Chemist & Druggist articles from April 2006

Chemist & Druggist archives from April 2006

DH reveals pharmacy regulation revamp.(Department of Health)
April 1, 2006... The government has outlined how it intends to reform the regulation of pharmacists throughout Great Britain, and pharmacy technicians in England and Wales. The consultation document includes plans to overhaul registration processes,...

What about technicians in Scotland?(Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland)(regulation of pharmacy support staff )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Public protection will suffer because technicians north of the border have been excluded from the Order, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland has claimed. RPSiS director Lyndon Braddick warned: "If we don't have regulated...

The DH's proposals for change.(Department of Health)(services of Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain)
April 1, 2006... * Public protection. Clearer definition of the RPSGB's responsibility and accountability to the public. An obligation for the Society to cooperate with any individual or organisation that deals with registrants or prospective registrants, and...

PPA issues private CD script advice.(Prescription Pricing Authority)(controlled drugs)(regulations of prescriptions for controlled drugs )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Community pharmacists who have not yet received their account number for private prescriptions of controlled drugs should contact their PCT. The advice, from the PPA, also reminds pharmacists that from April 1, private prescriptions for...

Northumberland Care Trust Good Practice Awards 2005.(awards of Northumberland pharmacy team)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A Northumberland pharmacy team has received first prize in the Northumberland Care Trust Good Practice Awards 2005. Pharmacist manager Suzi Dixon and her staff from Healthcare Plus Pharmacy in Bedlington Station were named team of the year in...

PSNC to review MUR funding and evidence.(Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee)(medicines use reviews)
April 1, 2006... PSNC is to look at the funding and evidence for medicines use reviews (MURs). Five of the resolutions at last week's local pharmaceutical committee conference referred to MURs, resulting in PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe agreeing to...

Co-op installs ETP systems.(Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Co-op has rolled out electronic prescription service (EPS) accredited systems to its 260 branches in England. The company said it was "ready to go" with EPS after installing AAH's Link Evolution system, which has been accredited for...

Contract anniversary marred by rising NHS debt.(National Health Service)(influence of debts)
April 1, 2006... Spiralling NHS debts have hit many independent pharmacist's profits during the first year of the new contract, a C&D straw poll has revealed. Contractors, interviewed on the anniversary of the new contract, criticised cash-strapped primary...

Internet guide.(guidance on internet pharmacy services)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has published guidance on internet pharmacy services, covering legal, professional and contractual requirements, medicines' supplies, information and advice provision, publicity, security and confidentiality....

Avicenna chairman announces #800,000 profits.(pre tax profits pharmaceutical industry)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Pharmacy buying group Avicenna has announced a 23 per cent rise in its pre-tax profits to over #800,000 on a turnover of #1.9 million. This has been driven by a 20 per cent rise in membership numbers to 500 and increased compliance among...

OFT to continue PPRS scrutiny.(Office of Fair Trading)(Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ethical medicine suppliers have welcomed the Office of Fair Trading's decision to continue its study into the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS). The OFT launched the study in September to assess whether the scheme is the most...

Nucare members highlight contract concerns.(regional meetings of pharmacies)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Nucare pharmacists have highlighted concerns over the implementation of the pharmacy contract in England and Wales. At the group's latest regional meetings, members raised issues around fitting consultation areas and delivering MURs within...

Pharmacist supports campaign for small independents.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A London pharmacist who has championed independent pharmacies has backed a proposal by MPs to give small businesses more clout in the face of the growing dominance of multiples. Elizabeth Hopkins, who owns two pharmacies in Middlesex, is...

NI launches #3m COPD plan.(Northern Ireland)(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)(service for people with respiratory disease )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Health minister Shaun Woodward has pledged #3m to expand services provided for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Northern Ireland. In A Healthier Future; A Strategic Framework for Respiratory Conditions, he...

Pressure grows for oxygen contract to revert to pharmacies.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Political pressure is growing in Wales for pharmacists to be allowed to supply oxygen when the new contract ends in three years. All three opposition political parties have been highly critical of the new system, with even health minister...

No plans for pharmacy to stop supplying.(opinions of Brian Gibbons )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Welsh health minister Brian Gibbons has refused to give any date when dual sourcing of oxygen in Wales will cease. His statement that patients will still be able to obtain supplies from pharmacists after the practice is expected to have...

Change leaves pharmacists out of pocket.(reports of finanacial study )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Many pharmacist's are missing out on maximum profits as they struggle to keep up with recent professional changes, a financial study has revealed. Contractors are failing to cash-in due to the constraints of industry red-tape on their...

New smoking cessation service.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Fifteen pharmacies in Wales have joined a new smoking cessation service modelled on the award-winning scheme developed by Ashton, Leigh & Wigan PCT. There are three levels to the service starting with advice on quit strategies and leading up to...

PSNC election challenged.(Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee)(legal issues of regional elections)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A London pharmacist has won legal approval to challenge the recent PSNC regional elections. However, financial constraints mean the judicial review is unlikely to go ahead. Ashwin Tanna is challenging PSNC's decision to exclude him from...

Campaign to raise awareness of high blood pressure.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... More than 100 pharmacies in South London are taking part in a campaign to raise awareness of high blood pressure by displaying posters and leaflets, offering information about the condition, and reassuring patients that BP tests are quick and...

Pub smokers get pharmacy help.(smoking cessation services of Co op pharmacy)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Staff at a Co-op pharmacy are offering to visit local pubs and provide quit advice following the implementation of a smoking ban in Scotland. Pub landlords can arrange for staff at the Co-op Pharmacy in Cowgate, Kirkintilloch, to advise...

PAGB PERSPECTIVE: Pharmacy must embrace POM to P switching.(pharmacy management)
April 1, 2006... Headlines about the latest statin benefit emphasise the need for pharmacy to be behind POM to P switching says Helen Darracott, director of legal and regulatory affairs at the PAGB The recent headlines in the national news flagged up the...

Opinion: Practice-based commissioning.(opinions of pharmacists)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Our question to pharmacists this week was: What is likely to be the most significant impact of practice-based commissioning? "It gives pharmacists a chance to work with GPs for the benefit of patient services." Riaz Esmail,...

COMMENT: Is this devolution gone mad?(regulations of pharmacy and pharmacy technicians)(Editorial)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Comment from the Editor The considerably overdue legislative reforms for the regulation of pharmacy are finally out for consultation. Back in 2003 the profession was fighting over its Charter: some of the urgency then was due to the...

LETTER: Support for CIO2.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... What a great idea - Choice in Oxygen! Since February 1 we have been busier than ever with our domiciliary oxygen service, servicing call outs late in the evening and very early in the morning due to lack of supply by Air Products. We...

LETTER: Patient's view on oxygen.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... The following was submitted with the Choice in Oxygen petition collected by BA Williams Chemists & Opticians of High Street, Brentford, Middlesex: We are writing to complain about the change of our oxygen supplies. After trying to get...

Northern Ireland notebook: Sense of deja vu.(objectives of Phamaceutical Society of Northern Ireland)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is setting out its vision for pharmacy, Pharmacy 20:20, looking at what community pharmacy practice should look like in the year 2020. In this way, goes the theory, pharmacy as a profession can begin to lobby...

TOPICAL REFLECTIONS: Don't abuse services for drug users.(services of pharmacies for drug users)
April 1, 2006... I don't know how many pharmacies are involved in supervised consumption and shared care schemes for drug users, but I guess we are a some way short of the 75 per cent suggested by the National Treatment Agency's new guidelines (C&D March 25,...

TOPICAL REFLECTIONS: MDS tests diplomacy skills.(diplomatic skills of pharmacists)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Pharmacists' powers of diplomacy are constantly tested as they are continually caught in the middle, trying to exert some professional expertise while keeping the parties either side of them happy and healthy. If I'm not caught between the...

GPs told to work with pharmacy.(general practitioners)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ms Kennedy appealed to doctors among the guests at last week's PSNC dinner to take note of the valuable contribution community pharmacy can make. Referring to a C&D editorial in which she was "taken to task... for being another minister...

e-script service concerns raised at PSNC dinner.(Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee)(influence of electronic prescription service )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... PSNC chairman Barry Andrews has raised concerns about "the continuing delays" in the electronic prescription service. At last Wednesday's PSNC dinner, Mr Andrews told health minister Jane Kennedy that the delay impacted on pharmacists'...

Gidley critical of minister.(Sandra Gidley)(Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating committee)(pharmacy management issues)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Pharmacist, MP, and LibDem health spokesman Sandra Gidley, has criticised the health minister for misjudging the mood of pharmacists. Commenting on the minister's performance at the PSNC dinner Ms Gidley said: "She was almost booed... she...

Oxygen concerns are repeated.(displeasure of pharmacists in handling of the home oxygen service transfer)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Pharmacy contractors have made clear to health minister Jane Kennedy their displeasure of the handling of the home oxygen service transfer. At the PSNC dinner last Wednesday, attended by over 500 LPC representatives, MPs, doctors and NHS...

Pharmacyupdate: All change in lipids.(treatment for lipid )
April 1, 2006... This article can help in the following CPD competencies: G1a, G1f, G1o, G8f, C3e, C2a. A list is available at www.uptodate.org.uk/home/PlanRecord.shtml Objectives * To be aware of the new recommendations * To know which patients are...

Medicalmatters: Vaccine for shingles ahead.(licensing of medicinal products)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A herpes zoster vaccine could be on the way, following preliminary approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). EMEA adopted a positive opinion on an initial marketing authorisation application for Zostavex. The vaccine is intended...

Medicalmatters: Omega 3 fats lack health benefits.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Omega 3 fats do not necessarily have health benefits, a systematic review has shown. Published by BMJ Online First, the review considered 89 studies. Analysis found that omega 3 fats had no effect on the incidence of cancer or...

Medicalmatters: Endorsements reminder for contractors from PPA.(Prescription Pricing Authority)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The vast majority of prescriptions do not require endorsements, the Prescription Pricing Authority has reminded contractors. In its March newsletter, the PPA states: "The only situation in which a dispensing endorsement of manufacturer or...

Scriptlines: Biatain-Ibu.(pain-reducing dressing Biatain-Ibu)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Coloplast has extended its woundcare offering with the pain-reducing dressing Biatain-Ibu (ibuprofen 0.5mg per cm2). Aimed at patients with chronic wounds, such as leg ulcers and pressure sores, the dressings are designed to absorb large...

Scriptlines: Exelon.(Exelon capsules and oral solution licensed)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Exelon capsules and oral solution (rivastigmine) have been licensed for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's dementia and mild to moderately severe dementia in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. For...

Scriptlines: Zanidip.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Recordati has added a 20mg strength to its Zanidip range (lercanidipine hydrochloride). Price: #11.00 Pack Size: 28 tablets Pip code: 290-5768 Recordati Pharmaceuticals Ltd Tel: 01784 224210 Copyright: CMP Information...

Scriptlines: Powergel.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Powergel (ketoprofen) has been launched in 50g and 100g pump dispenser packs. Pack size, pip code and price information: 50g 255-5845 #3.22, 100g 255- 5852 #6.18 A Menarini Pharma UK Tel: 01628 856400 Copyright: CMP Information...

Scriptlines: Rating Halal.(Halal certification)(Abbott Nutrition)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Abbott Nutrition's core range has received Halal certification from the Islamic Food & Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), says the company. The range approved by IFANCA includes Ensure Plus (yoghurts and milkshakes), Enrich, Enrich...

Scriptlines: ORS recipe.(oral rehydration salts)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A new formula for the manufacture of oral rehydration salts has been agreed by the World Health Organization and Unicef. Containing less glucose and sodium, the formula enables quicker absorption of fluids and reduces the need for...

Scriptlines: Forceval and Pragmatar.(Forceval Protein Powder chocolate, and Pragmatar cream)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Alliance Pharmaceuticals has announced the discontinuation of two products: Forceval Protein Powder chocolate, and Pragmatar cream (cetyl alcohol-coal tar distillate, precipitated sulphur, salicylic acid). The Forceval nutritional...

Scriptlines: Mabron.(Morningside Healthcare Ltd )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Morningside Healthcare has introduced Mabron, a range of prolonged- release tramadol hydrochloride tablets. Available in 100mg, 150mg and 200mg strengths, Mabron is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe pain in adults and...

Marketwatch: Guide to talking openly with parents.(product introduction)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Calpol has launched a guide to encourage better communication between parents and healthcare professionals in primary care. The Partnering with Parents guide was created after considering the views of parents, grandparents and experts in...

Marketwatch: On TrueTrack for some smart glucose monitoring.(ADL Healthcare Diagnostics)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The TrueTrack Smart System blood glucose meter has been launched by ADL Healthcare Diagnostics. The code chipped meter uses a 1 l blood sample per test and a result is produced within 10 seconds. The meter features a 365 reading memory...

Marketwatch: Energy boosters from the mountains of Norway.(Waveney Health)(product introduction)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Rosenroot and Fburn are two new supplements available from Waveney Health. Containing herbal ingredients grown in the mountains of Norway, both products are said to boost energy levels and increase levels of antioxidants in the body. ...

Marketwatch: Colgate takes Time to add two pastes.(Vitamin E Sensitive Multi Protection and Multi Protection )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Colgate has launched two toothpastes. Time Control is clinically proven to protect the exposed root area against cavities, says Colgate. Vitamin E is included in the formulation to help fortify gums and to prevent them receding further. ...

Marketwatch: Keeping tags on patients.
April 1, 2006... Next of Kin International's Medical ID Tag range has been extended with the launch of four products covering allergies, asthma, epilepsy and heart conditions. In the event of an emergency, the tags give details of the patient's...

Marketwatch: Suncare promotion offers to follow Australia's lead.(Crawford Pharmaceuticals)(suncare brand)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Sunsense, Australia's leading suncare brand, is being promoted this summer with a range of media activities. Marketed in the UK by Crawford Pharmaceuticals, the brand will also benefit from extended distribution. Women's magazines will...

Marketwatch: The joy of Voltarol.(Voltarol P Emulgel)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Voltarol P Emulgel is to benefit from a #750,000 campaign through the spring, coinciding with the new season of activity-related sprains and strains. Advertising will appear in the press, on television and on radio promoting the message...

Marketwatch: Take Comfort in Bic's adventure.(Bic Soleil shaver)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Bic's on-pack promotion on Comfort 3 shavers is hoping to catch the attention of 16-35 year old men with a taste for adventure. Promotional packs carry a code to be checked on a dedicated website. All participants will win a buy one get one...

Marketwatch: Tanning trio go hand in glove.(NutriSummer)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... NutriSummer is a new moisturising body lotion with a hint of self-tan from L'Oreal Paris. The product builds a golden glow or prolongs an existing tan and can be used twice daily, says L'Oreal. Two variants are available: Fair and Medium. ...

Marketwatch - Inbrief: Enhancing lashes.(XXFibre Base Coat White Fibre Mascara )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... XXFibre Base Coat White Fibre Mascara is being introduced this month by Miss Sporty. The product is used as an undercoat and applied under conventional mascara to boost body and volume. For more information: Price: #2.79 Coty Tel:...

Q&A: Section what?
April 1, 2006... Graham Phillips, RPSGB Council member, answers questions on the Government's draft new legislation for pharmacy - the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Order published this week - and tells us why pharmacists at the coal-face should take...

Conference report: Money talks.(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... Contract funding and MURs were the hot topics at this year's LPC Conference. Gary Paragpuri and Asha Fowells were there Negotiations with the Department of Health over next year's funding for the pharmacy contract are "well advanced",...

Conference report: Conference briefs.(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... * 9,916 pharmacists are accredited to do MURs * Contract's patient satisfaction survey is due 2006-07 * Staff at National Prescription Research Centre will face redundancies as ETP roll out will end manual script checking function ...

Conference report: Sharpe on oxygen.(conferences of pharmacies)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... * "Probably the greatest source of unhappiness this year." * Health minister David Lammy announced the change in 2003 * Pharmacy's professionalism in helping patients appreciated locally and nationally * Issue raised in Parliament...

Conference report: Contract issues still to be resolved.(conferences of pharmacies)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... Key areas of the new pharmacy contract in England and Wales still need to be addressed, the chairman of pharmacy's negotiating body has claimed. Contract monitoring by primary care trusts, the roll out of the electronic prescription...

Conference report: Sharpe on enhanced services.(conferences of pharmacies)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... The pricing of enhanced services was a major frustration, said Sue Sharpe. There were real dangers in identifying prices for enhanced services, including: * The value of any service locally will depend on its importance to the PCT and on...

Conference report: Pills, bills and contract funding.(conferences of pharmacies)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... It is impractical and unsafe for pharmacists or their staff to sort out patient returned medicines, said Durham LPC's Noel Dixon. The task of splitting hazardous and non-hazardous waste in patient returns is not only time-consuming, but...

Conference report: J'accuse.(conferences of pharmacies)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... David Kent, Camden & Islington Local Pharmaceutical Committee secretary, delivered a presentation entitled `J'accuse'. Mr Kent described the new pharmacy contract's funding model as "disgracefully discriminatory" to contractors dispensing less...

Conference report: Question and answer session.(conferences of pharmacies)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2006... MURs Sue Sharpe Any MUR underspend this year will form part of negotiations for next year's funding. "We are optimistic we will get carry forward of that money." PCTs can use `unspent' MUR monies as they wish but MURs are part of the...

Business indicators: Interest maintained.(consumer spending)
April 1, 2006... As consumer price inflation stays close to target, the Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold. Peter Varley reports Although the recovery in consumer spending is still fragile, and the outlook for capital investment by business...

Budget: Enter Number 10.(reports of budgeting)
April 1, 2006... Anne Hutchings looks at what the Chancellor's tenth and possibly last Budget might mean for you Described by Gordon Brown as "A Budget for Britain's Future", the focus was largely on education, sport and the environment. With NHS job cuts...

Budget: Rubber stamped.(tax reduction on contraceptives)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Chancellor reduced tax from 17.5 to five per cent on contraceptives, in line with Superdrug's `sex tax cut' campaign to reclassify condoms as an essential rather than a luxury item. A Treasury spokesman said: "This VAT reduction fits with...

Budget: Economic forecasts for 2006/07.(table)(Table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Economic forecasts for 2006/07 Growth (Gross Domestic Product) 2-2.5% Health Spending #96 billion Government Spending #552 billion Public Sector Year End Net Debt #493 billion Social...

BACK ISSUES: Down to a tee.(Nucare's annual golf tournament)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... If you fancy your chances as a budding Tiger Woods or Michelle Wie, you might like to join Nucare's exclusive annual golf tournament, which starts at a club near you in May. Sponsored by Teva and Alpharma, Nucare's Golf Tournament - open...

BACK ISSUES: Camera, lights, action.(theatre set designs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Co-op Pharmacy on Town Street, Beeston in Leeds, is taking a starring role at the city's Courtyard Theatre within the West Yorkshire Playhouse. The interior of the pharmacy, photographed by Keith Pattison, provides a backdrop to a scene in...

BACK ISSUES: Food for thought.(Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The date of this year's PSNC dinner (with its free flowing vino) coincided with the Budget statement. Noting this, PSNC chairman Barry Andrews claimed it was "a masterstroke of forward planning. How many organisations manage to hold their...

BACK ISSUES: Dispensing technician is soul diva for a night.(cancer research funding)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Bev Liptrot, a 43-year-old dispensing technician at the United Co-op Health Care pharmacy in Castleton, near Rochdale, has realised a lifetime's ambition by singing in public for the first time, in aid of Cancer Research UK. Accompanied on...

Concerns raised over regulatory changes.(Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain rules)
April 8, 2006... The RPSGB has highlighted 14 areas of concern in the proposed section 60 Order that pharmacists may wish to feature in any response they may make to the consultation (C&D, March 25, p4). As well as commenting on which aspects of the...

Technicians support Scottish concerns.(pharmacy technicians)(raising standards of technician)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... Senior pharmacy technicians in Scotland have raised "grave concerns" in relation to the prospect of different or no regulatory arrangements for pharmacy technicians working in Scotland. In a statement from the Association of Pharmacy...

Not yet for Northern Ireland.(pharmacy legislation)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... Northern Ireland is also aiming to modernise its pharmacy legislation, but is unlikely to see a change in the short term, commented Brendon Kerr, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. Legislative differences require...

C&D delivers oxygen petitions.
April 8, 2006... Thank you for all your petitions supporting our Choice in Oxygen campaign. We have presented them to the health minister Jane Kennedy. Over 3,300 signatures have been collected, from patients as well as GPs, and MPs have been raising the...

Fears over duplication raised.(Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... Extending NHS fitness to practise processes may risk duplication, the RPSGB has warned. In a letter to the DH, RPSGB chief inspector, Jackie Giltrow, said the Society maintains its position that PCTs should exercise their duties equitably,...

Inbrief: April NCSOs.(The Department of Health and the National Assembly for Wales have agreed to allow NCSO endorsements )(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... The Department of Health and the National Assembly for Wales have agreed to allow NCSO endorsements for the following items for April 2006 prescriptions: diamorphine 5mg,100mg and 500mg injection ampoules; and ketoprofen 100mg capsules. ...

Inbrief: New ballot papers.(The Royal Pharmaceutical Society)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is reissuing ballot papers for this year's Council election. The grey ballot form had been inadvertently distributed to pharmacy technicians who are ineligible to vote for pharmacists on Council. The...

Inbrief: Shop till midnight.(Boots)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... Boots has announced plans to have 60 "midnight" pharmacies up and running by the end of 2006. Eight stores - Leeds, Bradford, Peterborough, Watford, London Piccadilly Circus, Sheffield, Oxford and Milton Keynes - have already started...

Prescription charge.
April 8, 2006... Health minister Dr Brian Gibbons celebrates the lower #3 prescription charge that came into force in Wales last weekend. It represents the latest in a series of steps towards free prescriptions for all in Wales. Copyright: CMP Information...

Oxygen crisis blamed for Welsh MUR shortfall.(medicines use reviews)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... Community Pharmacy Wales is warning that funding for advanced services may be hit if contractors cannot increase the number of medicines use reviews they are doing. Partly blaming the oxygen crisis for the poor MUR take-up in Wales, CPW...

Funding for the oxygen service to be available.(Welsh health minister Brian Gibbons promised funding)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... In a letter to Welsh contractors, Welsh health minister Brian Gibbons has confirmed that funding for the oxygen service, from a non-cash limited budget, would be available to meet historic levels of funding. This could be used for restoring...

SFO begins legal cases on price fixing.(Serious Fraud Office)(Brief article)
April 8, 2006... The Serious Fraud Office has begun criminal proceedings against nine individuals and five companies alleging conspiracy to defraud in relation to the pricing and supply of warfarin, the branded product Marevan, and penicillin-based antibiotics...