Faking it
Counterfeit medicines present a huge problem to the pharmaceutical industry, governments and patients worldwide, and some of the issues were covered at sessions at both the British Pharmaceutical Conference and the World Congress of Pharmacy (see p453 and p465). Although they are not a significant
problem in the United Kingdom at present, they may become so in future
because it is easy for the public to buy prescription medicines via
the internet.
Whether such medicines are obtained and distributed illegally by unscrupulous
operators or bought in good faith by unsuspecting patients, there is
little practising pharmacists can do to prevent the trade.
When a patient makes a decision to buy, say, sildenafil over the internet,
it may be because he would rather do that than deal with any embarrassment
that he might face talking about his sexual problems to his general practitioner.
In these circumstances, although the line between recreational and therapeutic
use has become blurred, the medicine is being bought for a genuine need
as perceived by the purchaser, and he assumes that the product is authentic.
At this point pharmacists may become involved because, conceivably, they
might be shown a product bought through the internet and asked by a patient
to confirm its authenticity. Notwithstanding the ethical issues surrounding
such a consultation, currently, there are limited ways for pharmacists
to do this — other than being vigilant about packaging and appearance
and being confident that the supplier is bona fide. Pharmacists should
also be aware of the risks that patients may inadvertently be taking
and, in particular, be suspicious about the possibility of interactions
between a legally obtained medicine and one purchased through dubious
channels.
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Don't sob over your SOPs
With only just over a year to go until SOP-day (1 January 2005), when all dispensaries must have standard operating procedures in place, the National Pharmaceutical Association, along with a number of other organisations, has produced a package to help its members write
their own SOPs (p443).
The clue to good SOP-writing is be simple. Break down procedures into
their component parts, describe each stage simply and briefly say who
should do what and then put them all together again. SOP-writing may
appear daunting, but by taking it step by step, it can be enjoyable.
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