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· Community pharmacy
· Control of entry
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· Controlled drugs
· Diabetes
· Pharmacy in the US
Letters to the Editor
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Diabetes
No mention of pharmacy in GSK booklet
From Mr S. R. Shah, MRPharmS
I am sure all pharmacies and pharmacists must have received the booklet
entitled “Keep in control — maintaining HbA1c levels in type
2 diabetes”, together with a covering letter from GlaxoSmithKline.
I wonder how many of us have read the booklet?
I have, and noted that it says that it is very important to keep HbA1c levels as low as possible. However, there is no mention of visiting,
talking to or consulting a pharmacist in that booklet. In fact the words “pharmacy” and “pharmacist” do
not appear in it even once. On the other hand, it repeats its advice
to visit or consult or talk to a doctor or nurse at least 14 times.
It seems (from the booklet) that none of us is capable of advising patients
on the importance of keeping their HbA1c levels low. But when it comes
to distributing the booklets, well, the pharmacist can do that for free.
S. Shah
Epsom,
Surrey
| |
DAVID DALEY, external communications manager, UK Pharma Corporate
Affairs, GlaxoSmithKline, states:
GSK fully acknowledges the role pharmacists
have
to play in the management of type 2 diabetes, through overseeing self
care and the provision of dietary and lifestyle advice. Indeed, the
covering letter distributed with the leaflets, and other materials
that have been
produced, have emphasised how pharmacists can provide the support
to help patients understand why they should maintain a recommended HbA1c level,
in order to reduce the risk of complications associated with their
condition,
and the role they can play in reminding patients that regular HbA1c testing is essential. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal