News summary
News in brief
Consultation starts on supplementary prescribing
by pharmacists and nurses Pharmacists could be writing prescriptions
next year if proposals published this week are implemented...[more]
Company chemists seek full-time chief executive
The Company Chemists Association, which represents the largest
pharmacy multiples, is to appoint its first full-time chief executive
who will be based at new offices in Milton Keynes...[more]
Chancellor promises over 40 per cent more for
the NHS in the next five years The Chancellor of the Exchequer
(Gordon Brown) has promised to invest 43 per cent more money in the National
Health Service over the next five years...[more]
Pharmacists warn medical staff about their prescribing
errors Junior doctors should be trained in the principles of
drug dosing and medical staff should promote a working culture that recognises
the importance of prescription writing, say pharmacists in this week's
issue of The Lancet...[more]
"Pharmacists are unsung heroes" Health
Minister Hazel Blears described hospital pharmacists as unsung heroes
and heroines for their work on medicines management...[more]
A social insurance scheme for Britain? A
new social insurance scheme for funding Britain's Health Service was proposed
last week in a report from the Adam Smith Institute. However the proposal
will face opposition from the Government, which believes that sustained
investment funded from taxation and continued reform is the way forward...[more]
Generic omeprazole launched Generic
versions of omeprazole were launched in the United Kingdom this week...[more]
Pfizer seeks to lift Viagra restrictions Pfizer
has launched a High Court bid to lift the restrictions placed on the supply
of sildenafil (Viagra)...[more]
Contribution to balance of trade by pharmaceuticals
still increasing The United Kingdom's balance of trade in pharmaceuticals
increased by 21 per cent during 2001...[more]
NICE endorses costly inhaler devices for children
if asthma better controlled Press-and-breathe metered dose
inhalers (MDIs) with a suitable spacer device should be used first-line
to deliver inhaled corticosteroids for routine treatment of chronic asthma
in children aged 5–15 years, says the National Institute for Clinical
Excellence...[more]
Levetiracetam is an effective add-on epilepsy
treatment LEVETIRACETAM (Keppra) is an effective adjunctive
treatment for adults with partial epilepsy that is not controlled with
standard antiepileptic drugs, according to the Drug and Therapeutics
Bulletin...[more]
Zyban safety update Following guidance
on the use of smoking cessation therapies by the National Institute for
Clinical Excellence last week, the Medicines Control Agency has issued
a safety update for bupropion (Zyban)...[more]
Psychological interventions not useful in epilepsy
No reliable evidence supports the use of psychological interventions
in treating epilepsy, researchers say...[more]
Green tea protects against Parkinson's Polyphenols
present in green tea might have a protective effect in Parkinson's disease,
say researchers...[more]
Malaria patients — in or out? Patients
with imported malaria can be treated safely as outpatients, provided that
criteria for severity are considered, say Swiss researchers...[more]
Medicines management guide launched A
new guide to medicines management has been launched this week. "Modernising
medicines management: a guide to achieving benefits for patients, professionals
and the NHS" has been produced by the National Prescribing Centre and
the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre...[more]
Patients expected to pay for AAH medicines management
services AAH Pharmaceuticals has launched a new medicines management
programme for selected community pharmacies...[more]
PSNC starts talks on contract for 2003 The
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has started a series of
meetings with the Department of Health on the new contract for community
pharmacy in England and Wales...[more]
Dentists' retention fee rises by 260pc Dentists
will have to pay an annual retention fee of £350 next year, the
General Dental Council has decided...[more]
Reminyl of benefit in vascular dementia Patients
with dementia and cerebrovascular disease benefit from treatment with
galantamine (Reminyl), say researchers...[more]
Nicorandil reduces coronary events in stable
angina patients The potasssium-channel activator nicorandil
(Ikorel) has some impact on the incidence of major coronary events in
patients with stable angina, report researchers...[more]
MeReC Extra on heart failure therapy The
benefits of using an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and
aspirin in patients with heart failure and coronary heart disease outweigh
the consequences of their possible interaction, concludes the latest issue
of MeReC Extra...[more]
Disease mongering is a marketing ploy Health
professionals are among those who should move away from using corporately
funded information about medical conditions...[more]
Irish deregulation petition attracts 300,000
signatures More than 300,000 people in the Irish Republic are
publicly backing pharmacists in their opposition to the government's decision
to deregulate the sector...[more]
Pharmacists urged to publish work Hospital
pharmacists have been urged to publish the good work they are accomplishing
and thereby add to the evidence showing the usefulness of the hospital
pharmacy service...[more]
Smallpox vaccine supply contract awarded A
contract to supply the National Health Service with smallpox vaccine was
awarded on 12 April...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
Boots The Chemists is holding its third annual series of clinical
governance road shows across Britain. This year, the focus is on risk
awareness and risk management. All Boots pharmacists have been invited
and the 22 road shows will be completed by the end of this month.
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