|
371 Section
60 Order proposals out for consultation Long-awaited Section
60 Order proposals that herald the biggest reform of the profession for
more than 50 years were published by the Department of Health this week
...more
371 New
pharmacy CD inspection arrangements remain to be finalised New
arrangements for Royal Pharmaceutical Society inspections of the handling
of Controlled Drugs in community pharmacies remain to be finalised ...more
371 Counterfeiters
market new drug first Counterfeiters are selling fake versions
of rimonabant (Acomplia) before the European Medicines Agency has approved
the genuine product. Rimonabant, a selective cannabinoid-1 receptor blocker,
has been developed by sanofi-aventis as an antiobesity medicine ...more
372 Low volume
dispensing pharmacies still on agenda Community pharmacies
in England that dispense few prescriptions have been thrown a lifeline
by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee ...more
372 LPS pilots
to be permanent Most pilot schemes for local pharmaceutical
services contracts in England will become full LPS schemes by October
...more
372 Scottish
urgent supply PGD can still be used Pharmacists in Scotland
are being encouraged to continue to use the urgent supply patient group
direction (PGD) following its success over the Christmas period ...more
372 Part 7 of
the Drug Tariff in Scotland changes on 1 April Changes to part 7 of the Drug Tariff will be implemented in Scotland on 1 April. The intention is to mirror the category M system adopted in England, with money being moved away from reimbursement to remuneration. However, full details of the new arrangements cannot be announced until negotiations on the financial package for the new community pharmacy contract have been completed
...more
373 Medicines
management is failing older people Medicines management in
the health service is failing older people, according to a report published
last week ...more
373 British National
Formulary gets facelift The British National Formulary, published
this week, has undergone a redesign ...more
373 GPs' dispensing
fees do not favour brands New dispensing fees paid to dispensing
doctors in England mean that these doctors have lost the ability to boost
their income by prescribing branded medicines rather then their cheaper
generic equivalents ...more
373 Faculty of
Prescribing and Medicines Management starts mentoring scheme for prescribers The Faculty of Prescribing and Medicines Management, a professional support body within the College of Pharmacy Practice, has called on pharmacist prescribers with over a year's experience to support a new mentoring programme for newly qualified prescribers
...more
374 EMEA advises
caution in use of Protopic and Elidel Benefits associated with the use of Protopic (tacrolimus) and Elidel (pimecrolimus) for the topical treatment of atopic eczema outweigh the risks, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has concluded, following a safety review. However, the EMEA says that these products should be used with greater caution to reduce potential long-term risks of skin cancer and lymphoma
...more
374 SSRIs associated
with reduced risk of colorectal cancer, data suggest Use of
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is associated with a reduced
risk of colorectal cancer, according to researchers in Canada. No consistent
relationship between tricyclic antidepressants and risk of colon cancer
was observed, they add ...more
374 Pharmacists
could help drinkers and smokers detect cancer Pharmacists are being asked to refer patients who seek remedies for mouth and throat symptoms if they are also heavy smokers and alcohol users. Hoarseness, sore throat, mouth lesions, leukoplakia and lumps on the tongue or lips could be the early symptoms of head and neck cancers, said Peter Rhys Evans, a head and neck cancer specialist at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London
...more
374 Bevacizumab/paclitaxel
benefit in breast cancer Survival without breast cancer progression
has been shown to be prolonged in patients given bevacizumab (Avastin)
with paclitaxel compared with those given paclitaxel alone, according
to data presented last week at a European breast cancer conference in
Nice ...more
374 NICE on smoking
cessation The effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions
is to be covered in one of the first two sets of public health guidance
to be issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The other guidance will make recommendations on physical activity interventions
...more
|
375 Oxygen supply
to continue until transfer of last patient GPs in England
and Wales can continue to write prescriptions for the supply of oxygen
by community pharmacists where patients need oxygen at home and regional
supplier companies cannot provide it, it was emphasised last week ...more
375 Involve public
in local health care development Practice-based commissioning
offers an opportunity for members of the public to influence the development
of health care services in the community, says Developing Patient Partnerships
...more
375 Attacks on
NHS staff fell in past year, official statistics show Violent
or abusive attacks against NHS staff by patients or their relatives in
England have fallen in the past year, according to official statistics
published last week ...more
375 Model to
help decide best medicines for elderly patients Decisions
about medicines use in elderly patients may benefit from a model of appropriate
prescribing late in life published this week ...more
375 Survey reveals
pharmacists least happy workers in UK Pharmacists are the
least happy workers in the UK, a survey suggests ...more
376 Remove import
taxes from drugs, say manufacturers Pharmaceutical manufacturers
have welcomed international pressure to remove import taxes from medicines
...more
376 EMEA to focus
on safety in 2006 Improving communication with patients and
health care professionals and making medicines safer are two of the aims
for the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) this year, the agency's work
programme for 2006 reveals ...more
376 Single research
fund to be formed Britain will in future have a single budget
for the Medical Research Council and NHS research, worth at least £1bn
per year, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced in his Budget
speech last week ...more
376 School of
Pharmacy winning image portrays nanotechnology David McCarthy,
experimental officer at the School of Pharmacy, University of London,
and Annie Cavanagh, multimedia unit manager, have won first prize in
a competition run by the UK Micro and Nanotechnology Network to capture
an image representing micro or nanotechnology ...more
376 Health trainers
scheme has begun to be rolled out nationally National roll
out of the NHS health trainers scheme has begun, public health minister
Caroline Flint announced last week ...more
376 Mental health
law reform Plans launched in 2001 to reform mental health
law and which have been widely opposed have been reined in by the Government
...more
376 UK operates
in global market Recognition that UK pharmacy operates in
a competitive global market has been made by the Company Chemists' Association,
which organised a business event “New frontiers” last week
...more
377 OFT should
widen grocery referral to pharmacies Lincolnshire community
pharmacist Noel Baumber is trying to persuade the Office of Fair Trading
to widen its proposal to refer the grocery market to the Competition
Commission to include supermarket pharmacies ...more
377 OFT defers
PPRS competition complaint Government controls over drug prices
in the UK are not to be referred to the Competition Commission by the
Office of Fair Trading for the time being ...more
377 Society concerned
over planned NHS regulations Opposition to planned NHS pharmaceutical
services regulations for England has been expressed by the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society ...more
377 Long-running
dispute between PSNC and North East London LPC draws towards closure Steps
are being taken to draw a line under the dispute between the Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee and North East London Local Pharmaceutical
Committee ...more
377 Professor
Florence retires Sandy Florence has retired from his position
as dean and professor of pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, University
of London ...more
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal