Chemist & Druggist articles from January 2002

Chemist & Druggist archives from January 2002

HAs may be compelled to explain pilot choices.
January 5, 2002... Health authorities will most likely have to justify why they have not accepted outline proposals for local pharmaceutical service pilots, according to a draft Government document. However, "satisfactory" pilot proposals may be approved on...

DoH backs scripts for pets.(Department of Health, prescriptions)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The Government has supported proposals that vets should issue prescriptions rather than just supply pet owners directly with medicines. However, it would prefer not to legislate to make this happen. Instead it supports the view that vets...

GSL amendments issued.(General Sales List)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Regulations relating to the General Sales List status of aspirin 75mg, liquid ibuprofen, cetirizine, loratidine, and ibuprofen lysine have been issued. Coming into force on December 24, 2001, the regulations amend the GSL by: *...

Drugs bill forecast to grow 10pc.(per cent)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2002... The drugs bill for this financial year is forecast to grow 10 per cent compared to an average of 8 per cent over the last five years. The increase has been attributed to guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and...

NHS to use more herbal remedies.(National Health Service)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Herbal remedies are to be promoted for use on the NHS under plans by Health Secretary Alan Milburn to increase access to alternative therapies. Whitehall sources said GPs are likely to be paid to refer patients for alternative therapy...

NICE issues advice to GPs on referrals.(National Institute for Clinical Excellence)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has issued a guide on appropriate referral practice to the NHS in England and Wales. The publication, Referral Advice, covers 11 common conditions but is not intended as formal NICE guidance....

Clinical governance - an opportunity, not a threat.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... NPA chief executive John D'Arcy explains what clinical governance means to community pharmacists Clinical governance is a key Government priority for the new NHS and is one of the "buzz" NHS expressions on the lips of virtually all...

Special Award for Innovation.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The National Pharmaceutical Association was presented with a Special Award for Innovation for its Pharmacy Services Level 3 NVQ for dispensing technicians. At the National Training Awards ceremony, held in December, the NPA was one of only...

Council appointee.(Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Dr Tony McGleenan has been appointed to the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. A lawyer specialising in the field of public law, Dr McGleenan is the Queen's University appointee. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

CMO is knighted.(chief medical officer at Department of Health)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Professor Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer at the Department of Health, has been knighted in the New Year's Honours. There were no awards honouring people specifically for services to pharmacy or the pharmaceutical industry. ...

DoH promises to cover pharmicists' ETP costs.(Department of Health)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The Department of Health is promising to cover the cost pharmacists are likely to incur in order to get their computer systems ready for the electronic transfer of prescriptions. A DoH spokesman said that once the pilots had been completed,...

Better data on drug industry.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Data based on 46 newly-developed performance indicators for the pharmaceutical industry suggests that the UK has a comparatively strong scientific research base, and an impressive record of pharmaceutical innovation. But it also shows a slow...

Sankyo takes back price rise.(Column)
January 5, 2002... Sankyo Pharma has over-turned the recent price increase on Propain capsules. For full details, check the January 5 Price List supplement, and ignore the prices in the current January Price List. Sankyo apologises for any inconvenience...

NCC relocate branch in Corby.(National Co-operative Chemists)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... National Co-operative Chemists (NCC) has relocated its town centre branch in Corby, Northamptonshire into a new healthcare centre adjacent to an ambulance station. One of the main aims of the new 1,800ft2 pharmacy, which is located in the...

Bioglan to be `rescued'.(Solareze rights transfer)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... A rescue plan has been agreed for embattled biotechnology company Bioglan, involving its competitors SkyePharma and Quintiles and the company's banks. The agreement centres on Bioglan's European, US, Canadian and Mexican marketing rights...

Generics firms face fines over lack of sales data.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The Department of Health is set to fine generic manufacturers if they don't supply the requested information relating to certain product sales by January 31. A statutory instrument has been passed in which the Government is asking for...

Gehe director in charge of European wholesaling.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Gehe AG is transferring overall responsibility for its European wholesale business to Jacques Ambonville, a French pharmacist who has been a Gehe board member since 1995. Mr Ambonville is currently chief executive of OCP group and is...

Comment from the Editor.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Happy New Year, and it looks like being an interesting one! After appearing to mark time for much of 2001, a number of important initiatives are now running concurrently. The Department of Health has started sounding out key groups about the...

YOUR VIEWS: A formula everyone can benefit from.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Kalpesh Patel, chairman of Bucks LPC, says new community pharmacy services are within our grasp, given proper Government support and a flexible approach Pharmacy contractors in England and Wales are justifiably angry, let down by a...

Raising new hopes for the New Year.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Another year gone and the new year is radiant in its promises. I have been re-reading my contributions for 2001 and am disappointed with my negativity, so much so that I would like to apologise. This year, I shall stop moaning and be more...

More questions than answers so far for 2002.(pharmacy regulations)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Well, that's it. Christmas and the New Year are over for another year. Whether my business can now return to "normal running" remains uncertain, as 2002 promises to be anything other than normal. The high hopes of 2001 have not yet been...

Let's get under one umbrella.(pharmacists need a single organization to represent them)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 5, 2002... My dispensary technician is a member of the old school and originally qualified as a technician via membership of the Society of Apothecaries. Responsibility for training then passed to City & Guilds, BTechs and finally to NVQs. But in all this...

Praise at last.(report on medicines management in hospitals)
January 5, 2002... Praise at last for the value of pharmacy has come from the Audit Commission in its report on medicines management in hospitals Santa Claus delivered an early present in the form of the Audit Commission's report A Spoonful of Sugar -...

Is the future in the pharmacy?(Editorial)
January 5, 2002... Dr Terry Maguire argues that pharmaceutical care should be based in community pharmacies - despite pressures to locate it elsewhere Recently I attended the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP). The conference,...

Pungent protector.
January 5, 2002... At this time of year, many of your customers may be taking garlic in the belief it prevents colds. But Professor Edzard Ernst says garlic's best researched use is in lowering cholesterol Garlic has been used for medicinal purposes for...

Patients unaware of asthma severity.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Some 91 per cent of UK asthma patients mistakenly believe their asthma is under control, despite demonstrating high levels of uncontrolled symptoms. According to the survey Living & Breathing Asthma: Putting Patients First, which was...

Sibutramine fails to gain DTB support.(Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Reductil (sibutramine), a treatment for obesity, is "difficult and impractical to use" according to the latest Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. "We find it difficult to recommend the drug's use," says the review, despite the National...

Ibuprofen blocks aspirin.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The concomitant administration of ibuprofen antagonises the irreversible platelet inhibition induced by aspirin, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine. Consequently, patients with increased cardiovascular risk may be...

Widespread effects of pain.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Nearly one quarter of people in a survey (23 per cent) have experienced chronic pain, defined as a painful condition lasting more than three months. One-tenth have a partner who has experienced chronic pain and 15 per cent have had a close...

Women trump men in the willpower stakes.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2002... Women are more likely than men to make the decision to give up smoking. Of the 132,500 people who set a quit date, 58 per cent are women, according to Government figures for smoking cessation services for the year ending March 2001. ...

Global unity needed against resistance.(antibiotic resistance)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Governments and healthcare professionals around the world have been urged to combat the problems of rapidly increasing antibiotic resistance with the release of the first global white paper, entitled Bacterial Resistance in Respiratory Tract...

BSE risk unlikely with polio vaccine.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Current or past batches of oral polio vaccine (OPV) do not carry a risk of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, says the DoH. The statement follows an investigation into two cases of vCJD in Southampton, who were given OPV in 1994 that had...

The Centrum message takes to the airwaves.(advertising for vitamins)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... A new series of radio commercials for the Centrum multimineral- multivitamin range will be on the airwaves from January 21 until February 10. The advertising is designed to communicate the brand's new "feel good" positioning. It will...

Nivea smoothes the way.(skin lotion)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Beiersdorf has developed a new complex for its three Nivea Visage Q10 anti-wrinkle skincare products. The company claims that its new Q10 Plus complex reduces the depth of wrinkles in four weeks and leaves the skin smoother, firmer and more...

