News summary
Research and Development
NPA wants more consultation
areas The National Pharmaceutical Association is to encourage
its members to incorporate consultation areas into their pharmacies...[more]
Single code of ethics for health professionals,
says law expert A single code of ethics for all health care
professionals may result from the implementation of National Health Service
reform legislation according to Jonathan Montgomery, professor of health
care law, University of Southampton, speaking at a Pharmacy Law and Ethics
Association seminar held last week...[more]
Society signs NHS antifraud charter Marshall
Davies, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, signed the National
Health Service counter fraud charter at a ceremony in London on 29 May...[more]
Off-label prescribing for children is common
Three studies published this week in the BMJ
confirm that the unlicensed and off-label prescription of drugs to children
is common...[more]
Manchester is the best school of pharmacy, says
The Guardian The Manchester school of pharmacy is the
best in the United Kingdom, according to a league table in The Guardian
on 28 May...[more]
Pharmacy funding withdrawn in Hillingdon Smoking
cessation services in Hillingdon, north London, have been put on hold
because the local primary care trust has withdrawn the funding...[more]
MCA site highlights herbal safety issues The
Medicines Control Agency has launched an online service, Herbal Safety
News providing information on safety issues relating to herbal and traditional
Chinese medicines...[more]
Cost-effectiveness of amantadine supported for
'flu Amantadine (Lysovir) is a cost-effective treatment for
influenza A, according to the results of an economic analysis...[more]
Hospital pharmacy technicians seek training
in medicines management Training for hospital pharmacy technicians
in medicines management is to be developed following a meeting held in
London last month to discuss current training and future needs...[more]
Smartcard wins innovation award A
SMARTCARD that performs diagnostic tests, such as blood glucose or cholesterol
levels, and then records the information on a detachable microchip has
won an award for medical innovation...[more]
Family tracing most cost-effective way of detecting
high cholesterol Tracing and then screening the relatives of
people with familial hypercholesterolaemia is the most cost-effective
way to detect cases of high cholesterol across the whole population, researchers
suggest...[more]
Pharmacists retain ownership of pharmacies in
NZ The ownership and control of pharmacies in New Zealand will,
subject to one possible exemption, continue to be restricted to pharmacists...[more]
Negotiating an increase in fruit and vegetable
consumption can lower BP Using a brief negotiation method to
advise people of the benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables is an
effective way to encourage this behaviour and can result in increased
plasma antioxidant concentrations and reduced blood pressure, say researchers...[more]
Long-term use of atorvastatin in coronary heart
disease supported A study published this week has added to
the body of evidence supporting the long-term use of statins in patients
with established coronary heart disease (CHD)...[more]
NICE recommends growth hormone Human
growth hormone (somatropin) is a clinically- and cost-effective way to
treat children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency, according to the National
Institute for Clinical Excellence...[more]
Induction pack for primary care staff A
resource pack that will allow primary care trusts
to plan and support the introduction of new staff working in their pharmaceutical
services areas has been published this week...[more]
Call for independent study of COX 2 inhibitors
An independent meta-analysis of all large-scale, long-term
trials of selective cyclo-oxygenase (COX) 2 inhibitors is needed, according
to the authors of an editorial in this week's issue of the BMJ...[more]
SSRIs cut cardiac deaths post-MI Antidepressant
therapy following a heart attack not
only treats depression but also reduces the risk of further cardiovascular
events and death, according to data presented at an American Psychiatric
Association meeting in Philadelphia last week...[more]
Glaxo reprimanded over smoking cessation claims
GlaxoSmithKline has been reprimanded by the Prescription Medicines
Code of Practice Authority for making misleading claims about its smoking
cessation products Zyban (bupropion) and NiQuitin CQ nicotine replacement
therapy patches...[more]
End of trade loading cuts SSL profits SSL
International Plc reported a loss of £13.2m for the year to 31 March
2002, after new management eliminated its controversial former policy
of getting wholesale customers to buy excess stock, known as trade loading...[more]
Gene clue to weight gain Genetics
could predict those patients most likely to
gain weight while taking antipsychotic drugs...[more]
SSRIs to treat irritable bowel? Antidepressants
could be used to treat irritable bowel
syndrome...[more]
Pharmacia opens R&D centre at High Wycombe
Pharmacia's new medical development centre at High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire, was official opened by Lord Hunt (Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State for Health) on 27 May...[more]
Research & Development
Novel osteoporosis treatment reduces incidence
of new vertebral fractures Strontium ranelate (Protos), a drug
in development
for treating osteoporosis, is effective in reducing the incidence of new
vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women, a phase III trial shows...[more]
New drug for erectile dysfunction Tadalafil,
a new phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, has
been reported to be active over a 36-hour period in men with erectile
dysfunction, according to a study presented at an annual meeting of the
American Urological Association held in Orlando, Florida, last week...[more]
Antifolate increases length of survival Pemetrexed
(Alimta), a novel antifolate that targets specific enzymes involved in
purine and pyrimidine synthesis, given in combination with cisplatin has
a three-month survival benefit over cisplatin alone in patients with malignant
pleural mesothelioma, phase III trial data show...[more]
Phospholipid mixture for asthma A
mixture of two phospholipids that occur naturally
in the lungs may help prevent asthma, researchers from the University
of Southampton school of medicine have found...[more]
Faslodex as effective as anastrozole Faslodex
(fulvestrant), an anti-oestrogen agent, is
at least as effective as anastrozole (Arimidex) in the treatment of postmenopausal
women with hormone receptor positive advanced breast cancer...[more]
Researchers develop drug that may provide new
approach to Alzheimer’s A drug that depletes a specific
plasma protein from the circulation and tissues may provide a new therapeutic
approach to both systemic amyloidosis and diseases associated with local
amyloid deposits such as Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes, researchers
say...[more]
New antipsychotic to fuel debate over prescribing
of atypicals Trial data on aripiprazole, the first of a new
generation of antipsychotic drugs, looks set to fuel the debate over prescribing
of atypicals in the National Health Service...[more]
Inhaled insulin promising for diabetes A
rapid-acting, dry-powder formulation of insulin for inhalation may provide
a promising treatment option for patients with type 1 diabetes...[more]
Peptide promotes nerve regeneration
Researchers have identified a competitive antagonist peptide (NEP1-40)
that blocks Nogo-66, a myelin-derived axon outgrowth inhibitor, by acting
on the receptor (NgR)...[more]
New fluoroquinolone superior to co-amoxiclav,
study shows Moxifloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone, has been shown
to be superior to co-amoxiclav for the treatment of community acquired
pneumonia, irrespective of whether clarithromycin is given or not...[more]
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