Northern Ireland

Licensed vs unlicensed — to make medicines, or to buy them?

22 Sep 08 | 11.17 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Many hospital manufacturing units have reported escalating activity during recent years — particularly in the supply of cytotoxic chemotherapy. This has increased pressure on staff and facilities, which in turn introduces risk. Last year’s National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) alerts (20 and 21) on injectable medicines added to this pressure. To address the situation, many hospital pharmacy manufacturing units recruit more staff or expand their facilities more >

We need a way of working in groups

19 Sep 08 | 13.53 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

The system of supplying pharmaceutical services to the general public has changed significantly over the past half century, developing on the basis of the volume of prescriptions dispensed. The tension between a monopolistic purchaser (the Government) and the supplier has led to a consolidation in the supply sector and over 50 per cent of pharmacies are now controlled by major multiples more >

A new professional framework for developing future chief pharmacists

18 Sep 08 | 16.28 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Changes to pharmacy regulation provide an opportunity to develop new frameworks to support professional development and performance

Pharmacy workforce census 2008: your common questions answered

18 Sep 08 | 15.22 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s R&D division explains why it is important for pharmacists to take part in the latest workforce census more >

Revalidation: the big questions

18 Sep 08 | 13.45 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

In February 2007, the White Paper “Trust, assurance and safety — the regulation of health professionals in the 21st century” endorsed the principle of revalidation for healthcare professionals. As pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will have to demonstrate their fitness to practise, we ask how a system of revalidation within the pharmacy profession might be conducted and what the process could involve?
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Chiefs or clinicians? — PJ leading article

18 Sep 08 | 12.21 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

What skills and attributes are needed by chief pharmacists in an NHS hospital trust? more >

Product news (20 September 2008)

18 Sep 08 | 11.48 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

SPC changes / Prescription products / Products miscellany / Discontinued products / Supply issues

Products reviewed are

Apidra; Cubicin; Seroquel XL; Voltarol Rapid; Lucentis; Anzemet; Ortho diaphragm 80mm; Dyazide; Evorel; Forceval Junior; Mycobutin

Phoenix expands in London area

18 Sep 08 | 11.04 | England Northern Ireland

Phoenix has announced plans to expand its operations in the London area

PJ letters (20 September 2008)

17 Sep 08 | 16.53 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Letters published in the 20 September 2008 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal

Prescription products, SPC changes, Discontinued products, Supply issues (22 November 2003)

17 Sep 08 | 16.27 | England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Prescription products: Minocycline tablets, Morphine Minijet, Niaspan tablets

SPC changes: Eldepryl products, Rapamune products, Zyprexa for mania prevention

Discontinued products: Zithromax tablets, Isopto eye drops, Aerocrom inhalers

Supply issues: Slo-Phyllin capsules, Nitrofurantoin suspension