From CTV News:
Every day, pharmacists find errors on physician prescriptions; most are corrected and quickly forgotten. Now a new study is counting those errors -- and the results are surprising.
Under a unique program, pharmacists in Nova Scotia are now tracking and reporting what they call "near hits" - those mistakes that patients never hear about but ones that -- had they not been caught -- could have sent the wrong medication or the wrong dose to a patient.
The ongoing study recruited 13 pharmacies across Nova Scotia, asking workers there to keep track of the errors and near-errors they encounter. They were then asked to report the errors anonymously using an online reporting tool.
In just eight months, the pharmacists at the 13 drug stores have reported 813 potential medication errors.
Dr. Neil MacKinnon, an associate professor at the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University, helped launch the study, called SafetyNET. He notes that all of the reported errors were caught in time and corrected before they got to the patient. ...more
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Suit planned against drug makers
From the Montreal Gazette:
A Quebec consumer-rights association is planning an $8-million class-action lawsuit against eight drug makers of children’s cough and cold medications, claiming that they engaged in false advertising.
Option consommateurs contends that the companies knew all along that their over-the-counter syrups and chewable tablets did not relieve cough and cold symptoms in children under the age of six, as advertised.
“Those corporations sold drugs that are simply ineffective,” Maxime Nasr, a lawyer for Option consommateurs, said in an interview Wednesday.
“The labels for those products clearly stated that they were useful for children under the age of six when, in fact, that is not the case.”
In December, Health Canada ordered the companies to re-label antihistamines, decongestants, cough suppressants and expectorants for children under the age of 12. It demanded that the labels warn that the products not be used by children under six. ...more
A Quebec consumer-rights association is planning an $8-million class-action lawsuit against eight drug makers of children’s cough and cold medications, claiming that they engaged in false advertising.
Option consommateurs contends that the companies knew all along that their over-the-counter syrups and chewable tablets did not relieve cough and cold symptoms in children under the age of six, as advertised.
“Those corporations sold drugs that are simply ineffective,” Maxime Nasr, a lawyer for Option consommateurs, said in an interview Wednesday.
“The labels for those products clearly stated that they were useful for children under the age of six when, in fact, that is not the case.”
In December, Health Canada ordered the companies to re-label antihistamines, decongestants, cough suppressants and expectorants for children under the age of 12. It demanded that the labels warn that the products not be used by children under six. ...more
Province’s funding of rheumatoid arthritis treatment welcomed
From the Grande Prairie (AB) Daily Herald Tribune:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers in Alberta will soon be able to share in some joint relief.
As of April 1, the drug Rituximab will be covered by Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan for rheumatoid arthritis patients who meet “special authorization criteria.”
Sandy Ursel, a Pincher Creek, Alta.-resident, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis more than five years ago, and Rituximab is the only drug that has brought relief from the illness’s symptoms. Until now, Alberta funded the drug for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but not RA. Alberta and P.E.I. were the only two provinces that did not cover Rituximab as a treatment for RA, leaving Ursel to worry she would have to cover the cost on her own.
“One treatment costs approximately $19,000, and that’s actually two treatments in succession, two weeks apart,” she said. ...more
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers in Alberta will soon be able to share in some joint relief.
As of April 1, the drug Rituximab will be covered by Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan for rheumatoid arthritis patients who meet “special authorization criteria.”
Sandy Ursel, a Pincher Creek, Alta.-resident, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis more than five years ago, and Rituximab is the only drug that has brought relief from the illness’s symptoms. Until now, Alberta funded the drug for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but not RA. Alberta and P.E.I. were the only two provinces that did not cover Rituximab as a treatment for RA, leaving Ursel to worry she would have to cover the cost on her own.
“One treatment costs approximately $19,000, and that’s actually two treatments in succession, two weeks apart,” she said. ...more
Fury as High Street pharmacy sells morning-after pill online in bulk
From the Daily Mail (UK):
Women can bulk buy the morning-after pill over the internet from today - but critics claim it will promote promiscuity and encourage risky sex.
