Innovative database to be further developed
Pharmaceutical manufacturing: a database has been designed to support
quality assurance and management processes |
A hospital pharmacy database is among the technologies selected for further development by NHS Innovations, a network of regional intellectual property organisations (known as “hubs”) set up across England to capture and commercialise ideas generated by NHS employees.
The database is designed to support the quality assurance and management
processes involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing. It is being developed
by the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust in partnership with a small software
company.
Nearly 500 ideas were brought to the attention of NHS Innovations during
the year to March 2004, with the manufacturing database being one of
over 100 projects selected for further development.
Other ideas that are to be taken forward include a project to improve
the chemotherapeutic management of cancer patients by providing “real
time” information about the effect of specific anticancer drugs
on a particular patient’s cancer cells. The technology, developed
at Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University NHS
Trust, helps clinicians to predict a patient’s response to chemotherapies
before treatment is initiated and to reduce side effects. It was one
of the winners for an innovative device or technology in the North West
hub.
A database of clinical trial activity and appropriate contacts for clinical
trials in the North West of England, has also been selected, as has an
antimicrobial respiratory drug delivery system. The clinical trials database
was set up by TrusTECH, the organisation based at Manchester Royal Infirmary
that acts as the NHS Innovations hub in the area. The antimicrobial delivery
system was developed at Barts and The London NHS Trust and was one of
three joint winners in the East London hub.
NHS Innovations was set up in 2001 to prevent the benefits of good ideas
generated by NHS employees being lost to the inventor, the NHS and UK
economy. The first annual report was published on 29 December 2004 and
is available at www.innovations.nhs.uk
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Hospital Pharmacist