of ovarian cancer...[more]
HRT reduces the risk of breast arterial hardening
Researchers have confirmed that hormone replacement therapy
reduces the risk of developing breast arterial calcification (BAC), a
possible marker for vascular disease...[more]
No increase in English oxygen budget The
Department of Health has decided not to increase the budget for domiciliary
oxygen services in England for 2002–03...[more]
Domestic OTC sales rise by 10 per cent Sales
of non-prescription medicines in the United Kingdom grew by 10 per cent
at manufacturers' prices in 2001...[more]
Call to reform unfair NHS charges Prescription
charges should be significantly reduced, and other National Health Service
charges reformed, because they form a confusing mishmash of taxes on illness,
says the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales...[more]
Dispensing doctors lose VAT case Dispensing
doctors have lost a legal challenge to a Customs & Excise ruling that
they cannot reclaim VAT on medicines for direct administration to patients...[more]
Hospital recruitment goes online Pharmacy
students can now apply for hospital preregistration training places in
England and Wales for 2003 online...[more]
Fish oil capsules exceed European dioxin limit
to be enacted on 1 July 2002 Out of 15 brands of fish oil capsules
analysed by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 10 contained levels
of dioxins above the maximum limit set out by an EC regulation that comes
into force on 1 July...[more]
Antiarrhythmic role for fish oil Daily
supplements of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fish
oil, halve the risk of sudden death in patients who have survived a recent
myocardial infarction (MI), say researchers...[more]
Diuretics benefit certain patients Diuretic
therapy is more effective in lowering risk of myocardial infarction (MI)
or stroke than other antihypertensives in patients with a specific genetic
variation, researchers have found...[more]
Genetic variation causes increased warfarin side
effects Patients with specific genetic variations are at increased
risk of bleeding events and are less stable on maintenance therapy with
warfarin, researchers have found...[more]
EMEA caught on the hop by increased number of
orphan drug applications Applications for designating medicines
as orphan drugs have exceeded the expectations of the European Agency
for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA)...[more]
EMEA seeks more funds for drug safety work and
new database The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal
Products is seeking a €24m (£15m) increase in its budget to
pay for increased pharmacovigilance work, including a new computerised
drug safety system...[more]
Intrathecal drug guidance clarified Additional
information about guidance on administration of intrathecal chemotherapy
has been set out by the Department of Health...[more]
High disability rate in children born to women
treated for epilepsy confirmed A new study that assesses the
long-term consequences of intrauterine drug exposure for children born
to mothers with epilepsy shows that the malformation rate in children
exposed to epilepsy treatment is 13.8 per cent, a figure comparable with
results of other studies...[more]
St John's wort effect not proven for major depression
Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort)
should not be used as a substitute for standard clinical care of proven
efficacy, including antidepressant medication and specific psychotherapies,
say researchers...[more]
NICE endorses smoking cessation therapies for
determined quitters Bupropion (Zyban) and nicotine replacement
therapy (NRT) should be prescribed for smokers who wish to stop smoking,
the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recommended this week...[more]
MeReC reviews AF therapy The
latest issue of the MeReC Bulletin reviews the drug treatment of
atrial fibrillation...[more]
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