Medicines

Pharmacist screening of patients at risk of osteoporosis doubles testing and treatment

12 Mar 10 | 16.41 | International

Getting community pharmacists to screen patients at high risk of osteoporosis doubled the number who went on for testing and treatment, a trial has shown more >

PJ letters (13 March 2010) (RPSGB members only)

12 Mar 10 | 7.02 | England EU International Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Letters published in the 13 March 2010 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal more >

Registered Technician March 2010

11 Mar 10 | 15.51 | England Scotland Wales

Registered Technician published in March 2010 more >

Drug Tariff Updates: March 2010 prescriptions

11 Mar 10 | 14.56 | England Wales

The Department of Health and the National Assembly for Wales have agreed to allow “no cheaper stock obtainable” (NCSO) endorsements for the following, for March 2010 prescriptions more >

Product news (13 March 2010)

11 Mar 10 | 14.48 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Prescription products / Supply issues

Products reviewed are

Intanza; Pfizer generics (finasteride, metformin, mirtazapine, ondansetron, paroxetine); Prevenar 13; Synflorix; Cardura XL; Cytacon

DoH warns PCTs not to abuse their position once global sum devolved

11 Mar 10 | 14.29 | England

Primary care trusts must avoid taking action that would produce shocks in
the medicines supply system following devolvement of pharmacy’s global sum to PCTs on 1 April 2010, the Department of Health said yesterday (10 March 2010) more >

New drug for chronic hyperuricaemia launched

11 Mar 10 | 14.15 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Patients with high concentrations of uric acid in their blood could benefit from a new medicine launched today (11 March 2010) more >

Parent-initiated steroids of modest benefit in asthma

11 Mar 10 | 12.06 | International

Asthma symptoms in children may be reduced by a short course of prednisolone given by parents, an Australian study published  in the BMJ suggests. However, the benefits are modest and need to be balanced against the potential side effects of repeated courses of oral corticosteroids, the researchers warn more >

Voltarol Emulgel P consultation

11 Mar 10 | 11.54 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Proposals to extend the maximum treatment period for Voltarol Emulgel P (diclofenac) from seven to 14 days is being consulted on by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (5 March 2010) more >

HPV vaccine and miscarriages

11 Mar 10 | 11.51 | International

Two large, multicentre trials have found no link between the bivalent form of the human papilloma virus vaccine (Cervarix, GSK) and risk of miscarriage, reports the BMJ (2 March 2010) more >