A new Dimension to Lynx toiletries.(men's toiletries)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Lever Faberge is launching a fragrance variant for its Lynx men's toiletry range. Lynx Dimension is available as a deodorant bodyspray, antiperspirant deodorant roll-on, deodorant stick, revitalising shower gel and aftershave. The...

Simply regenerate.(skin lotion)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Accantia Health & Beauty is extending its Simple sensitive skincare range with the launch of two Regeneration Moisturisers. Regeneration Day Defence Moisture Lotion is formulated to help protect sensitive skin from the ageing effects of...

Timotei is up in lights.(Lever Faberge haircare products)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Lever Faberge is adding a camomile variant to its Timotei haircare range. Timotei Golden Highlights Camomile shampoo and conditioner contain natural extract of camomile - known for its lightening properties. The company says its tests...

Impulse blasts off with Moongrass.(perfume from Lever Faberge)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Lever Faberge is introducing a new fragrance in its Impulse body spray range with the launch of Moongrass. The company describes the variant as a cool, revitalising fragrance that will "help you feel energised, uplifted and ready for...

Rosy future for Woods of Windsor.(perfume introduced)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Woods of Windsor will launch a rose fragrance collection in March. True Rose is a sophisticated light yet warm fragrance. The range comprises 18 products including Parfum de Toilette, Body Spray, Body Moisturiser and Conditioning Hand &...

Heartburn tips.(leaflet from Johnson and Johnson)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Johnson & Johnson has produced a consumer information leaflet for its Pepcidtwo heartburn and indigestion treatment. The leaflet includes tips on avoiding excess acid problems. Free copies are available to pharmacists. For more...

Clean sweep.(ads for Dove from Lever Faberge)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Dove Bar will be advertised on TV for the next two months in the first part of a #35 million campaign for the total Dove brand during 2002. For more information: Lever Faberge Tel: 020 8439 6100. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Fit for 2002.(Coty markets deodorants, shower gels)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Coty has signed up celebrity personal trainer Matt Roberts for an endorsement deal to support its new adidas Performance range of deodorants and shower gels. The adidas Performance and Matt Roberts Guide to Top Performance will be promoted in a...

Schar change.(Nutrition Point products)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... On January 1, Nutrition Point took over the responsibility for Schar gluten-free, wheat-free products in the UK and Ireland. For more information: Nutrition Point Tel: 07041 544044. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Skin deep.(TV ads for skin lotion)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Lever Faberge is supporting Vaseline Intensive Care Dermacare moisturising lotion with national TV and press advertising from this month.The aim of the campaign is to create a clear position for Dermacare within the Vaseline Intensive Care...

Expulin update.(cough syrup discontinued)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Shire Pharmaceuticals is discontinuing the 100ml size of Expulin Chesty Cough product due to low demand. All other sizes can still be ordered as usual. For more information: Shire Pharmaceutical Development Ltd Tel: 01256 894000. ...

Senokot dreams.(ads for sleep aid)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Senokot will be on TV this month backed by a #600,000 advertising campaign. Two versions of the brand's "dreams" commercial are running on ITV, Channel 4 and Satellite in January and February. The commercials feature the strapline "Natural...

Cetraben pumps up the action for eczema sufferers.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Sankyo Pharma is launching a licensed emollient cream for the relief of eczema in primary and secondary care. Cetraben Emollient Cream is an oil in water emollient preparation and soap substitute formulated to optimise patient compliance....

Breathe easy with holistic aromatherapy blend.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... The Tisserand Aromatherapy Clear Breathe range is being extended with two new products formulated to help alleviate sinus congestion, bronchitis, colds and flu. Clear Breathe Inhaler and Clear Breathe Vapour Rub both contain an...

Adams backs its sugar-free sweets.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Halls Mentho-Lyptus Sugar-Free Cherry and Original medicated sweets are being promoted with a #100,000 magazine campaign this month. This is the first time that Adams has specifically supported the brand's sugar- free varieties. The...

DoH campaign targets New Year quitters.
January 5, 2002... The Government has launched a hard-hitting advertising campaign designed to encourage smokers to give up the habit in the New Year. The Department of Health's "Don't give up giving up smoking" campaign urges potential quitters to ring the...

National Assembly for Wales - Appointment.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Andrea Robinson, chair of the Welsh Executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, has been appointed to the newly established panel that will advise the National Assembly for Wales on substance abuse issues. Copyright: CMP Information...

Doncaster and South Humberside NHS Trust - Appointment.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Pharmacist Madeleine Keyworth has been appointed chairman of the Doncaster and South Humberside NHS Trust. She was formerly chair of South Humber HA. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Ivax Pharmaceuticals - Appointments.(Simon Clark and Amanda Lealman)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... Simon Clark has been appointed commercial director at Ivax Pharmaceuticals, with responsibility for sales and marketing in the UK across both the branded and generic divisions. Amanda Lealman has been appointed customer loyalty manager. ...

Royal Pharmceutical Society - Appointment.
January 5, 2002... Joanne Shaw is to be the new director of a concordance and patient partnership programme based at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The programme will focus on how partnership between patients and prescribers can improve patients' health and...

Phoenix Healthcare - Appointments.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2002... There have been a raft of new appointments at Phoenix Healthcare. As a result of David Heron being appointed general manager for Scotland, Ged Kelly has taken responsibility for the Burnley and Penrith depots. Ken Greer moves from Burnley and...

Christmas crackers bare (not quite) all for charity.(Trent Health Enterprises' staff's nude calendar)
January 5, 2002... If you want to raise some money for charity and attract publicity for your pharmacy you could do worse than follow the example of the staff at Trent Health Enterprises pharmacy in Werrington, near Stoke-on- Trent. Mind you, you might need a bit...

A message from Scrooge.
January 5, 2002... Our Members of Parliament continue to battle to extend exemption from prescription charges to the unfortunate 10-15 per cent of those who still have to pay. However, Tim Heald got little comfort when he asked in a written parliamentary question...

DoH defends fraudbuster results.
January 12, 2002... More than 13,000 penalty charge notices for prescription charge evasion have been issued since their introduction in August last year. The Department of Health has defended the Government's record on fraud in the NHS following a report in...

Blears confirms annual pay drop.
January 12, 2002... Health minister Hazel Blears has confirmed that pharmacy pay is decreasing in value. "We forecast that the average value of the basic dispensing fees paid to pharmacy contractors for prescriptions dispensed in 2001-02 will be 93.2 pence, a...

Medicines pilot gets approval.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... The Multi-centre Research Ethics Committee (MREC) has approved the community pharmacy medicines management pilot being led by PSNC. The next stage is for details to go to local research ethics committees in the nine areas involved, so they...

Minister delays pay review reply.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Health minister Hazel Blears has so far been unable to justify the procedure used in deciding the pharmacy contractors' remuneration package. At the beginning of December, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee wrote to the...

Happy 40th birthday, ibuprofen.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... The International Ibuprofen Foundation is organising a conference called Ibuprofen Through the Ages: Past, Present and Future later this year, to mark the 40th anniversary of ibuprofen's patent. Leading international scientists will address...

Ibuprofen officially 40 years old.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Ibuprofen is officially 40 years old today. Patent no 971,700, which covered ibuprofen and its properties, was filed on January 12 1962. Dr Stewart Adams (far right and, in his younger days, left), who was the principal researcher behind the...

UKCPA welcomes Audit report.(United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... The United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association has welcomed the Audit Commission's report on medicines management in NHS hospitals - A Spoonful of Sugar (C&D, January 5, p16). In order to tackle the major problem of medication-related...

TV portrayal of EHC sale `unfair'.(sale of emergency contraception to under-age girls)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... A pharmacist was unfairly treated in a television expose on the sale of emergency contraception to under-age girls, according to a ruling by the Broadcasting Standards Commission. David Taylor complained to the BSC about secretly filmed...

Controlled drugs regs updated.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... A new set of regulations coming into force on February 1 updates the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1985. The main changes in the new set of regulations are as follows: * The inclusion in Schedule 4 Part I of the new regulations of the 33...

Sharpe questions draft LPS guidance.(Sue Sharpe, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee; local pharmaceutical services)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Sue Sharpe, pictured, is concerned that Government guidance being formulated on local pharmaceutical services (LPS) schemes lacks details of financial incentives for pharmacists. A draft document, which is on limited circulation for...

