|
305 Omeprazole
goes over-the-counter as Zanprol Omeprazole 10mg has been
launched by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare as a pharmacy-only medicine.
Zanprol will be available in pharmacies for the treatment of reflux-like
symptoms (eg, heartburn) in adults from 16 March ...more
305 Date
set for summary judgment hearing The application for summary
judgment of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Charter petition claim
will not be heard in the High Court before mid-May, despite efforts by
the Society to have the matter resolved as early as possible ...more
306 “Move or lose” contract threat in Scottish proposals Scottish
community pharmacies that are too near to each other are to be encouraged
to relocate to areas of under-provision or risk losing their NHS contracts.
This proposal follows the rejection in Scotland of the Office of Fair
Trading's proposals to overhaul control of entry regulations ...more
306 Pharmacists
to be on new committees by right Pharmacists in Scotland are
to have guaranteed seats on new community health partnership (CHP) committees
that are to evolve from local health care co-operatives. Pharmacists
were not included in LHCCs ...more
306 Money
for deprived areas Funding for pilot projects that aim to improve access to health care in deprived communities in Scotland was announced last month
...more
307 Do
not use risperidone or olanzapine to treat behavioural problems associated
with dementia Risperidone (Risperdal) and olanzapine (Zyprexa)
should not be used to treat behavioural problems in older people with
dementia, recommends the Committee on Safety of Medicines. However, the
new advice is likely to cause problems for health professionals managing
this group of patients, a mental health pharmacist has warned ...more
307 Risk
of cognitive decline lower for women treated with oral hypoglycaemics Taking
oral hypoglycaemic agents can lower the risk of cognitive decline in
elderly women with type 2 diabetes, and may therefore reduce their likelihood
of developing dementia ...more
307 Coffee
drinking linked with reduced risk for diabetes Researchers
have found that drinking coffee reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes
in a trial of Finnish adults ...more
308 Study
confirms intensive lipid lowering is best Intensive lowering
of LDL-cholesterol reduces deaths and cardiovascular events in patients
with acute coronary syndromes significantly more than moderate lipid
lowering, according to a major study reported this week at the American
College of Cardiology meeting held in New Orleans ...more
308 Latest
HPS data reveal benefits of statins on stroke in detail Latest data from the Medical Research Council/British Heart Foundation Heart Protection Study (HPS) show the beneficial effects of statins on stroke are almost entirely restricted to the most common, ischaemic form of the disease — currently responsible for about nine out of 10 strokes in the UK
...more
308 Rosuvastatin
improves dyslipidaemia in patients with metabolic syndrome According
to results from the largest study yet to investigate statin treatment
for patients suffering from metabolic syndrome, the HMG CoA reductase
inhibitor, rosuvastatin (Crestor), significantly improves all lipid abnormalities
associated with the atherogenic dyslipidaemia seen in these patients
...more
308 Call
for Crestor ban in US A US consumer group has written to the
Food and Drug Administration demanding that rosuvastatin (Crestor) be
removed from the market ...more
308 Fruit
and cereals best for CHD Eating fibre from fruits and cereals,
but not from vegetables, is linked with lower coronary heart disease
risk ...more
309 Government
proposes to regulate herbalists and acupuncturists Proposals
to register and regulate herbalists and acupuncturists under a statutory
scheme have been put forward by the UK government. Consultation on plans
to establish a Complementary and Alternative Medicine Council continues
until 7 June ...more
309 Emergency
exemption for chemical warfare antidote injections Antidotes
to chemical warfare agents are likely to be added to the list of medicines
that can be injected by anybody to save life in an emergency ...more
|
309 CHI failed
to deliver what ministers expected The Commission for Health
Improvement, which is to be replaced by the Commission for Healthcare
Audit and Inspection next month, was a victim of tension between the
role it was given by legislation and the expectations of ministers, a
new report reveals ...more
309 Barry Shooter
Pharmacies best to work for Barry Shooter Pharmacies came
fourth in The Sunday Times 2004 list of “50 best SMEs
[small to medium enterprises] to work for”. Company profiles are
listed in rank order and benefits such as annual leave, share ownership
and child care are indicated ...more
310 Little evidence
for using combination inhalers as first choice for patients with chronic
lung disease It is difficult to justify using the combination
inhalers Seretide (fluticasone and salmeterol) or Symbicort (budesonide
and formoterol) as a first choice in managing patients with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, according to a review ...more
310 Sildenafil
appears safe and effective for some heart failure patients Sildenafil
(Viagra) may be safe and effective for the treatment of erectile dysfunction
in carefully selected men with moderate heart failure, a small trial
indicates ...more
310 Small risk
of gastric bleeding with SSRI antidepressants Any risk of
gastrointestinal bleeding in patients taking selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors is small, according to this month's Drug and Therapeutics
Bulletin ...more
310 NHS national
staff survey Forty-seven per cent of NHS staff report seeing
an error over the previous month that could have hurt either staff or
patients, according to the results of the first NHS national staff survey
...more
311 Latest BNF
includes updated information on HRT, approved drug names and malaria
prevention BNF 47, the latest edition of the British National
Formulary, contains up-to-date information on hormone replacement therapy,
changes to approved drug names and new guidance on preventing malaria
...more
311 Dictation
proves unpopular as way to report errors Dictating information
into cassette recorders does not appear to be a popular method for community
pharmacists to report prescribing interventions, US researchers have
found. However, its is feasible and warrants further investigation. The
researchers say that interventions to correct errors on prescriptions
should be documented to provide evidence of this pharmacy service ...more
R & D
312 Omapatrilat
remains on file for regulatory approval as new trial broadly favours
risk-benefit ratio Indications for omapatrilat — a new antihypertensive agent being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb — continue to be investigated while the company evaluates its options for the drug, following a new trial
...more
312 Oral E
coli vaccine moving into phase II trials Protection
against travellers' diarrhoea has moved a step closer ...more
312 Anti-obesity
drug also helps smokers avoid weight gain Smokers and overweight
patients with dyslipidaemia could benefit from a new drug being tested
in clinical trials ...more
312 Polymer link
reduces toxicity Researchers have reduced toxicity of an anti-tumour
drug by linking it to a polymer ...more
312 Smallpox
vaccine A new smallpox vaccine shows promise in animal studies. Monkeys treated with the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) were immune to monkeypox (similar to smallpox in humans)
...more
312 New breast
cancer treatment Exemestane, a new aromatase inhibitor, has
shown promise in primary breast cancer ...more
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal