News summary
Older children should also
avoid aspirin The Committee on Safety of Medicines has issued
new advice on the use of aspirin in children...[more]
Prime Minister defends costs of NHS cash boost
The Prime Minister (Tony Blair) was forced on the defensive
over the future of the National Health Service, despite a massive cash
injection in last week's Budget...[more]
Irish pharmacists risk prosecution if action
taken over deregulation Pharmacists in the Irish Republic have
been warned that they could face prosecution if they go ahead with a threat
of industrial action over deregulation of the sector...[more]
Pharmacy2U starts ETP pilot for real Pharmacy2U
has processed its first real electronic prescriptions after its electronic
transmission of prescriptions (ETP) pilot started at the end of March...[more]
Sale of EHC through pharmacies is not illegal,
High Court judge rules The sale of emergency hormonal contraception
through pharmacies is legal, a High Court judge ruled on 18 April...[more]
More pharmacists may prescribe for minor illnesses
in Scotland A project which allows pharmacists to prescribe
over-the-counter medicines on NHS prescriptions is to be expanded to cover
the whole of Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust...[more]
Losses from NHS fraud down Losses
to the National Health Service as a result of fraud dropped by over a
third between 1999 and 2001...[more]
Dermatology report endorses pharmacist prescribing
An inquiry into primary care dermatology services has indicated
strong support for pharmacist prescribing...[more]
Changing control of entry rules will not increase
convenience for patients Changing the rules that control the
allocation of National Health Service contracts to pharmacies will lead
to the formation of clusters of pharmacies around doctors' surgeries,
not to increased convenience for patients, the Office of Fair Trading
has been warned...[more]
Pharmacies are optional for one-stop care centres
The Department of Health wants to see 750 one-stop primary
care centres established in England by 2006, but they will not all include
pharmacies...[more]
New funds for pharmacy diverted to other services
Funding earmarked for implementing the strategy for pharmaceutical
care in Scotland might be being spent on other services...[more]
Abbott wins Queen's Award for international trade
Abbott Laboratories Ltd has won its second Queen's Award for
Enterprise in the international trade category (formerly export achievement)
on the basis of continuous achievement...[more]
Adding entacapone to levodopa may reduce dyskinesia
in Parkinson's Entacapone used in combination with levodopa
may be an effective early treatment for Parkinson's disease, say researchers
from King's College London...[more]
Growth factor infusion improves Parkinson's disease
symptoms Introducing a growth factor into the brains of patients
with Parkinson's disease might become a future treatment for the disease...[more]
New combination malaria treatment A
new combination preparation for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium
falciparum malaria, Riamet, was launched this week by Novartis Pharmaceuticals...[more]
PSNC database goes online The Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee has launched an online version of its community
pharmacy services database...[more]
NICE and SIGN to work together The
National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Scottish Intercollegiate
Guidelines Network are to collaborate on developing guidelines for the
National Health Service in England, Wales and Scotland...[more]
Antibiotic surveillance data Data
from a surveillance programme, set up by AstraZeneca to monitor the susceptibility
of bacteria to antibiotics, show that resistance to meropenem (Meronem)
is not increasing...[more]
FDA says stop selling NRT lollipops The
United States Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to three
American compounding pharmacies that are making nicotine lollipops and
lip balm for smoking cessation and appear to be selling them over the
internet without prescription...[more]
Anticoagulation test strips prescribable on NHS
from May Test strips for anticoagulant monitoring, CoaguChekS,
are to be made available on prescription from 1 May...[more]
N. Ireland pharmacist is elected NPA chairman
Terry Hannawin, FPSNI, has been elected chairman of the National
Pharmaceutical Association for the coming year...[more]
Sale of some insecticides banned Insecticides
containing dichlorvos must be removed from sale immediately. The decision
to ban them was made by Ministers following advice received from the Advisory
Committee on Pesticides...[more]
Contact lens users need educating Contact
lens wearers need to be told that some contact lens solutions work better
than others and educated about hygiene practice, say researchers from
Moorfields Eye Hospital in London...[more]
Boots to sell Halfords The Boots Co
Plc is to demerge Halfords, its car parts and cycle retailing subsidiary...[more]
Restrictions on Viagra remain Sildenafil
(Viagra) will remain on Schedule 11 and continue to be only prescribed
by GPs in certain circumstances, despite Pfizer's attempt to have the
ruling overturned...[more]
Nucare offers consultation areas Nucare
has commissioned the design of a professional consultation area for its
members' pharmacies which will be large enough to house two chairs and
a small table for equipment or a laptop...[more]
Council member's expenses online Sultan
Dajani, a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council, has posted
his expenses for his Council duties online for a second year...[more]
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