Chemist & Druggist articles from June 2003

Chemist & Druggist archives from June 2003

Council responds to SGM.
June 7, 2003... The strength of feeling shown at the SGM prompted the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council into making several key decisions at its meeting on Wednesday. These include: * acknowledging members' concerns which were raised at the SGM...

Late news - new president.
June 7, 2003... Council has elected Dr Gillian Hawksworth as the RPSGB's new president. Dr Hawksworth replaces Marshall Davies, who steps down after serving two years. Alison Ewing has been elected vice-president, and Linda Stone is the Society's new...

SGM demands a radical rethink.
June 7, 2003... Pharmacists have sent a strong message to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council that they are not happy with the Society's modernisation agenda. At a sometimes stormy special general meeting of between 330 and 500 pharmacists in...

RPSGB is `failing pharmacists'.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is failing to represent pharmacists' interests to government, AAH group managing director Steve Dunn said this week. He accused the RPSGB of "abrogating its responsibility for placing pharmacy at the...

OFT: keep up the pressure on MPs.
June 7, 2003... PSNC has placed an advert in a parliamentary magazine highlighting the value of community pharmacists in a bid to keep the campaign against the OFT's proposal to deregulate pharmacies in the spotlight. The advert, in last week's The House...

Local trends.
June 7, 2003... HRH The Duke of York took some good advice recently, after meeting Isle of Sheppey pharmacist Jayesh Patel at the official opening of the Sheppey Community Hospital on May 27. Mr Patel's community pharmacy, The Sheppey Hospital Pharmacy, is...

DoH seeks changes to appliance contractor payments.
June 7, 2003... The Government is to examine the way that appliance contractors are paid following concerns about whether they represent value for money. In particular, the DoH says "concern has been expressed about certain aspects of the arrangements...

Amoxycillin recall.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Alpharma Limited is recalling Amoxycillin Mixture BP 250mg per 5ml (batch number 02K078) because it has been labelled with a mixture of 125mg per 5ml and 250mg per 5ml labels. The affected batch, manufactured by Athlone Laboratories, is...

Scots seek Charter assurances.
June 7, 2003... Scottish pharmacists have expressed concern over the continuing existence of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Scottish Executive and the security of the Society's Scottish headquarters at the latest Charter roadshow. Several speakers...

Study finds shared prescribing common.
June 7, 2003... Nearly half of all primary care organisations share a prescribing formulary with the secondary healthcare sector, according to a survey conducted by Pharmacy Management. Of 220 PCOs questioned, 47 per cent said they shared a formulary with...

Concern over GP closures.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Essex Local Pharmaceutical Committee is concerned about the increasing tendency for GP surgeries to close on Saturdays, putting pressure on pharmacists. The LPC has written to primary care trusts, asking them to consider GP closure...

EU keeps ad restrictions.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... The European Parliament has upheld restrictions on the advertising of prescription medicines by drug companies. In 2002 the European Commission suggested the drug manufacturers should be able to provide `disease education information' to...

ABPI justifies drug data supply.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... The pharmaceutical industry should not be excluded from providing product information just because it is the provider of the product, the ABPI is asserting in response to claims that doctors and drug companies are "entwined in an embrace of...

The one-a-day debate.(Editorial)
June 7, 2003... PAGB director Sheila Kelly considers the public's approach to a healthy diet and the need for VMS Reduce your fat intake, keep sodium intake down, increase fibre, eat oily fish, avoid foods with added sugar - the list goes on. The last...

AAH launches CPD guide.
June 7, 2003... A four-section guide to continuing professional development for pharmacists has been launched by AAH Pharmaceuticals. The guide aims to help pharmacists meet professional requirements for continued learning in their daily practice. As...

LPS live in Trafford North.
June 7, 2003... A local pharmaceutical services contract between the Lostock Pharmacy in Stretford, Manchester and the PCT went live on June 1. Under LPS the pharmacy will provide targeted domiciliary services, medicines management and medication review,...

KPMG calls for single EU list pricing instead of PIs.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... European pharmaceutical companies should set an EU-wide price for their drugs, but with the flexibility to negotiate national contracts, professional services firm KPMG says, as part of a raft of proposed measures designed to kill the market...

