News summary
Research & Development
New contract depends on OFT report
The Department of Health is waiting for the Office of Fair Trading to
report on community pharmacy competition before it takes forward proposals
for a new community pharmacy contract...[more]
Regulatory reform date for pharmacy
A date has been set by the Government for the modernisation of pharmacy
regulation...[more]
Patients can order repeats in ETP pilot
Patients involved with the Pharmacy2U electronic prescription transmission
pilot can now order repeat prescriptions online and check their entire
electronic prescription history...[more]
Welsh pharmacy strategy to be published in draft
this month A draft pharmacy strategy for Wales is to be published
by the National Assembly for Wales before the end of July...[more]
UKMI technician course launched A
course in medicines information for pharmacy technicians has been launched
by the United Kingdom Medicines Information Pharmacists Group...[more]
Call for change to guidelines following publication
of Heart Protection Study Guidelines on the management of coronary
heart disease should be changed so that a statin is considered for anybody
at increased risk of heart attack or stroke regardless of their blood
cholesterol level...[more]
NPA says Society reform plans were on target
two years ago The Royal Pharmaceutical Society should go back
to reform proposals produced by its Health Act Working Party two years
ago and submit these, or an amended form of them, as its plan for regulatory
reform for the profession...[more]
SOPs for dispensing Standard operating
procedures for the dispensing process should be up and running in all
pharmacies by 2005, says the Royal Pharmaceutical Society...[more]
Anglia pharmacy school opens in 2003
A new pharmacy degree starts at the University of East Anglia next year...[more]
Pharmacist jailed for NHS fraud A
Yorkshire pharmacist has been sent to jail for six months after being
convicted of defrauding the National Health Service of nearly £9,000...[more]
NPA considers individual members
Individual pharmacist membership of the National Pharmaceutical Association
is being seriously considered by its management board...[more]
NPA supports supplementary prescribing plan
Government proposals to allow pharmacists to be supplementary prescribers
have been generally supported by the National Pharmaceutical Association...[more]
Hormone replacement therapy offers no protection
against heart attacks ... Long-term use of hormone replacement
therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women does not reduce the risk of heart
attack or death, say researchers...[more]
Oral contraceptives not associated with increased
risk of breast cancer Current or former use of oral contraceptives
is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among women
aged 35 to 64 years, say researchers in the United States...[more]
Pharmacist at centre of MMR debate
Research led by pharmacist Paul Shattock, director of Sunderland University's
Autism Research Unit, is at the centre of the latest MMR debate to be
reported in the national press...[more]
SIGN postnatal depression guidance
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has issued guidance on
the management of postnatal depression...[more]
Sibutramine risk/benefit favourable
A safety review of sibutramine conducted by the European Agency for the
Evaluation of Medicinal Products has concluded that the risk-benefit profile
of the anti-obesity drug remains favourable...[more]
Gehe agrees to buy Irish Unicare chain
GEHE has agreed to buy the Irish Unicare chain some five months after
pulling out of a €152m purchase deal...[more]
SPF condemns minister for ignoring pharmacy
violence The Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation (SPF) has condemned
the Scottish Health Minister, Malcolm Chisholm, for failing to take a
Parliamentary opportunity to condemn violence and threats directed at
community pharmacists and their staff...[more]
Online internet training Online internet
training for pharmacists, students, lecturers and researchers has been
launched by King's College London...[more]
Tablet crushing by nurses widespread
The practice of crushing tablets is widespread in nursing homes in the
United Kingdom, with 84 per cent of nurses having crushed tablets or opened
capsules for patients over the past 12 months, according to Dr David Wright,
lecturer in pharmacy practice at the University of Bradford...[more]
Sodium cromoglicate fails in URTIs
A study designed to test whether sodium cromoglicate would be a useful
treatment for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) has shown that
the drug does not shorten the duration of infection...[more]
Lansoprazole reduces ulcer recurrence for patients
on aspirin LANSOPRAZOLE (Zoton) reduces the risk of recurrences
of ulcer complications in patients taking low-dose aspirin, according
to researchers from the department of medicine and surgery, University
of Hong Kong...[more]
United Kingdom to grow its own opium
Sufficient opium poppies for the production of morphine and codeine for
medicinal use in the United Kingdom are to be grown domestically...[more]
Herbal medicines consultation extended
A Medicines Control Agency consultation on the regulation of herbal medicines
has been extended until 31 July...[more]
Candesartan reduces risk of stroke in elderly
The angiotensin-II receptor antagonist candesartan (Amias) reduces the
risk of non-fatal stroke in elderly patients with mild hypertension, researchers
reported at a meeting of the International and European Societies of Hypertension...[more]
Asian patients miss out on cholesterol lowering
drugs Patients in general practices with a greater south Asian
population are less likely to be prescribed lipid-lowering drugs than
patients in practices with a higher proportion of white patients, a study
in the BMJ shows...[more]
AAH sponsors
concert tour...[more]
Research and Development
COX-2 inhibitor close to launch shows similar
efficacy to traditional NSAIDs VALDECOXIB, a new cyclo-oxygenase
(COX) 2 inhibitor, provides similar pain relief to older non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) but with better gastrointestinal tolerability,
according to trials in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis presented
last month at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) meeting...[more]
Osteoarthritis treatment may be safe with aspirin
A new treatment for osteoarthritis, licofelone, the first of a group of
agents known as LOX-COX inhibitors, could make it possible for patients
with co-existing cardiovascular risk factors to achieve effective and
safe pain relief while taking aspirin, new data in rats suggest...[more]
Novel strategy for anti-obesity drugs
A duodenal hormone has been found to be a potential target for anti-obesity
drugs, researchers report...[more]
Enzyme inhibitor improves symptoms of peripheral
neuropathy in diabetic patients An enzyme inhibitor in development,
LY333531, improves the symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, according
to the results of a phase II trial...[more]
Novel antibiotic for targeting resistant pathogens
in early stage development A novel broad-spectrum antibiotic
that targets resistant pathogens has been entered into early stage development
by Aventis Pharma. Phase I trials of the antibiotic, AVE-6971, are expected
to begin next year...[more]
Two potential agents for acute myeloblastic
leukaemia identified Two new agents that might be useful for
the treatment of patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML) have
been identified, researchers report in Cancer Cell...[more]
Cytotoxic agent shows promise in MS treatment
An intercalating agent currently in phase III trials for the treatment
of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is also showing promise for the treatment of
multiple sclerosis (MS)...[more]
Long-acting bronchodilator improves exercise
tolerance in COPD A new long-acting inhaled bronchodilator,
tiotropium, has been found to improve exercise tolerance by over 20 per
cent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according
to results presented at the COPD3, International Meeting on Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease...[more] |
