Program to teach docs new options

From Surrey (BC) Now:
n a bid to stem the soaring cost of prescription drugs, the province has launched a new program aimed at educating doctors about new therapies.

Under the academic detailing program, a pharmacist will visit physicians one-on-one and educate them on the latest information and research findings on various medications.

Research shows that a key source of information on prescription drugs for doctors after medical school is drug manufacturers, who have a vested interest in promoting their products.

Health Minister George Abbott says doctors need an independent source of information.

Abbott said putting people on the best drug regime at the start of their treatment is better for patients and will ultimately curb the rising cost of PharmaCare. ...more

Return old pills to pharmacy, don't flush down the toilet: B.C. health minister

From CBC News:
Health Minister George Abbott says tossing old pills into the garbage or flushing them down the toilet can make animals, people and the environment sick.

He urged British Columbians on Tuesday to take their unused prescription drugs and medicine to a local pharmacist where they will be safely stored and disposed of at a later date.

Thousands of kilograms of medications are thrown out every year in British Columbia, Abbott said.

Old pills tossed in the garbage may be found by children or animals and they can end up leaching into ground water from local landfills, Abbott said.

And pills dumped down the toilet or sink end up in local sewage systems and some can find their way into drinking water systems, he said.
...more

B.C. man left blind after using prescription eye drops files lawsuit

From CBC News:
A British Columbia man who claims he went blind after using mislabelled prescription eye drops is suing a pharmacy and the drug company that makes the drops.

Harvey Yuill said in a B.C. Supreme Court lawsuit filed Wednesday that the eye drops he bought in April 2006 contained a drug called Blue Collyrium.

"The misprescription was caused by the negligence of the defendants, which led to further complications and eventually the loss of vision," Yuill said in court documents.

Health Canada recalled the drug in May 2006 because of concern over possible side effects.

By then,Yuill claims, he had been using the drops for nearly a month after cataract surgery and suffered complications that caused him to go blind. ...more

Anti-cancer smart bomb ready for human use

From the Vancouver Sun:
B.C. cancer patients who don't get better on standard treatment will be offered a locally developed experimental drug using a nanotechnology smart bomb type of treatment derived from the bark of the "happy tree," indigenous to China.

Scientists at the B.C. Cancer Agency have developed an anti-cancer weapon that is not unlike a cruise missile, which is meant to hit targets with precision. It's been tested in mice and they say it's now ready for testing in humans.

They are calling their drug Irinophore C; its compounds are originally derived from a somewhat stubby tree called Camptotheca (or happy tree), which was found 40 years ago to have anti-cancer properties that were eventually extracted and synthesized. ...more

Earth-friendly drug disposal

From the Vancouver Sun:
Most people instinctively know that it isn't a good idea to flush their expired or unused medications down the drain, says pharmacist Wendy Mays.

But many aren't sure of what is the best way to clear the unused and expired medications out of their homes, she says. The safe and environmentally friendly way to ensure old or unused medications are disposed of properly is to take them in to a community pharmacy that participates in the Medications Return Program.

"Not a lot of people are aware of the program," says Wendy, a pharmacist and owner of two Pharmasave stores, one in West Vancouver and one in Ladner. "I find when people actually do find out about it they're delighted to have found the service."

More than 90 per cent of British Columbia's pharmacies take part in the Medications Return Program. They collect unused and expired medicines from their pharmacy patients, and hand them over to an organization that uses an environmentally friendly incineration process to dispose of them safely. ...more

Langley pharmacist offers special care to diabetic patients

From the Vancouver Sun:
Newly diagnosed diabetic patients can find themselves adrift in a sea of information, and overwhelmed with the new regimen they have to follow in order to enjoy a good quality of life.

They're faced with critical health issues. They must learn how to control and monitor their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They also have to deal with a number of secondary health priorities, like eye, kidney and foot disease. It can be a struggle, and because diabetes is a complicated and progressive disease, many patients need expert help to reach their target health goals.

Constant mentorship is what some pharmacists can offer. "It's like having a diabetes coach," says Shakeel Bhatti, a pharmacist who specializes in diabetic care. ...more

B.C. vows huge changes to health care

From the Victoria (BC) Times Colonist:
...Nurses aren't the only health-care professionals who will see their duties expand. The Liberal government will also enable pharmacists to authorize routine prescription renewals, "making it easier for patients with chronic illnesses to manage their conditions" and reducing visits to the doctor......more

Tendering touted as B.C.'s drug solution

From the Vancouver Sun:
The future of British Columbia's Pharmacare program rests in the controversial practice of forcing drug companies to compete for contracts, Health Minister George Abbott says.

'If there's going to be any hope of corralling the ever-escalating costs in this area it is going to be through those [competitive] processes,' Abbott said in a recent interview.

'I don't see any other ready answers to that constant escalation of costs,' he added.

Abbott's comments come as one of the province's first experiments in competition-based contracting remains before the courts.

In November, the government issued a tender asking two companies to compete for a contract to exclusively supply Pharmacare with olanzapine, an anti-psychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. ...more

Drug research unaffected by controversial controls on B.C. drug costs

From the Canadian Press:
B.C.'s cost controls on prescription drugs haven't affected the health of medical research investment in this province.

A University of British Columbia study finds the BC PharmaCare policy of refusing to pay for name-brand drugs when generic drugs offer equal results has had no effect on research investment.

The study, by the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, reveals pharmaceutical research and development has increased from $16 million in 1994 to $50 million in 2005. ...more

Advocates urge tobacco ban in B.C. drug stores

From the Vancouver Sun:
B.C. is one of the last three provinces in Canada allowing cigarettes and other deadly tobacco products to be sold in pharmacies.

Anti-tobacco advocates argue that sends a conflicting message to people - especially youths - who go to drug stores for health products and counselling.

The issue will be discussed at a meeting Tuesday between B.C. Health Minister George Abbott and the B.C. and Yukon branch of the Canadian Cancer Society. ...more

B.C. arthritis drug access rated low

From the Vancouver Sun:
B.C. ranks toward the bottom of the heap when it comes to providing Pharmacare drug coverage to those with crippling forms of arthritis, an advocacy group for patients said Monday.

The group initially gave the province an F, but upgraded that to a D when it learned the government announced last month it would cover one of the drugs, Humira, for psoriatic arthritis.

The report by Arthritis Consumer Experts initially ranked B.C. with Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. But with the upgrade, B.C. abruptly moved up to join Yukon in a still-less-than-stellar category near the bottom of all provinces. Quebec had the highest grade -- B-plus -- followed by Ontario with a B. ...more

Pharmacists slammed for tobacco sales

From Vancouver 24 Hours:
The Canadian Cancer Society again condemned cigarette sales in B.C. pharmacies yesterday slamming health professionals who choose profit over their client's wellbeing.

"Pharmacists who prescribe products to make you feel better should not be able to sell cigarettes which, when used as directed, kill," said society spokesperson Kathryn Seely.

In Alberta, legislators passed a bill banning tobacco sales in pharmacies, including big-box stores with a drug dispensary.

The B.C. Pharmacy Association demands proof Alberta's plan to strip pharmacists' ability to sell tobacco, starting in 2009, reduces smoking rates.

For now, "It's a business decision that's being made as to what products are going to be carried elsewhere outside of the dispensary," said BCPA CEO Marnie Mitchell. ...more

Paragon buys assets of Westcoast Central Fill for $5.75M in cash and stock

From Canoe Money:
Paragon Pharmacies Ltd. (TSXV:PGN) has signed a deal to buy the assets of Westcoast Central Fill Ltd. from Westcoast and its parent, Catalyst Healthcare Ltd., for $5.75 million in cash and stock. ...more

Strange Prescription

From Monday Magazine (BC):
The nine members of the provincial government’s new pharmaceutical task force include the head of Canada’s largest drug lobby group, but nobody to represent the interests of patients or the public.

“It’s a good idea to do this, but the compostion of the board is highly debateable,” says Adrian Dix, the NDP health critic. “I think it’s extraordinary and bizarre the pharmaceutical representatives were put on the panel this way. It’s really unfortunate patients are so poorly represented here.”

