Chemist & Druggist articles from May 2005

Chemist & Druggist archives from May 2005

Phoenix debates bid for Numark shares.
May 7, 2005... Wholesaler Phoenix Medical Supplies, which owns 15 per cent of Numark Plc, is in detailed discussions with Numark's board about whether to make an offer for the remaining shares. Both sides are restricted by legal agreements as to how much...

Boots opens flagship store in Oxford Street.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Boots The Chemist's `flagship' store opened on London's Oxford Street last Thursday. One of the store's four floors is dedicated to healthcare and includes a dispensary, a consulting room, an open display of health screening equipment, BMI...

AU enters NI by buying Bairds for #81m.(Alliance UniChem)(Northern Ireland)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Alliance UniChem has confirmed that it has purchased the largest pharmacy group in Northern Ireland for approximately #81 million. Alliance UniChem said on Wednesday that it had bought Bairds, which comprises three companies: E A Baird &...

Presented with certificate.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Helen Morley, one of the first pharmacists to successfully gain accreditation under the `Skills for the Future' programme to carry out medicines use reviews, is presented with her certificate by Professor Clare Mackie, head of the Medway School...

Independent pharmacy needs own lobby group, says wholesaler.
May 7, 2005... Wholesaler Mawdsleys has called for independent pharmacy to have its own representative body. John Davies, retail services director for the wholesaler, said that existing organisations, such as the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating...

US targets illegal cyber drug dealers.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... The American Drug Enforcement Agency has foiled an internet drug trafficking ring illegally offering prescription drugs online. The US organisation's operation led to the arrest of 20 people linked to the supply of substances including...

Financial viability of contract questioned.
May 7, 2005... The new pharmacy contract is a fantastic opportunity but pharmacists are concerned about the financial aspects, warned an independent contractor last week. Fin McCaul, proprietor of Prestwich Pharmacy near Manchester, said pharmacists were...

Pharmacists warned to use IT fully.(Information Technology)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Pharmacists will struggle to deliver the new contract without using integrated IT systems, a senior representative of a pharmacy IT supplier has said. IT is fundamental to pharmacy's new roles, so pharmacists need to ensure they are using...

CAMRx convention line-up.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... PSNC finance head Mike Dent and NPA head of education and training Lesley Johnson will be discussing the impact of the new pharmacy contract at development group CAMRx's annual convention next month. Mr Dent will give a contract overview...

UniChem raises tsunami funds.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... UniChem's independent pharmacy customers have raised #17,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee's (DEC) tsunami earthquake appeal. Four thousand collection tins were placed in UniChem pharmacies in January. Copyright: CMP...

Administrative class proposal.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... The Royal Pharmaceutical Society should set up an `administrative' category of pharmacist membership, a trade organisation for pharmacy multiples has proposed. The RPSGB's classification of practising and non-practising pharmacists does...

New pharmacy aims to help Bradford addicts.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... A pharmacy opened in a deprived area of West Yorkshire last week following support from the local drug dependency centre. Healthy Living Pharmacy, which opened next to the Ripple drug treatment centre on the Buttershaw estate in Bradford,...

Delegates put to the test.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Some 160 delegates at the Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference at Glasgow's SECC in April volunteered for free diabetes screening by a Lloydspharmacy pharmacist. The screening illustrated how the chain's free finger prick blood test...

Confusion over pharmacy IT systems' compliance.(National Programme for IT)(Information Technology)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... AAH Pharmaceuticals has said its Link Evolution system is NPfIT- compliant, despite PSNC saying no pharmacy systems meet the programme's standards. PSNC's latest Community Pharmacy News says that the #58 million IT allowance allocated in...

Pharmacy sale results in delay to decision.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... A Leicester pharmacist faces a new wait before hearing the outcome of disciplinary proceedings against her. The Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society postponed its decision over Shital Popat of Countesthorpe Chemists,...

Duo reprimanded over `shambolic' stock-keeping.
May 7, 2005... The former owner of a Chester pharmacy and a locum pharmacist who worked there have been reprimanded. Dennis Keegan, solicitor for both men admitted at a hearing of the Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society that the...

Pharmacist reprimanded after giving up practising.(Joseph Francois from Palmers Green)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... A north London pharmacist who dispensed tablets that were double the strength of those prescribed to a thyroid patient has been reprimanded by his professional body. The Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said it...