Visitors to Lloyds Pharmacy's online store will be able to buy up to three emergency contraceptive tablets without seeing a doctor or pharmacist.
The company says the move will allow women to stockpile the drug at home to use when their normal contraception fails, or after they have had unplanned and unprotected sex.
It insists it will do 'everything it can' to ensure the drug is not sold to girls under 18, but can only ask customers to promise not to pass the pills on to a friend or family member.
Campaigners said the easy availability of emergency contraception would encourage women to have unprotected sex, safe in the knowledge that they could pop a pill from their bathroom cabinet the next day. ...more
Women can bulk buy the morning-after pill over the internet from today - but critics claim it will promote promiscuity and encourage risky sex.
Visitors to Lloyds Pharmacy's online store will be able to buy up to three emergency contraceptive tablets without seeing a doctor or pharmacist.
The company says the move will allow women to stockpile the drug at home to use when their normal contraception fails, or after they have had unplanned and unprotected sex.
It insists it will do 'everything it can' to ensure the drug is not sold to girls under 18, but can only ask customers to promise not to pass the pills on to a friend or family member.
Campaigners said the easy availability of emergency contraception would encourage women to have unprotected sex, safe in the knowledge that they could pop a pill from their bathroom cabinet the next day. ...more
Drug-resistant TB treated at home in South Africa
From CBC News:
South Africa is trying a home-based care program to contain the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
With no new drugs on the horizon, the only way to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease is to help people stick to the gruelling two-year treatment plan required for a full recovery, said Dr. Eric Goemaere, who heads Médecins Sans Frontières in South Africa.
"We are recycling old drugs" that were invented in the 1950s, Goemaere said in an interview for World TB Day on Tuesday. "They were abandoned because they were too toxic."
Goemaere has launched a home-based care program in Khayelitsha, a poor, black township near Cape Town.
Busi Beko was isolated from her family when she was diagnosed with a strain of tuberculosis that is resistant to conventional TB medications. Beko endured two years of injections so toxic that they could have left her permanently deaf. ...more
South Africa is trying a home-based care program to contain the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
With no new drugs on the horizon, the only way to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease is to help people stick to the gruelling two-year treatment plan required for a full recovery, said Dr. Eric Goemaere, who heads Médecins Sans Frontières in South Africa.
"We are recycling old drugs" that were invented in the 1950s, Goemaere said in an interview for World TB Day on Tuesday. "They were abandoned because they were too toxic."
Goemaere has launched a home-based care program in Khayelitsha, a poor, black township near Cape Town.
Busi Beko was isolated from her family when she was diagnosed with a strain of tuberculosis that is resistant to conventional TB medications. Beko endured two years of injections so toxic that they could have left her permanently deaf. ...more
Doctor calls for pharmacists not to sell homeopathic products
From New Zealand Doctor Online:
“Pharmacists are scientists, and I urge them not to sell products that are proven to be ineffective”, states Dr. Shaun Holt in the latest issue of Pharmacy Today.
Mirroring a similar call made by Professor Ernst in the UK, Dr. Holt said that homeopathic products did not contain any active ingredient but supposedly had energy of substances that were in the product before they were diluted away. “Not only does this make no sense, it has never been demonstrated and there is a US$1 million prize for the first person to show that this occurs”.
Dr Holt continued: “homeopathic products are not just very diluted – they are so diluted there’s nothing there. It is like pouring a cup of coffee into Lake Taupo and then taking a cup of water from the lake the next day and describing that water as “dilute coffee”, and saying that you will get an even bigger boost from it than regular coffee as the dilution has increased its power”. ...more
“Pharmacists are scientists, and I urge them not to sell products that are proven to be ineffective”, states Dr. Shaun Holt in the latest issue of Pharmacy Today.
Mirroring a similar call made by Professor Ernst in the UK, Dr. Holt said that homeopathic products did not contain any active ingredient but supposedly had energy of substances that were in the product before they were diluted away. “Not only does this make no sense, it has never been demonstrated and there is a US$1 million prize for the first person to show that this occurs”.