The highest profile drug industry representative on the task force is Russell Williams, the president of Canada’s Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D), a national lobby group with members from some 50 drug companies and whose directors include the presidents, CEOs and other top officials from 14 of the countries biggest drug manufacturers. ...more

Misadventures in medicating

From the Victoria (BC) Times Colonist:
Many of the patients filling Canada's crowded hospitals are there because of side effects and other problems with their medication -- and most of those drug "misadventures" could be prevented, a new study suggests.

Almost one in four admissions to the internal-medicine ward of British Columbia's largest hospital was the result of adverse drug reactions, doctors prescribing the wrong medicine or similar glitches, the study found.

The lead researcher says he expects similar results from a follow-up look at emergency cases that has just been completed. ...more

B.C. to fund new treatment for kidney cancer

From CTV News:
Victims of a rare form of advanced kidney cancer are getting help from the B.C government, which is the first province to fully fund a new and expensive drug treatment.

Dr. Susan O'Reilly of the B.C. Cancer Agency says this type of renal cancer has been difficult to treat and does not respond to chemotherapy.

About 130 patients will benefit from the decision to spend more than three million dollars annually to fund treatment with a drug marketed under the name Sutent. ...more

Painkillers invade Victoria streets

From the Victoria (BC) Times Colonist:
An increasing number of Victoria drug dealers are selling prescription painkillers -- sometimes referred to as hillbilly heroin -- on the streets, pushing the city toward a troublesome trend already plaguing major Canadian cities.

"I would term it as the evolution of the drug use in Victoria," said Const. Conor King, a drug expert. "What we're seeing is people who are heroin and cocaine dealers are becoming prescription drug dealers as well."

Those dealers sell Dilaudid, OxyContin and morphine sulphate -- opium-based painkillers from the same drug class as heroin. OxyContin's street name is "hillbilly heroin" because its abuse started mainly in rural areas where heroin was unavailable. Now it has supplanted heroin as the dominant drug in urban centres. ...more

B.C. wants review of hepatitis drug coverage

From the Vancouver Sun:
Health Minister George Abbott said Monday the B.C. government has asked for a review of whether Pharmacare should pay for the hepatitis B drug Hepsera.

Tung Chan, chief executive of Chinese immigrant services organization S.U.C.C.E.S.S., strongly urged the government Monday to start paying for the drug.

He said hepatitis B especially affects people of Asian descent and Hepsera is recommended for patients whose liver conditions become unresponsive to other, approved drugs.

Hepsera is not covered by Pharmacare, but is now provided free of charge by drug maker Gilead Sciences as part of a compassionate care program. ...more

Internet drugs are blamed for woman's death

From the Vancouver Province:
Health Minister George Abbott is cautioning British Columbians about buying drugs from Internet pharmacies after a coroner determined a Quadra Island woman died from counterfeit drugs she bought online.

Coroner Kerry Clarke found that Marcia Bergeron, 58, died of cardiac arrhythmia due to acute metal poisoning.

Shortly before she died last December, Bergeron complained of nausea, diarrhea and aching joints.

She was losing her hair and having vision problems.

An autopsy discovered high levels of aluminum, phosphorous and many other metals in her body, and the coroner said they came from the pills she bought on the Internet.

Among the 100 pills found in Bergeron's home were sedatives, painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs.

They were bought from a pharmacy which billed itself as a Canadian pharmacy, but it wasn't. ...more

Pharmacist inks Internet drug deal

From the Vancouver Province:
A Surrey pharmacist has signed an exclusive deal with the Philippines government to sell prescription drugs in that nation on the Net.

Bob Rai is president of Pharma-Canada Inc., which he said signed the five-year deal in March and hopes to be operating early in August. "The federal government of the Philippines wants to reduce medication costs by about 50 per cent by the year 2010," Rai said yesterday.

He has business contacts in the Philippines after travelling there regularly for several years to facilitate his dealings in herbal medications and generic drugs. To reduce costs, government-run pharmacies have been set up to offer an alternative to the more expensive, private pharmacies. ...more