Drink-drive pharmacist given 18 months to show recovery.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Perranporth pharmacist Gillian Eldridge faces an 18-month wait for the outcome of a disciplinary hearing after she was caught driving with over three times the legal limit of alcohol in her blood on her way to work. The Statutory Committee...

Locum pharmacist awaits outcome of disciplinary hearing.
May 7, 2005... A pharmacist who made errors while working as a locum in Cheltenham must wait to hear the outcome of disciplinary proceedings taken against him last month. The Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society adjourned its decision...

Strong first quarter pharmaceutical results please city analysts.
May 7, 2005... GlaxoSmithKline and Astra Zeneca both reported strong first quarters which has prompted analysts to predict that generally improved margins in the pharma industry could be here to stay. GSK reported an 18 per cent increase in operating...

SPF repeats stability warning over Scottish health bill.(Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation )(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... The Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation has repeated a warning that Scotland's latest health bill could undermine the stability of the pharmacy network. Chairman James Semple had told the health committee in February that although the...

Numark campaign.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Pharmacy group Numark is launching a #700,000 wedding themed TV advertising campaign. The commercials, which will run on ITV's GMTV show and selected satellite channels during May and June, celebrate Numark pharmacists' position at the heart of...

Essex pharmacist voices concerns to MP Iain Duncan-Smith.(Chingford & Woodford Green)(Hatch Pharmacy)
May 7, 2005... Former leader of the Conservative party, Iain Duncan-Smith, MP for Chingford & Woodford Green, visited Hatch Pharmacy, Chingford, Essex on April 28. Pharmacist Herman Benjamin wrote to him complaining about the impact that the requirement...

Comment from the Editor.(pharmacy policy)(Editorial)
May 7, 2005... With the election over, the priorities for this new parliamentary session are now being finalised. The views of the electorate should still be fresh in the minds of the newly returned MPs and it should be hoped that these will shape the...

Opinion: Key source of pet medicines in the community.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Our question to pharmacists this week was: Do you think pharmacies should be the key source of pet medicines in the community? "They should be a supplier but not the main one, otherwise you'd have to stock the whole range" Peter...

THEIR VIEWS: Roll back malaria.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Unicef and WHO take stock of this devastating disease The launch of Roll Back Malaria (RBM) in 1998 was a catalyst for renewed global commitment to tackle a disease that affects 3.2 billion people and has devastating effects on health and...

NORTHERN IRELAND NOTEBOOK: Why the big fuss?(Pharmaceutical Contractors' Committee, Ulster Chemists' Association)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... The Pharmaceutical Contractors' Committee and Ulster Chemists' Association are angry over recent financial events. Yet apart from those we elect to get angry on our behalf, it seems we remain indifferent. Yet these events could impact on the...

The curious case of the election no one cared about.(pharmacy policy)
May 7, 2005... General election votes will have been counted by the time you read this; not that pharmacists have seemed particularly bothered which party runs the country. There used to be a time when the whole nation held its breath over a general election,...

Soothing those supply problems.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Supply problems with medicines are inevitable. At least Wyeth has given us advance notice of its impending difficulties (C&D, April 30, p12) and hopefully the problem won't be exacerbated by selfish pharmacists stocking up. Good PR around...

INSIGHT: Left to their own devices.
May 7, 2005... Last year, over 8,800 adverse incident reports were published relating to medical devices, of which almost 800 involved a fatality or serious injury. The statistics have prompted many close to the industry to ask questions about the safety of...

Rich-poor health divide greatest since 1800s.(BMJ)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... The disparity in healthcare access for rich and poor is at its greatest level since Victorian Britain, according to a report in the BMJ. The Government has failed to address the gap in health provision for different regions of the UK,...

Pharmacists to join tsunami relief aid work in India.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Two of Lloydspharmacy's pharmacists are going to India to assist in the ongoing relief work following the Boxing Day tsunami. Asif Moosa, business change manager at Lloydspharmacy's headquarters in Coventry and Kay Tanna, a branch manager...

PHARMACY UPDATE: Where's your head at?
May 7, 2005... In the first of two articles on headache, Derek Balon reviews the types that can be treated in the pharmacy This article can help in the following competencies: C1f, G1c, G1a, C1a as set out at www.uptodate.org.uk/home/PlanRecord.shtml ...