Dr Holt continued: “homeopathic products are not just very diluted – they are so diluted there’s nothing there. It is like pouring a cup of coffee into Lake Taupo and then taking a cup of water from the lake the next day and describing that water as “dilute coffee”, and saying that you will get an even bigger boost from it than regular coffee as the dilution has increased its power”. ...more
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Seniors fight drug changes
From the Edmonton Sun:
A crowd of about 75 people gathered at the constituency office of MLA Dr. Raj Sherman yesterday afternoon to protest "deficiencies" in the province's proposed seniors pharmaceutical strategy.
"The government is proposing to impose a serious increase to drug costs for seniors, moving from a flat rate system to a means test," said protest organizer David Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare.
"This is a real attack on the principle of universality and really singling seniors out unfairly which, especially in an economic downturn, doesn't seem right."
Ralliers of all ages gathered at the west-end office shouting: "Don't cut seniors out" and waving signs as cars drove by and honked in support. The Raging Grannies also showed their support, flying their own banner and breaking into song. ...more
A crowd of about 75 people gathered at the constituency office of MLA Dr. Raj Sherman yesterday afternoon to protest "deficiencies" in the province's proposed seniors pharmaceutical strategy.
"The government is proposing to impose a serious increase to drug costs for seniors, moving from a flat rate system to a means test," said protest organizer David Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare.
"This is a real attack on the principle of universality and really singling seniors out unfairly which, especially in an economic downturn, doesn't seem right."
Ralliers of all ages gathered at the west-end office shouting: "Don't cut seniors out" and waving signs as cars drove by and honked in support. The Raging Grannies also showed their support, flying their own banner and breaking into song. ...more
Personalized medicines could change prescribing practices
From CBC News:
Much of the $30 billion that Canadians spend on drugs every year is wasted, but personalized medicines could revolutionize the way doctors prescribe, a biopharmaceutical researcher says.
People have genetic differences that determine how their bodies react to drugs such as warfarin or Coumadin, a blood thinner taken to prevent clotting. It is tricky to get the dosing right, because too little has no effect but too much can cause bleeding.
"Maybe you need more or maybe you have too much," said Serge Carriere, a healthy 70-year-old in Montreal who takes warfarin because he is at high risk for stroke. "It depends on the individual, the way they metabolize the drug."
Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif of the Montreal Heart Institute is testing the use of genetic analysis to help tailor drug dosages for patients like Carriere. ...more
Much of the $30 billion that Canadians spend on drugs every year is wasted, but personalized medicines could revolutionize the way doctors prescribe, a biopharmaceutical researcher says.
People have genetic differences that determine how their bodies react to drugs such as warfarin or Coumadin, a blood thinner taken to prevent clotting. It is tricky to get the dosing right, because too little has no effect but too much can cause bleeding.
"Maybe you need more or maybe you have too much," said Serge Carriere, a healthy 70-year-old in Montreal who takes warfarin because he is at high risk for stroke. "It depends on the individual, the way they metabolize the drug."
Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif of the Montreal Heart Institute is testing the use of genetic analysis to help tailor drug dosages for patients like Carriere. ...more
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Pharmacists look for more control
From the Sudbury (Ont.) Star:
It's a scenario that has happened to many people.
You forgot your prescription was running low, there are no more refills allowed and a two-week wait to see the doctor to get it renewed just won't do.
So, you end up going to the emergency department to get the prescription renewed, tying up valuable time and making others wait for something that should have taken just a few minutes to address.
If Ken Burns and the other 7,300 members of the Ontario Pharmacists Association get their wish, that scenario will come to an end.
That's because pharmacists may soon be able to take care of simple renewals for things such as high blood pressure pills and migraine medication after being granted the authority to do so by the province.
"There are a lot of people being treated for things such as high blood pressure," said Burns, pharmacist/manager at Errington Pharmacy in Chelmsford. "They may be monitored on a medication for seven years. We have a written record of the patient and the doctor here. Does it make sense to have to make them go back to a physician (for a renewal) or sitting in an emergency department in a line and then meeting a doctor who doesn't have any information about them?" ...more
It's a scenario that has happened to many people.
You forgot your prescription was running low, there are no more refills allowed and a two-week wait to see the doctor to get it renewed just won't do.
So, you end up going to the emergency department to get the prescription renewed, tying up valuable time and making others wait for something that should have taken just a few minutes to address.
If Ken Burns and the other 7,300 members of the Ontario Pharmacists Association get their wish, that scenario will come to an end.
That's because pharmacists may soon be able to take care of simple renewals for things such as high blood pressure pills and migraine medication after being granted the authority to do so by the province.
"There are a lot of people being treated for things such as high blood pressure," said Burns, pharmacist/manager at Errington Pharmacy in Chelmsford. "They may be monitored on a medication for seven years. We have a written record of the patient and the doctor here. Does it make sense to have to make them go back to a physician (for a renewal) or sitting in an emergency department in a line and then meeting a doctor who doesn't have any information about them?" ...more
Only 30% of RI pharmacists are certified
From the Jakarta Post:
Only 30 percent of the at least 27,000 pharmacists working across Indonesia posses a certificate declaring their competency, an official with the Association of Indonesian Pharmacy Graduates (ISFI) has said.
Speaking to journalists here Thursday, secretary of the association, Arel ST Iskandar, said this was mainly due to the fact that official certification for pharmacists had only been available in the country since 2006.
Thanks to the certification program, he said, the gap in quality between certified and uncertified pharmacists can now be clearly seen, Arel said on the sidelines of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the education of pharmacists in Indonesia, at Padjadjaran University. ...more
Only 30 percent of the at least 27,000 pharmacists working across Indonesia posses a certificate declaring their competency, an official with the Association of Indonesian Pharmacy Graduates (ISFI) has said.
Speaking to journalists here Thursday, secretary of the association, Arel ST Iskandar, said this was mainly due to the fact that official certification for pharmacists had only been available in the country since 2006.
Thanks to the certification program, he said, the gap in quality between certified and uncertified pharmacists can now be clearly seen, Arel said on the sidelines of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the education of pharmacists in Indonesia, at Padjadjaran University. ...more
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wetaskiwin pill dispenser a first for Alberta
From the Wetaskiwin (AB) Times Advertiser:
It’s a first for Alberta and the Wetaskiwin Value Drug Mart.
The business has been chosen as the first pharmacy in the province to install the latest technology for automated dispensing.
The change will help equip the store’s pharmacists with “the ability to handle more prescriptions with increased efficiency and accuracy,” according to a press release.
“It’s an investment in the future of our pharmacy, and reflects our strong commitment to patients’ health and safety,” said Wetaskiwin Value Drug Mart pharmacy manager Rodney Bleakney.
Parata Max fully automates the dispensing of oral solids – pills, tablets and capsules, which comprise approximately 70 per cent of the pharmacy’s prescriptions. ...more
It’s a first for Alberta and the Wetaskiwin Value Drug Mart.
The business has been chosen as the first pharmacy in the province to install the latest technology for automated dispensing.
The change will help equip the store’s pharmacists with “the ability to handle more prescriptions with increased efficiency and accuracy,” according to a press release.
“It’s an investment in the future of our pharmacy, and reflects our strong commitment to patients’ health and safety,” said Wetaskiwin Value Drug Mart pharmacy manager Rodney Bleakney.
Parata Max fully automates the dispensing of oral solids – pills, tablets and capsules, which comprise approximately 70 per cent of the pharmacy’s prescriptions. ...more
Gonorrhea superbug hits Canada
From the Vancouver Sun:
Gonorrhea superbugs are swiftly emerging in Canada, and men, as well as patients over 30 are at the greatest risk, new research shows.
In women, untreated gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and scarring of the fallopian tubes, causing infertility. In men, it can cause inflammation of the prostate and urethra.
