The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7498 p472
19 April 2008

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• The Society
• Council election (3)
• White paper (2)
• Professional body
• Combivent discontinuation
• Community pharmacy
• Medicines use reviews
• Controlled Drugs
• Workload
• Extended services
• Libraries
• Registration

Letters to the Editor

Combivent discontinuation

A simple initiative

From Mr E. Ali, MRPharmS

Over recent years there has been a great deal of correspondence from pharmacists criticising pharmaceutical companies over wholesaling changes, dubious marketing practices, zero discounting and so on. I agreed with many of the complaints.

However, a recent initiative has prompted me to write in praise of a pharmaceutical company — the sticker notifying patients of the discontinuation of Combivent inhalers.

I received my first supply of these over-labelled inhalers in February some six months before the actual inhaler discontinuation (the discontinuation is of the CFC-containing inhalers and not the unit dose vials). The sticker offers clear information to patients about the product discontinuation and, in my pharmacy, has prompted a number of discussions with patients. Some of these have led to full medication use reviews.

Thank you to Combivent manufacturer, Boehringer, for a simple initiative that supports patients and community pharmacy.

Erol Ali
Camberley, Surrey

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