Alcon aims to boost meds compliance.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Alcon Laboratories has launched a glaucoma medication compliance programme. Available to patients using Travatan (travoprost), Eye Care For You aims to educate patients about the condition and explains how failure to follow glaucoma...

Obesity linked to dementia.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Obesity in middle age increases the risk of future dementia regardless of other conditions, US researchers have said. Published as a British Medical Journal Online First article, the study analysed data from 10,276 people living in...

Rotavirus vaccine licence sought.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... A marketing authorisation for Rotateq, a new rotavirus vaccine, has been lodged with the European Medicines Agency. Currently being developed by Merck, the vaccine aims to protect against gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus infection....

Scriptlines: Lilly to withdraw HumaJect pen.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Lilly has announced it will discontinue supply of the HumaJect pen next year. The device is currently used to deliver the company's Humulin M3 and Humulin S insulins, both of which will continue to be available in a reusable pen or...

Charity defends bone supplements.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... The National Osteoporosis Society has warned that recently published studies on calcium and vitamin D supplementation should not be taken at face value. NOS deputy chief executive Jackie Parrington said that when combined with other...

Blood pressure monitor to detect pre-eclampsia.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... A blood pressure monitor specifically designed to detect early signs of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women is being introduced into independent pharmacies. Microlife BP 3BTO-A(2) is designed to be easy to use and to provide quick and accurate...

Colgate all smiles with kids' brushes.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Colgate-Palmolive has developed a new range of children's toothbrushes to make it easier for parents to choose the right brush for the age of their child. Colgate Smiles toothbrushes are split into three clearly defined stages for age 0-2,...

Profoot steps out in comfort.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Profoot is extending its footcare range with three products developed for comfort. The Memoreze insole is designed to relieve foot fatigue, eliminate friction and provide support for feet. The insole has a two layer orthotic design to...

Game, set and match to Palmolive.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Colgate-Palmolive has signed a multi-year sponsorship with reigning Wimbledon champion and current number-two-ranked Maria Sharapova for its Palmolive deodorants. The initiative will help to support the Palmolive brand through advertising,...

East meets West for botanical care.(Phytoceutical)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Phytoceutical is launching two botanical cosmetic creams that combine Eastern medical traditions with Western cosmetic science. Revitalising Cream is an invigorating cosmetic balm to help maintain the body. It is rich in botanical extracts...

Start something beautiful.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is spending #1.1 million on a consumer promotion for its Macleans brand from late May until the end of June. The `Start something beautiful with Macleans' promotion will offer consumers the chance to win...

Sure for Men goes over the top.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... Unilever UK Home and Personal Care is supporting its Sure for Men antiperspirant with a TV campaign which breaks this month. It shows an ordinary morning in `Stunt City' where men travel to work in extreme style without breaking into a...

Real life tales for Sensodyne.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2005... GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare aims to drive new business into the sensitive toothpaste category through a new #1.4 million TV campaign for Sensodyne toothpaste. On air until June 27, the campaign will feature two new commercials...

SPECIALS: SPECIALLY FORMULATED.
May 7, 2005... As pharmacists delegate more of their extemporaneous dispensing, the specials industry continues to refine its blend of science and service. Steve Bremer reports The specials industry is maturing as it prepares an ever-increasing volume of...

SPECIALS: PAEDIATRIC MEDICINES.
May 7, 2005... Association of Commercial Specials Manufacturers PR officer Andrew Tittershill discusses children's medicines For as long as there have been licensed medicines there have been patients who have been unable to use them in the form presented...

BRAND FOCUS: Think healthy eyes - think ICaps(R).
May 7, 2005... ICaps from Alcon, the world's largest eye-care company, is a dietary supplement for the maintenance of healthy eyes and good visual function and is now the most frequently recommended supplement by ophthalmologists in the UK.* ICaps is a...

WHOLESALING: Wholesale change.
May 7, 2005... UniChem's Livingston depot was recently refurbished as part of the wholesaler's warehouse redesign programme. Asha Fowells reports Livingston, near Edinburgh, has several claims to fame, including Scotland's largest designer outlet shopping...

Going along for the ride.
May 7, 2005... Manish Shah, director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, cycled 252km from Kenya to Tanzania to help raise money for the Food for Life charity Many generous people worldwide regularly use part of their wealth to help the less fortunate to live a...