For both sexes, the sexually transmitted infection can cause serious bloodstream and joint infections, as well as immune complications.
Symptoms of gonorrhea include a painful or burning sensation with urination and penile or vaginal discharge. But, according to Canada's public health agency, the majority of infected women and some infected men will not show any symptoms. ...more
Gonorrhea superbugs are swiftly emerging in Canada, and men, as well as patients over 30 are at the greatest risk, new research shows.
In women, untreated gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and scarring of the fallopian tubes, causing infertility. In men, it can cause inflammation of the prostate and urethra.
For both sexes, the sexually transmitted infection can cause serious bloodstream and joint infections, as well as immune complications.
Symptoms of gonorrhea include a painful or burning sensation with urination and penile or vaginal discharge. But, according to Canada's public health agency, the majority of infected women and some infected men will not show any symptoms. ...more
Heavy drinking-prostate cancer link confirmed
From CTV News:
Men who drink 14 or more drinks a week are 20 per cent more likely to develop prostate cancer, according to an international review co-authored by a University of Victoria researcher.
The results, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, provides more concrete evidence of the link between alcohol and prostate cancer - a link that has remained controversial.
Tim Stockwell, director of the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., along with research teams from the U.S. and Australia reviewed 35 previously published studies that linked drinking and the risk of developing prostate cancer.
The studies that Stockwell and his colleagues examined included "cohort studies", which measure people at one point in time and then re-measure them later to see if their drinking, smoking or exercise is associated with the incidence of disease. ...more
Men who drink 14 or more drinks a week are 20 per cent more likely to develop prostate cancer, according to an international review co-authored by a University of Victoria researcher.
The results, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, provides more concrete evidence of the link between alcohol and prostate cancer - a link that has remained controversial.
Tim Stockwell, director of the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions Research of B.C., along with research teams from the U.S. and Australia reviewed 35 previously published studies that linked drinking and the risk of developing prostate cancer.
The studies that Stockwell and his colleagues examined included "cohort studies", which measure people at one point in time and then re-measure them later to see if their drinking, smoking or exercise is associated with the incidence of disease. ...more
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Pharmacists' role in evolutionary mode
From the Toronto Star:
On Monday afternoon, when Zubin Austin was educating his Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology class about cholesterol, he was standing in front of a diverse group.
The diversity of first-year pharmacy students at the University of Toronto – not only culturally, but ranging in age from 16 to fifty-something, with upwards of one year of university to a PhD under their belts – serve to underscore the burgeoning range of possibilities for graduates.
"Become a teacher, industry expert, regulator, the sky is the limit," says Deo Bahadur, Pharmacy Operations Leader at Toronto Western Hospital.
Bahadur was a pharmacist in his native Guyana and worked as a pharmacy technician when he first arrived in Canada. Later, he went back to school in Jamaica for two years to earn a pharmacy degree that's recognized here.
He currently teaches in the new Bridging program for pharmacy technicians at Centennial College, a first step to becoming a regulated technician. At Toronto Western, he's both a manager and a clinical pharmacist, responsible for about 30 to 40 neurology and neurosurgery patients. ...more
On Monday afternoon, when Zubin Austin was educating his Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology class about cholesterol, he was standing in front of a diverse group.
The diversity of first-year pharmacy students at the University of Toronto – not only culturally, but ranging in age from 16 to fifty-something, with upwards of one year of university to a PhD under their belts – serve to underscore the burgeoning range of possibilities for graduates.
"Become a teacher, industry expert, regulator, the sky is the limit," says Deo Bahadur, Pharmacy Operations Leader at Toronto Western Hospital.
Bahadur was a pharmacist in his native Guyana and worked as a pharmacy technician when he first arrived in Canada. Later, he went back to school in Jamaica for two years to earn a pharmacy degree that's recognized here.
He currently teaches in the new Bridging program for pharmacy technicians at Centennial College, a first step to becoming a regulated technician. At Toronto Western, he's both a manager and a clinical pharmacist, responsible for about 30 to 40 neurology and neurosurgery patients. ...more
Toronto vending machines dispense prescription drugs
From the National Post:
Hundreds of Toronto patients have been picking up their prescription drugs in recent months much as they withdraw cash or buy a can of cola -- from special vending machines that some observers believe could transform the pharmacy business.
Customers insert their prescription into a slot in the device and a few minutes later, it spits out their medication.
Proponents say the Canadian-made drug kiosks, which feature a video link to a real pharmacist, offer convenience when there is no pharmacy open or close by. Skeptics, though, warn the machines will never duplicate the benefits of meeting in person with a druggist.
Pharmacy regulators, meanwhile, seem sympathetic, with the profession's governing body in Ontario releasing proposed legislative changes this week that would open the door to wider use of such technology.
"I think it could be the next BlackBerry," said Dr. Sharon Domb, medical director of family medicine at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, which has been testing the technology. "The feedback has been positive: ‘It's great, it's fast, I don't have to go anywhere else.' " ...more
Hundreds of Toronto patients have been picking up their prescription drugs in recent months much as they withdraw cash or buy a can of cola -- from special vending machines that some observers believe could transform the pharmacy business.
Customers insert their prescription into a slot in the device and a few minutes later, it spits out their medication.
Proponents say the Canadian-made drug kiosks, which feature a video link to a real pharmacist, offer convenience when there is no pharmacy open or close by. Skeptics, though, warn the machines will never duplicate the benefits of meeting in person with a druggist.
Pharmacy regulators, meanwhile, seem sympathetic, with the profession's governing body in Ontario releasing proposed legislative changes this week that would open the door to wider use of such technology.
"I think it could be the next BlackBerry," said Dr. Sharon Domb, medical director of family medicine at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, which has been testing the technology. "The feedback has been positive: ‘It's great, it's fast, I don't have to go anywhere else.' " ...more
Accreditation for pharmacy college
I am a bit unclear regarding what this means. Now that Qatar University has been accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation, will this make it easier for their grads to move to Canada? Is this a trend we can expect from other foreign universities?
From Gulf Times (Qatar):
Qatar University’s College of Pharmacy has been accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programmes, it was announced yesterday.
“Qatar University is the first international institution to be evaluated by the Council for accreditation under the standards applied to pharmacy schools in Canada,” CCAPP Executive Director Dr David Hill said.
In a letter to QU President Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad he stated that the Council is extremely pleased with the initial stages of its relationship with QU and will use the experience as a model for other international universities seeking CCAPP accreditation.
Prof al-Misnad described the accreditation as a testament to the excellence of the Pharmacy programme, the dedication of the students, staff and faculty and recognition of the commitment of Qatar’s only university to the continued advancement of pharmacy education and practice in the country.
College of Pharmacy Dean Dr Peter Jewesson explained that the accreditation is provisional as a class of students is yet to be graduated. “The College will continue to work with CCAPP as it prepares for the first BSc (Pharm) class graduation and first Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) class enrollment by 2011,” he said. ...more
Foreign drugs can be a risk or a bargain
From the Los Angeles Times:
Obtaining low-cost drugs from Canada, Mexico and other foreign countries is a controversial method for shaving prescription expenses.
In most instances it is illegal, but authorities often take a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to the practice as long as consumers are purchasing nonnarcotic drugs for personal use.
Residents of border states such as Michigan and California have frequented foreign pharmacies for years. Buying from abroad via the Internet or mail order carries additional risk, experts warn, because consumers can't be sure of the source of the drugs.
This month, Sens. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) introduced drug importation legislation that creates a legal and regulated system for buying drugs from foreign countries. ...more
Obtaining low-cost drugs from Canada, Mexico and other foreign countries is a controversial method for shaving prescription expenses.
In most instances it is illegal, but authorities often take a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to the practice as long as consumers are purchasing nonnarcotic drugs for personal use.
Residents of border states such as Michigan and California have frequented foreign pharmacies for years. Buying from abroad via the Internet or mail order carries additional risk, experts warn, because consumers can't be sure of the source of the drugs.
This month, Sens. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) introduced drug importation legislation that creates a legal and regulated system for buying drugs from foreign countries. ...more
How to protect yourself from medication errors
From CTV News:
Each year, about 422 million prescriptions are filled in Canada. And each year, countless Canadians are sent to hospital because of problems with these prescriptions.
A study published this past summer in the Canadian Medical Association Journal estimated that more than one in nine of all emergency room visits are medication-related. Many of the times, the patients were at fault because they skipped doses or ignored warnings on the label. But often, the patient has done everything right; they've simply been the victim of a prescribing error.
Somewhere between a doctor writing a prescription and a patient receiving it, errors can be made with incorrect drug selection, contraindications, dosage errors, or communication problems with the pharmacy.
How serious is the problem in Canada? Startlingly, no one knows. That's because Canada still does not have a decent nationwide system for reporting medication errors.
The systems that do exist focus more on medication side effects or on errors made in hospital. But the problem of prescribing errors made in doctors' offices remains largely unexplored, says Dr. Neil MacKinnon, an associate professor at the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, whose primary area or research is studying medication errors. ..more
Each year, about 422 million prescriptions are filled in Canada. And each year, countless Canadians are sent to hospital because of problems with these prescriptions.
A study published this past summer in the Canadian Medical Association Journal estimated that more than one in nine of all emergency room visits are medication-related. Many of the times, the patients were at fault because they skipped doses or ignored warnings on the label. But often, the patient has done everything right; they've simply been the victim of a prescribing error.
Somewhere between a doctor writing a prescription and a patient receiving it, errors can be made with incorrect drug selection, contraindications, dosage errors, or communication problems with the pharmacy.
How serious is the problem in Canada? Startlingly, no one knows. That's because Canada still does not have a decent nationwide system for reporting medication errors.
The systems that do exist focus more on medication side effects or on errors made in hospital. But the problem of prescribing errors made in doctors' offices remains largely unexplored, says Dr. Neil MacKinnon, an associate professor at the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, whose primary area or research is studying medication errors. ..more
Pfizer to set up 600 smoking cessation clinics in 2 years
It looks like Pfizer will opt for a more direct approach when they are selling Champix in India. With the relatively open pharmaceutical laws, it could work there. I wonder how objective these clinics will be. Nonetheless, it's an innovative concept.
From the Economic Times (India):
Pfizer India plans to launch 600 smoking cessation clinics across the country in the next two years in partnership with private sector hospitals and clinics. Pfizer India director (pharmaceutical marketing) Anjan Sen said: “We have already tied up with 150 clinics in 17 cities, including Max Healthcare, and are in talks with more hospitals for partnerships. We are also in talks with the government to use this as a treatment option in the 600 clinics that they plan to set up.”
The government had last year announced to launch same number of clinics. The government clinics will use nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) like chewing gum and patches, along with counselling, to help people quit smoking, a method that doctors say has far less success rate than medication which blocks the receptors in the brain absorbing nicotine.
According to Mr Sen, the government will shortly conduct a clinical trial of the Pfizer drug, Champix, to check its efficacy and if satisfied it will become a part of the government’s anti-smoking programme. ...more
Researchers explore supersized doses
From the Globe and Mail:
Researchers are taking a fresh look at vitamin D - the over-the-counter supplement much-ballyhooed as a way to prevent diseases - to determine whether it could be effective as a medical treatment for those who already have chronic illnesses such as cancer.
Although the investigations are in their early stages, any successful outcomes could be a major health breakthrough, giving patients an inexpensive treatment option that's as close as the nearest pharmacy.
Already the so-called sunshine vitamin is glowing brightly in medical circles, with recent studies showing its efficacy in preventing everything from cancer to the flu. Typical of the recent investigations was one conducted at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, where multiple sclerosis patients received one of the largest vitamin D doses ever dispensed in a clinical setting.
