News summary
Research & Development
Take care when signing up to become a repeat
dispensing pilot, warns PSNC The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee is warning pharmacy contractors in England not to sign up unconditionally
to become repeat dispensing pilots...[more]
OFT will relax control of entry, analysts predict
The Office of Fair Trading will recommend significant relaxation
of the regulations controlling the granting of dispensing contracts, analysts
at merchant bank Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) predict...[more]
Post-operative paediatric analgesic doses may
be too low to be effective Children may be receiving inadequate
pain relief after operations, research conducted by pharmacists at the
Queen's University of Belfast suggests...[more]
Safety fears cut doses after new drugs are launched
The recommended doses for as many as a fifth of approved drugs
are changed after the drugs are marketed, a new study suggests. In most
cases, the change is a reduction in the recommended dose brought about
because of safety concerns...[more]
Pfizer to fund head of Kent and Greenwich universities'
Medway school of pharmacy Pfizer is to fund the post of head
of the new Medway school of pharmacy in an agreement worth £500,000
over five years...[more]
Incidence of GI events differs among COX-2s
Patients treated with the cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx)
are less likely to experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms than those
treated with the partially selective COX-2 inhibitor meloxicam (Mobic),
new data indicate...[more]
Smoking and cot death More evidence
suggesting exposure to the toxic components of cigarette smoke in utero
could increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, has been presented
by researchers at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress in
Berlin...[more]
High mid-life cholesterol increases Alzheimer's
disease risk Having high blood cholesterol during middle age
can almost treble a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD)...[more]
EU adopts strategy for heart disease
The European Union has committed itself to the fight against heart disease
by approving a new strategy document from the European Society of Cardiology...[more]
ACE inhibitors should remain first choice for
treating MI patients The angiotensin II antagonist losartan
(Cozaar) cannot be generally recommended for treatment of high-risk patients
who have suffered a heart attack...[more]
Red wine decreases risk of thrombosis
Drinking two glasses of red wine a day could decrease the risk of thrombosis,
Spanish researchers have suggested...[more]
Boots adjusts its wellbeing services
Boots The Chemists is continuing to modify the range of "wellbeing" services
it offers through its largest stores. The latest variation was revealed
when Boots unveiled a £6m refurbishment of its flagship store in
Nottingham...[more]
Guide to NSF for Older People issued
A guide for community pharmacists on the National Service Framework for
Older People has been produced jointly by the Pharmaceutical Services
Negotiating Committee, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the National
Pharmaceutical Association and the Company Chemists Association...[more]
Broad-spectrum antifungal for invasive aspergillosis
launched A broad-spectrum triazole antifungal agent, voriconazole
(Vfend), primarily for use in immunocompromised patients with progressive,
possibly life-threatening infections, is being launched this week by Pfizer...[more]
Cochrane access in Wales The electronic
Cochrane library of evidence-based health care databases can now be accessed
through the website of the National Health Service in Wales...[more]
Folic acid could prevent heart disease in smokers
Folic acid supplements enhance endothelial function and decrease blood
pressure in young smokers, researchers have found...[more]
Exemption for pharmacists from new specials
rules Pharmacists working in registered pharmacies are to be
exempt from new regulations on the manufacture of unlicensed medicines...[more]
Long-acting contraceptive linked
to impaired vascular function Women who use depot medroxyprogesterone
acetate (DMPA, Depo-Provera) are at increased risk of impaired arterial
function, say researchers...[more]
WHO model formulary published
The World Health Organization has published the first edition of the WHO
model formulary. The formulary gives comprehensive information on all
325 medicines contained in the WHO list of essential drugs...[more]
Research and Development
New combination preparation could be the future
for lipid management A new combination preparation incorporating
the novel cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe and simvastatin is
being developed in a joint collaboration between Merck Sharp & Dohme
and Schering-Plough Corp...[more]
Murine antibody unsuccessful in treating patients
with colon cancer A murine monoclonal antibody, edrecolomab,
that recognises a cell-surface glyco-protein expressed on epithelial tissues
and various carcinomas is an inferior treatment option to fluorouracil
and folinic acid in patients with colon cancer, researchers say...[more]
Novel antimetastatic agent enhances antitumour
effects of tamoxifen The addition of a novel antimetastatic
agent, Å6, to tamoxifen enhances the antitumour effects of tamoxifen,
researchers say...[more]
Antagonist shows little benefit in CHF
The selective endothelin antagonist darusentan, currently being co-developed
by Aventis and Knoll, provides no substantial clinical benefit to patients
with congestive heart failure (CHF), researchers conclude...[more]
Statin head-to-head Rosuvastatin
(Crestor) decreases low density lipoprotein-cholesterol in patients with
hypercholesterolaemia to a greater extent than atorvastatin (Lipitor),
a study funded by AstraZeneca shows...[more]
Bacteriophage enzyme that detects and destroys
Bacillus anthrax found A bacteriophage enzyme, PlyG
lysin, that detects and destroys Bacillus anthracis has been identified,
researchers report...[more]
Gut-derived hormone injection controls hunger
for up to 12 hours Administration of a gut-derived hormone
involved in the regulation of food intake inhibits food consumption in
man for up to 12 hours, researchers report...[more]
Analogue could provide new therapy for asthma
patients An analogue of the eicosanoid lipoxin A4, and related
compounds, may provide a new approach to treating pulmonary inflammation
and bronchial hyper-responsiveness in patients with asthma, a new study
suggests...[more]
Prostacyclin analogue effective for pulmonary
hypertension Inhaled iloprost (Ilomedin), a stable prostacyclin
analogue, is an effective therapy for patients with severe pulmonary hypertension,
researchers say...[more] |