Repeat dispensing roll-out begins in NI.
May 14, 2005... A repeat dispensing service has been launched in community pharmacies in Northern Ireland ahead of a new pharmacy contract expected next year. New money has been ring-fenced for the limited service, which will be initially offered in 87...

Potential losses from new GSK terms `are huge'.(GlaxoSmithKline)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Pharmacists could be losing up to #400 a month because of GlaxoSmithKline's decision to stop giving pharmacists a discount on many of their products, a Sheffield contractor has warned. Although the Department of Health has recognised that...

Medicines counterfeiters face summer court case.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... The investigation into the fake medicines that appeared on the UK market last year should result in several people being charged before the end of the summer, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has said. The regulator...

IN BRIEF: Minister change.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Jane Kennedy has replaced Rosie Winterton as the health minister with responsibility for pharmacy following last week's general election. Patricia Hewitt has been named secretary of state for health, replacing John Reid. Copyright: CMP...

IN BRIEF: Meter recall.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... The MHRA has issued a recall for LifeScan OneTouch Ultra, InDuoand PocketScan blood glucose meters supplied in the UK before April 2004 as they may display blood glucose levels in mg/dl instead of mmol/l. Results in mg/dl are 18 times higher...

IN BRIEF: Expense claims.(Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee )(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Pharmacy contractors no longer need to attach copy invoices to prescriptions when claiming out-of-pocket expenses. The Prescription Pricing Authority is increasingly using high-speed scanners and attaching copy invoices to prescriptions...

IN BRIEF: Stat Comm.(Correction Notice)
May 14, 2005... David Reissner, counsel for Nigel Carpenter who appeared before the RPSGB Statutory Committee recently, has clarified that he told the Committee "Mr Carpenter's allegations were not serious enough for his name to be erased from the Register",...

Chlamydia pilot confirms role for pharmacy.
May 14, 2005... Free postal testing kits combined with free antibiotics available from pharmacy create an effective streamlined system for chlamydia screening, researchers have concluded. In a pilot study during which 3,000 chlamydia tests were given out,...

Drug industry defends R&D.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... The pharmaceutical industry's trade body has refuted claims that there are fewer new treatments being launched. Richard Barker, director-general of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, cited advances in treatments for...

Society's eight directors cost nearly #1 million.
May 14, 2005... Remuneration for the eight Royal Pharmaceutical Society directors rose by nearly 32 per cent in 2004, in addition to a 53 per cent increase in 2003, according to its latest accounts. Basic salaries, benefits and pension contributions for...

Financial backing from One NorthEast for Quantum.(Quantum Specials)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Pharmacy specials supplier Quantum Specials was officially opened last Friday by community pharmacist Richard Roberts, two months after first forming. The company is backed by a #28,000 grant from One NorthEast and based at Tyne...

IN BRIEF: Diabetes awards.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Two pharmacy chains have been recognised by a diabetes charity for their work with the condition. Lloydspharmacy received Diabetes UK's "Raising Awareness Award" for the second year running for the company's free diabetes screening...

IN BRIEF: Bugs campaign.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Ovex manufacturer McNeil has launched a media campaign encouraging parents to visit their pharmacist instead of the GP for minor childhood ailments. The initiative aims to banish the myths surrounding common conditions, such as headlice...

Multiples `face same pressure as independents'.
May 14, 2005... The commercial and contractual pressures affecting independent pharmacies will have an even greater impact on the multiples, the Company Chemists' Association said last week. Speaking at the Primary Care conference in Birmingham, CCA...

Council appointments.(Privy Council)(Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... The Privy Council has appointed 10 lay members to the RPSGB's reformed Council and one academic member elected by the heads of schools of pharmacy. The lay members are Seema Agha, John Hanlon, Dr Phillida Entwhistle, Sylvia Hikins, Lorna...

Call for united front on independent prescribing.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... The profession should present a united position when responding to the DoH consultation on independent prescribing for pharmacists, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has said. The RPSGB's practice committee, which is leading the Society's...

Migraine: Nurofen.
May 14, 2005... Migraine affects around 15 per cent of the UK population. Pharmacists are well placed to help people understand that acting as fast as possible at the first sign of an attack is essential to gain maximum relief. Painkillers taken too late may...

