The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7307 p45
10 July 2004

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Pharmacists promoted for role in prudent antibiotic use

Pharmacists in some hospitals have been active for a number of years in tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance, according to Richard Wise, chairman of the government's Specialist Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance. The “Resistance is useless” conference, held at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on 7 July, was, he said, the launch of the important £12m initiative to support this work at a national level. The meeting was chaired by Alison Ewing, Society Council member, who expressed a hope that the success of the initiative would lead to permanent funding.

About 60 parliamentarians, scientists and representatives of professional and government bodies attended a reception before the conference at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior. Speaking at the reception, Nicholas Wood, President of the Society, drew attention to the fact that information on how to deal with antibiotics was to be distributed to pharmacists (see here).