Minority shareholders will not stop Wella bid.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Procter & Gamble is vowing to push ahead with its takeover plans for Wella, irrespective of how many shares it acquires from minority shareholders. The initial tender offer for Wella shares, which closed at the end of May, yielded just...

Boots to go store shopping on Oxford St.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Boots is said to be close to signing the lease on a new flagship store on London's Oxford Street. The new store, which is expected to replace one of five already on Oxford Street, will be located close to Bond Street Underground, according...

Hostile bid shakes S&N Centerpulse plans.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... US orthopaedics company Zimmer has outbid Smith & Nephew with a #2.04 billion approach for Swiss firm Centerpulse. The conditional offer is being considered by Centerpulse which said in a statement that "on a number of occasions it had...

Lilly brings #110m spend to the UK.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... American pharmaceutical manufacturer Lilly is to invest #110 million over the next five years to expand its operations in South East England. The sum of #40m is earmarked to create a European headquarters and centre for excellence in...

Hewitt probes `rewards for failure' contracts.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Hot on the heels of the much-publicised shareholder revolt at GSK's agm last month, trade & industry secretary Patricia Hewitt has launched a new consultation exercise looking at the issue of directors' contracts and so-called `rewards for...

Avicenna advice.
June 7, 2003... Avicenna is running a series of seminars on Investing for the Future starting on June 11 at the HSBC Canary Wharf building at 6 Canada Square, London. The evening will include three presentations on equity investment, fixed interest...

Logistics convention.
June 7, 2003... The Institute of Logistics and Transport's ILT 2003 logistics event takes place at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham from June 17-18. CBI director-general Digby Jones will give the keynote opening address. For more details or to...

Enquiries unravelled.
June 7, 2003... If the raft of new directory enquiries services are giving you a headache, visit www.newdirectoryenquiries.com where some service providers have combined to give further information. This list is not exhaustive however, as providers offer...

Pharmacos set up as insurers.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Seven US and European pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, have set up their own mutual insurance company in a move designed to cut insurance costs. The new Bermuda-based Pharmaceutical Insurance Ltd (PHIL)...

TB research facility.(AstraZeneca)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... AstraZeneca has also opened a tuberculosis research facility in Bangalore, India. The company will be investing around US$30 million over the next five years in laboratory and operations costs. TB affects two million people in India each year,...

Boost for small businesses.
June 7, 2003... Government plans to make the UK a small businessperson's dream get a boost with the Annual Business Plan for the Small Business Service (SBS). The document positions the agency as "an influencer and centre of expertise on small business...

Another way forward for the Society.
June 7, 2003... Upwards of 330 pharmacists attended the Special General Meeting at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London last Sunday and approved four motions challenging the way the RPSGB has been proceeding with its modernisation agenda ...

Comment from the Editor.(Editorial)
June 7, 2003... Sunday's special general meeting of pharmacists to discuss the RPSGB modernisation process left a sour taste in many mouths. It prompted a long list of questions about how so many pharmacists could feel so disenfranchised by activities at...

Letter: A Scottish angle on the draft RPSGB Charter.(Letter to the Editor)
June 7, 2003... It is an indication of the robustness of the 1953 Charter that it is only now, 50 years later, that we are examining whether it continues to meet the needs of the profession. Much has changed in the intervening years. It is therefore right...

Council wants more.(Editorial)
June 7, 2003... So PSNI is looking for more money. Last year our professional body consulted on a hefty 15 per cent rise in the retention fee. This year again another consultation on another rise - this time 13 per cent (C&D May 17, p5). I agree #170 a...

Educate PCTs on what the contract can do for them.(Editorial)
June 7, 2003... The pressure on the Government to view constructively its promised proposals for changes to the limitation of contract regulations continues intensely. Most of this activity emphasises the damage too much change could do to the provision of...

Big brother or pharmacist accountability?(Editorial)
June 7, 2003... Record keeping is one of those activities that I have never fully implemented and I am not alone. Last week a coroner, Dr Nigel Chapman, urged all community pharmacists to maintain full patient notes including advice given on prescribed...