Modernisation group announced by Society.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has announced the membership of its modernisation steering group. The group will propose methods for modernising the Society's regulatory function and capitalising on its role in professional leadership....

Getting the message on antibiotics.(Department of Health education campaign against overuse of antibiotics)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... The latest Department of Health public education campaign, which reinforces the message that antibiotics should not be used to treat coughs and colds, includes posters and leaflets which will be sent to pharmacies and GP surgeries and adverts...

Moss Pharmacy welcomes new superintendent.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Tricia Kennerley has taken over the position of Moss Pharmacy's superintendent pharmacist from Steve Duncan, the pharmacy chain's managing director. Ms Kennerley will also retain her current position as Moss' NHS services director. ...

UniChem - Appointment.(Tony Foreman named to UniChem board)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Tony Foreman, managing director of OTC Direct, a UniChem subsidiary, has been appointed to the UniChem board. OTC Direct was launched in 1997 and specialises in the distribution of generics and parallel imports. Copyright: CMP Information...

Diabetes training for pharmacists.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Pharmacists will be expected to live the life of a patient with diabetes as part of their preparation for a training course developed by the pharmaceutical industry and diabetes specialists. Improving Glycaemic Control Through Patient...

Clicklocum provides locum service for pharmology website.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Clicklocum, the online locum agency owned by private health insurer BUPA, is providing its service for pharmology.com. A link on pharmology.com's homepage takes registered users through to a framed clicklocum home page, which means that...

Acquisition boosts Ransom division.(deal with Roche)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Hertfordshire-based pharmaceutical company William Ransom has boosted its consumer healthcare division with the acquisition of four OTC brands from Roche (see also Marketwatch, p.28). The #6.75 million deal involves all formats of Radian B,...

Data protection scam uncovered.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Trading standards officers are looking into the practices of a company trading under the name of Data Protection Agency Services Limited or Data Collection Enforcement Agency. Pharmacists are being advised not to use the company's services...

No Christmas sales boost.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Pharmacists have seen no significant benefits from what was generally described as a bumper Christmas, the Confederation of the British Industry's Distributive Trades Survey reveals. Only 31 per cent of pharmacists reported higher sales in...

Multiples AIM high.(Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Small and medium-sized pharmacy multiples in England and Scotland have formed two organisations to represent their interests because they feel let down by current representative groups. Fourteen multiples in England, including Day Lewis,...

Comment from the Editor.(Editorial)
January 12, 2002... There is one law for the rich, and one for the poor, but for those who fall between, justice can be hard to find. Medium-size pharmacy multiples claim to suffer from the same problem when it comes to representation of their political and...

Letter: IPMI workforce survey 2002.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2002... Having agreed with the Institute of Pharmacy Management to conduct our 12th workforce survey, I have this week posted copies of the survey questionnaire to around 150 pharmacy group owners. They have between them around 4,500 pharmacies and...

Letter: No direct supplies for independents.(Letter to the Editor)
January 12, 2002... This week a patient brought into us an FP10 for Innolet Insulin. She had attempted to obtain it from our local Boots branch which was out of stock, but had suggested she try us. Our wholesaler was out of stock and we phoned the distributor,...

Pharmacy IT - which way forward?
January 12, 2002... A recent visit to a colleague in a community pharmacy was most enlightening. He has just updated his computerised labelling and stock control system and had to choose from a bewildering array of software packages. Would that we in hospital had...

A NICE comment is worth the wait.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... In an NHS strapped for cash the Health Secretary Alan Milburn not only wants to encourage GPs to refer patients to alternative therapies but is proposing to pay them extra to achieve it (C&D January 5, p7). At the same time he has...

Clinical governance and the new contract.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Clinical governance is an area of concern for me so I was grateful for such a clear explanation of its meaning and implication by NPA chief executive, John D'Arcy (C&D January 5, p8). I am always trying to improve my quality of care and I am...

Coming your way - the euro.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2002... Last week saw the Europe-wide introduction of the euro. At last the charade of having to change to different currencies as borders are crossed will be removed. The only losers are the bureaux de change. This revolution would be all the more...