SPF favours cautious remote supervision.(Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation )
May 14, 2005... The Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation supports the concept of remote supervision by pharmacists rather than delegating it to support staff. But the conditions for remote supervision should be clearly defined, the SPF says in its response...

Numark bone health service.(BioCalth International Corp)
May 14, 2005... Virtual pharmacy chain Numark has teamed up with calcium supplement firm BioCalth to offer a bone density screening service. Numark members can hire a non-invasive ultrasound scanner to measure ankle bone density which, when combined with a...

Scottish Executive announces election results.(Appointments: Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Scottish Executive)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Rose Marie Parr, David Thomson, David Dalglish, Angela Timoney, Christine Bond and Christine Gilmour have been elected to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Scottish Executive. However, Mr Thomson already holds an RPSiS seat as he recently...

Nucare MD warns of fall-out from Numark deal.(Phoenix Group Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... The sale of Numark to one of the large pan-European wholesalers could have detrimental consequences for independent pharmacy in the UK, Nucare managing director Mahesh Shah has warned. The proposed takeover of Numark by Phoenix hit the...

Alliance hints at further NI deals.(Northern Ireland)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Alliance Pharmacy is not ruling out the possibility of further acquisitions in Northern Ireland, following the purchase last week of the province's largest pharmacy chain, Bairds. The #81 million deal added 50 pharmacies from Northern...

Simple health messages help men at work to change lifestyles.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Targeting men with simple health messages while they are at work could persuade them to change their lifestyle, research has suggested. Pharmacists, too, could offer the necessary support. Most men in a survey commissioned by the Men's...

Official medical supplier.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Don't be surprised if you see a UniChem logo on the kit bags and armbands of the British & Irish Rugby Lions this summer. The pharmacy wholesaler is this year's official medical supplier to the teams during their tour of New Zealand in June and...

IN BRIEF: DT error.(Correction Notice)
May 14, 2005... Comfeel Plus Ulcer Dressing (Bevelled Edge) Square is not being deleted, PSNC has confirmed. The product is incorrectly flagged with a notice of deletion in the paper version of the May Drug Tariff. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

IN BRIEF: 1,000th technician.(Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Paula Addison, from Saxon Pharmacy, Heaton, Newcastle is the 1,000th technician to join the RPSGB's voluntary register of pharmacy technicians. According to the RPSGB there are many more applicants being registered. Copyright: CMP...

Mawdsleys launches contract book.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Wholesaler Mawdsleys has launched a quick reference guide to the new pharmacy contract in England and Wales. The four-page document aims to focus pharmacists on the parts of the essential services they should be looking at now. Action...

Opinion: Support a lobbying voice for independent pharmacy.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... Our question to pharmacists this week was: Would you support a distinct lobbying voice for independent pharmacy? "Yes, it would support their businesses" Fazia Naqua, Godstone "Yes, a new group would fight for the plight of...

Comment from the Editor.(community pharmacists )(Editorial)
May 14, 2005... At last some cheer for Northern Ireland's contractors: some five months after they approved their new contractual framework, negotiations have moved on to the financial element of the contract. The province may have been a little behind with...

YOUR VIEWS: ETP will free up your time.(electronic transmission of prescriptions)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2005... ETP is fundamental in giving pharmacists the time to deliver new contract services, argues Geoff Mackay of AAH Pharmaceuticals If pharmacy is to deliver the services required by the new contract, pharmacists have to find time to get out of...

HOSPITAL REPORT: Council of perfection?(Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Council)(Brief Article)(Column)
May 14, 2005... It is democracy, but that does not necessarily make it right. I don't mean the general election, but the RPSGB Council elections. There are two main concerns with the newly elected Council. The first is the lack of experience. As a...

Healthy Living, but only for some.(Healthy Living Pharmacy )(Column)
May 14, 2005... Congratulations to the pioneering team that opened the Healthy Living Pharmacy in Bradford to offer pharmaceutical services to drug addicts (C&D, May 7, p8). Commiserations to the local pharmacists who appear to have been `leapfrogged' by...

Where is the common interest?(consolidation in pharmacy)(Brief Article)(Column)
May 14, 2005... The trend towards consolidation in pharmacy is inevitable, if not in everyone's interest. But ironically this consolidation does not lead to greater co-operation or a more coherent voice; rather it creates deeper divisions. Phoenix's...