The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7471 p346
29 September 2007

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Products

Accessing SPCs
The summaries of product characteristics and patient information leaflets for medicines licensed in the UK are available online

Prescription Products
• Canesten Cream Combi
• Cervarix
• Mircera
• Spiriva Respimat
SPC changes
• Calcium gluconate
• Humatrope
• Seretide
Discontinued products
• Deteclo
• Nepro cans
Supply issues
• Medrone
• Salinum
• Trinordiol
Products miscellany
• Plavix
• Tertroxin

Prescription Products

Canesten Cream Combi
Canesten Cream Combi (clotrimazole) pre-filled applicator 10 per cent (5g) + external cream 2 per cent (10g) is now available from Bayer.
Net price: £5.76
Legal category: POM

Cervarix
Cervarix (human papillomavirus vaccine [types 16, 18] recombinant, adjuvanted, adsorbed) injection is now available from GlaxoSmithKline. The recommended vaccination course is one 0.5ml dose at months 0, 1 and 6.
Net price: 1 x 0.5ml, £80.50
Legal category: POM

Mircera
Mircera (methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta) injection is now available from Roche for treatment of anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease. Maintenance doses of Mircera can be administered at monthly intervals.
Net price: (packs of 1 pre-filled syringe)
50µg/0.3ml, £77.93
75µg/0.3ml, £116.89
100µg/0.3ml, £155.85
150µg/0.3ml, £233.78
200µg/0.3ml, £311.70
250µg/0.3ml, £389.63
Legal category: POM

Spiriva Respimat
Spiriva Respimat (tiotropium) solution for inhalation 2.5µg will be available from Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer from 1 October. Two 2.5µg tiotropium puffs using Spiriva Respimat are deemed equivalent to a single 18µg tiotropium dose inhaled using the existing HandiHaler device.
Net price: 1 Respimat inhaler + 1 cartridge (providing 60 puffs/30 doses), £37.62
Legal category: POM

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SPC changes

Calcium gluconate
Information about physical incompatibilities has been added to the summary of product characteristics for Hameln Pharmaceuticals’s calcium gluconate injection. The special warnings and precautions for use section now highlights the potential for adverse events following admixture of physically incompatible compounds with calcium gluconate following separate administration.

Humatrope
An indication for the treatment of patients who have growth failure associated with SHOX deficiency (as confirmed by DNA analysis) has been added to the summary of product characteristics for Humatrope (somatropin; Lilly). The dose for this indication is 0.045–0.050mg/kg per day given by subcutaneous injection.

A warning about use of Humatrope for patients with Prader-Willi syndrome has also been added.

Seretide
The indication for Seretide Accuhaler (salmeterol/fluticasone propionate; GlaxoSmithKline) use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been changed to include patients with less severe disease.

Seretide Accuhaler’s summary of product characteristics now states that use is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of patients with COPD with an FEV1 <60 per cent predicted normal (pre-bronchodilator) and a history of repeated exacerbations, who have significant symptoms despite regular bronchodilator therapy.

The recommended dose for adults with COPD remains one inhalation of the 50/500µg strength Accuhaler twice daily.

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Discontinued products

Deteclo
Deteclo (chlortetracycline/tetracycline/demeclocycline) tablets have been discontinued by Goldshield after being unavailable for an extended period.

Nepro cans
Nepro vanilla flavour cans 237ml have been discontinued by Abbott. Nepro ready-to-hang 500ml (vanilla flavour) and Tetrapak 200ml (vanilla and strawberry flavours) remain available.

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Supply issues

Medrone
Supplies of Medrone (methylprednisolone; Pfizer) tablets 20 x 100mg are limited and are expected to be out of stock by the end of September. New stock is expected to be available at the end of November 2007. Medical information on 01304 616161.

Salinum
Salinum saliva substitute is now available from Crawford after being out of stock. Further information on 01477 537596.

Trinordiol
Wyeth is experiencing difficulties supplying Trinordiol (levonorgestrel/ethinylestradiol) tablets 50/30µg, 75/40µg and 125/30µg (3 x 21 packs). Supplies are expected to be available early in 2008. Regularly updated supply information is available from www.wyeth.co.uk.

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Products miscellany

Plavix
The pack size of Plavix (clopidogrel; Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi-Aventis) tablets 75mg has changed. The current 28-tablet pack will be replaced by a 30-tablet pack from 1 October 2007.
Net price: 30 x 75mg, £37.83
Legal category: POM.

Tertroxin
Tertroxin (liothyronine sodium; Goldshield) tablets 100 x 20µg will be discontinued at the end of September. Liothyronine sodium tablets 20µg (with generic labelling) will now be available from Goldshield in 28-tablet packs.
Net price: 28, £9.15
Legal category: POM

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