A powerful claim.(Editorial)
June 7, 2003... Inexorably, herbal remedies are moving towards a licensing system that should bring order out of chaos. There is resistance to these changes, particularly from manufacturers who would prefer not to expose their products to the scrutiny of the...

Traveller's diarrhoea.
June 7, 2003... With more people journeying overseas, traveller's diarrhoea is now the most common health condition facing travellers. Some 80 per cent of all sickness suffered abroad is gut-related, and it can spoil a holiday unnecessarily if it is not...

Pharmacy update: Bad hair day?(polycystic ovarian syndrome)
June 7, 2003... Women who complain of being spotty, overweight and hairy may be suffering from a common metabolic disorder that could affect fertility and have long-term health consequences, not just vanity. Vanessa Sherwood looks at polycystic ovarian...

MHRA advises on HRT.
June 7, 2003... The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has issued a statement on the use of hormone replacement therapy. It says that in women who use HRT for the short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms the benefits of treatment are...

A question of patient choice.
June 7, 2003... Patients may choose not to take their medicines, rather than just being forgetful, according to a new report from Medicines Partnership. A Question of Choice: Compliance in Medicines Taking studied 11 disease areas and says the evidence...

Androgen gel launched for men.
June 7, 2003... Schering Health Care will launch a testosterone gel for the treatment of male hypogonadism on Monday. Testogel, which contains testosterone 50mg per 5g sachet, is indicated for testosterone replacement therapy for male hypogonadism, where...

Mysoline to go.
June 7, 2003... AstraZeneca has announced that it will cease production of its epilepsy treatment Mysoline (primidone 250mg) globally due to low volume usage. The company says that the discontinuation of Mysoline tablets in the UK will take effect from...

Duovent Inhaler discontinued.
June 7, 2003... Boehringer Ingelheim has announced that Duovent Inhaler and Autohaler (fenoterol and ipratropium) will be discontinued on August 31. Duovent UDVs for nebulisation will remain available. For more information: Boehringer Ingelheim Tel: 01344...

Soft option for scars.
June 7, 2003... ICN Pharmaceuticals is launching an OTC topical silicone gel for the management of scars and the prevention of abnormal hypertrophic and keloid scars. Dermatix is a non-invasive silicone liquid gel designed to offer a cost- effective...

Tubifast wraps up kid's eczema.
June 7, 2003... A range of ready-to-wear stretch garments is being launched to help parents manage their child's eczema conveniently at home. Tubifast garments have been developed to speed up and simplify the wet wrapping process, encouraging better...

Peanut-free nappy cream.
June 7, 2003... Weleda has reformulated its Calendula Nappy Change Cream as a peanut- free product. The new formula is a deep nourishing barrier cream containing calendula and chamomile with almond oil instead of peanut oil. The change comes as a...

Worn out from life's juggling act.
June 7, 2003... Over 80 per cent of people describe themselves as `tired', `stressed' or `knackered' on a daily basis according to new research. The `Life's a Circus' survey, which was commissioned for Pharmaton Capsules, highlights the demands than...

Gel range comes from Harley Street.
June 7, 2003... Harley Street Cosmetics is a new range of homoeopathic gels developed by the founder of the cosmetic surgery `Laser Clear' in Harley Street. The range includes 10 essential oils - arnica, calendula, comfrey, evening primrose, green tea,...

Read the signs.
June 7, 2003... Superspecs is introducing a new display package for the Decor range of reading glasses. An eye-catching display stand has a brushed aluminium style column and frosted shelves. It is supplied with seven of the latest designs of...

Best foot forward.
June 7, 2003... Foot Vitality is a new range of four footcare products from J Pickles Healthcare. Foot Odour Solutions is a two-stage treatment to leave the feet deodorised. The kit comprises three deodorising foot bath salts and six cleansing foot wipes....

Wella `shocks' it to them.
June 7, 2003... Wella Shockwaves will hit the radio airwaves this week with a humorous radio advertising campaign targeted at the brand's unisex 16-24-year- old market. Using the distinctive voice of comic Viv Reeves, the commercials feature unfeasibly...

Allergy advice on the web.
June 7, 2003... The Benadryl website is being relaunched to provide access to latest pollen forecasts compiled by the Allergy Alert Network. The interactive website offers advice on hayfever, dust allergy, pet allergy and skin allergy. There is an...

Atchoo! Aller-eze hits the road to catch travellers.
June 7, 2003... Aller-eze takes to the road this month with a novel approach to catching bus travellers' attention. From June 17-30, bus stop poster sites in major towns across the country will literally `sneeze' as they communicate details of Aller- eze....

Vichy's night-time partner.
June 7, 2003... A night-time partner to the Vichy Novadiol day cream will be launched in July. Novadiol Night with Phyto-Flavone and Biophenone is a rich nourishing cream for the face and neck which has been developed to help prevent morning skin creasing...

A charity case?
June 7, 2003... The RPSGB is considering seeking charitable status. Greyham Dawes, a director of the Charities Unit at Horwath Clark Whitehill, the Society's professional auditors, discusses the pros and cons What are the five key pros and cons of taking...

Eyes & ears: An eye-opening scheme.
June 7, 2003... A group of pharmacists on the south coast are helping customers treat eye infections by supplying antibiotics OTC - much to everybody's satisfaction. Vanessa Sherwood reports A couple of years ago 10 keen pharmacists in the Adur PCG...

Eyes & ears: radical agenda.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... The Government has set a radical agenda to increase the number of products available for consumers to purchase. By 2007, the plan is to have another 50 POM to P switches. Last year's C&D Question Time poll (June 27, 2002, p6) asked pharmacists...

UK patients suffer in silence.
June 7, 2003... New research shows that a third of people with hearing loss wait for more than two years before seeking medical help despite it having a serious impact on personal relationships and social lives. The survey, undertaken by Defeating Deafness...

Eyecare market.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... At the end of March, the eyecare market in chemists, inc. Boots, was worth #29,683,000 - an increase of 3 per cent on the same period last year. Top five brands (excluding hayfever products) * Brolene * Optrex * Optrex Fresh Eyes...

Eyes on the market: Brolene.
June 7, 2003... Brolene is brand leader in the infected eyecare market, with 75 per cent of value share according to IMS. However, despite a third of customers asking for Brolene by name there may be some who are still not treating eye infections...

Eyes on the market: ROHTO V and ZI eye drops.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Mentholatum is not a name that pharmacists would traditionally associate with eyecare but, as manufacturer of ROHTO V and ZI eye drops, the company is starting to compete in the eyecare market. Although there are no new product developments...

Eyes on the market: Opticrom Allergy Eye Drops.
June 7, 2003... Last summer, Opticrom Allergy Eye Drops, continued to lead the way in hayfever eye sales with market share growing to 64 per cent, according to IMS (October 2002). Available off-prescription for children over six years old, the drops,...

Eyes on the market: Alomide eye drops.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Following the successful launch of Alomide eye drops into pharmacies last year, Alcon will be promoting it again this year via wholesaler special offers. Alomide, containing lodoxamide 0.1%, offers advantages over the current market...

Facing up to change.
June 7, 2003... A DIY shop front helped a Northern Ireland pharmacy win an award in the C&D Platinum Design Awards, sponsored by Ceuta Healthcare The C&D Platinum Design Awards are sponsored by Ceuta Healthcare and recognise excellence in pharmacy...

AAH rolls out Health Watch.
June 7, 2003... `Defining the path for pharmacy' was the theme of the AAH Convention which took place this week in California. The focus was how pharmacists could best manage the multitude of changes they currently face. Patrick Grice reports AAH's...

Why medicines management?(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... * #1billion of medicines are wasted every year in the UK, #100 million being unused medicines returned to pharmacies. * Up to 10 per cent of hospital admissions are directly due to people not taking their medicines properly. * People...

Impact of supermarket pharmacy still unknown.
June 7, 2003... "The delivery of pharmacy services from non-specialist outlets such as supermarkets is a major structural change within the sector, the impact of which has not yet been fully understood," according to AAH group managing director Steve Dunn. ...

US pharmacy workforce overstretched.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... There are five schools of pharmacy, 27,000 pharmacists and 29,000 pharmacy technicians in California, and it is not enough. Drug costs in the USA as a percentage of health expenditure more than doubled between 1993 and 2000 to $112.1...

Appointment: University of East Anglia.
June 7, 2003... Professor Duncan Craig has been appointed as head of pharmacy and chair in pharmaceutics at the University of East Anglia. Professor Craig joins from Queen's University, Belfast. Professor Andrew Thomson, dean of the School of Chemical...

Appointment: Moss Pharmacy.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Moss Pharmacy has announced that Terry Scicluna is the new operations director for the company. He has more than 20 years' experience in the retail and logistics sector including appointments as managing director for Radio Rentals, DER Direct...

Appointment: Numark Trading.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... Lee Glennon has joined Numark Trading Ltd as its marketing manager. He has joined from AAH Pharmaceuticals and has previously held positions at Intersport, Brown Brothers and Aston Manor Brewery. A keen sports enthusiast, Lee supports...

Appointment: CPL Aromas.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2003... CPL Aromas has appointed Dominique Preyssas as executive perfumer, based in Paris. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Swedes take root in Barnstaple.
June 7, 2003... It's that `work experience' time of year again and Alpharma, the generics manufacturer based in Devon, is going international. Four Swedish students from the Lindholmen School, Gothenburg, are spending a week shadowing engineers working on...

Good, hard fun.
June 7, 2003... You're too late for the fifth annual condom packaging design competition, organised by the Planned Parenthood Western Pennsylvania Action Fund, but perhaps you can start thinking up some ideas for next year. The contest invites condom...

Walking for women.
June 7, 2003... Wellbeing, the charity that funds research into women's health at every stage of their lives, is calling on people to join in one of three five-mile sponsored walks. The walks are being held at: * Wollaton Park, Nottingham, June 15 ...

Oxygen report due.
June 14, 2003... The Government will announce the conclusions of its long-running review into domiciliary oxygen services shortly, Baroness Andrews said in the House of Lords last week. "The review of the domiciliary oxygen service is at an advanced stage....

DTI fails to curb entry control fears.
June 14, 2003... The Department of Trade & Industry's latest statement on the OFT report into pharmacy control of entry regulations has failed to allay fears that the pharmacy network will be subject to major changes. DTI minister Melanie Johnson, in...

Trupti Patel innocent.
June 14, 2003... The pharmacist accused of killing three of her children was cleared by a jury of the charges on Wednesday afternoon at Reading Crown Court. Trupti Patel from Maidenhead, Berks, had been accused of murdering her two sons and daughter between...

APPG presents OFT proposals.
June 14, 2003... The All Party Pharmacy Group (APPG) has written to health minister David Lammy offering its views on what the Government's `balanced package of proposals' for implementing the OFT report should contain. In addition, the APPG calls for...

Pharmacists get #12m boost.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2003... NHS hospital pharmacists will receive #12 million over the next three years to monitor and control antibiotic usage, the Department of Health announced this week. Welcoming the cash injection, RPSGB president Dr Gill Hawksworth said:...

Pharmacy cost survey.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2003... PSNC and the DoH have agreed to hold a full cost survey to quantify the current cost of providing the NHS pharmaceutical service. The survey, which involves 470 contractors - 300 independents, 160 multiples, and 10 health centre pharmacies -...

Men's Health Week.
June 14, 2003... Former tennis champion Pat Cash and recent jungle escapee Linda Barker helped the Men's Health Forum and the Orchid Cancer Appeal launch Men's Health Week on Monday. The key themes of the campaign this year are sexual health and healthier...

Wood sets out alternative reform plan.
June 14, 2003... More details of an alternative structure for the RPSGB have been presented to the Society's Council. At its meeting last week, Nicholas Wood, who was recently elected to Council on the `Save our Society' ticket, expanded on his proposals...

New contract may include OPD.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2003... Community pharmacists may be remunerated for dispensing patient packs as part of the new contract, according to health minister David Lammy. In reply to Labour MP Mark Todd who asked about plans to permit pharmacists to supply calendar...

CSM advises rethink for children taking Seroxat.
June 14, 2003... Pharmacists should continue to dispense prescriptions for Seroxat (paroxetine) for patients aged less than 18 years, the Department of Health has said, despite new advice recommending that this selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor should not...