It yielded some tantalizing evidence that supersizing the nutrient helps calm symptoms of the neurological disease. ...more
Researchers are taking a fresh look at vitamin D - the over-the-counter supplement much-ballyhooed as a way to prevent diseases - to determine whether it could be effective as a medical treatment for those who already have chronic illnesses such as cancer.
Although the investigations are in their early stages, any successful outcomes could be a major health breakthrough, giving patients an inexpensive treatment option that's as close as the nearest pharmacy.
Already the so-called sunshine vitamin is glowing brightly in medical circles, with recent studies showing its efficacy in preventing everything from cancer to the flu. Typical of the recent investigations was one conducted at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, where multiple sclerosis patients received one of the largest vitamin D doses ever dispensed in a clinical setting.
It yielded some tantalizing evidence that supersizing the nutrient helps calm symptoms of the neurological disease. ...more
Better drugs encouraging AIDS complacency: Nobel doctor
From AFP:
People are forgetting to practise safe sex because they no longer fear dying from HIV/AIDS, says the doctor who won the Nobel prize for helping to discover the virus.
Treatment advances mean "some people in my country, France, and other Western countries have become complacent -- they see HIV/AIDS as a chronic disease -- not as one that can kill," virologist Francoise Barre-Sinoussi said.
The doctor shared the Nobel Prize last year with fellow French virologist Dr Luc Montagnier for their discovery in 1981 of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.
Barre-Sinoussi noted there has been a huge leap forward in treatments for HIV/AIDS with a cocktail of drugs that reduces the level of virus in the body and likewise lowers the risk of passing on the pathogen to others.
But she told AFP she worried that people's confidence in retroviral drugs had created a false sense of security, leading to an increase in unprotected sex. ...more
People are forgetting to practise safe sex because they no longer fear dying from HIV/AIDS, says the doctor who won the Nobel prize for helping to discover the virus.
Treatment advances mean "some people in my country, France, and other Western countries have become complacent -- they see HIV/AIDS as a chronic disease -- not as one that can kill," virologist Francoise Barre-Sinoussi said.
The doctor shared the Nobel Prize last year with fellow French virologist Dr Luc Montagnier for their discovery in 1981 of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.
Barre-Sinoussi noted there has been a huge leap forward in treatments for HIV/AIDS with a cocktail of drugs that reduces the level of virus in the body and likewise lowers the risk of passing on the pathogen to others.
But she told AFP she worried that people's confidence in retroviral drugs had created a false sense of security, leading to an increase in unprotected sex. ...more
Smoking-cessation drug under scrutiny
From CTV Calgary:
Hundreds of people claim a drug used to help people quit smoking has given them some serious side effects.
Dana Roy says she tried to slit her wrists while she was taking the drug Champix. She says "I looked down at the sink and this knife was sitting here, and I picked it up and cut both my wrists".
Roy says "I had such an overwhelming feeling of anxiety; I just wanted the feeling to go away".
Roy's medication did come with an information sheet that described common side effects such as nausea and trouble sleeping. It also said "tell your doctor if you experience agitation, depressed mood or suicidal thoughts" the sheet also says "it's not known if these symptoms are related to Champix". ...more
Hundreds of people claim a drug used to help people quit smoking has given them some serious side effects.
Dana Roy says she tried to slit her wrists while she was taking the drug Champix. She says "I looked down at the sink and this knife was sitting here, and I picked it up and cut both my wrists".
Roy says "I had such an overwhelming feeling of anxiety; I just wanted the feeling to go away".
Roy's medication did come with an information sheet that described common side effects such as nausea and trouble sleeping. It also said "tell your doctor if you experience agitation, depressed mood or suicidal thoughts" the sheet also says "it's not known if these symptoms are related to Champix". ...more
Vitamin C may protect against gout
From the Guardian (UK):
Getting plenty of vitamin C in your diet may protect against painful attacks of gout, researchers have found. The study showed that men who consumed the most vitamin C, from fruit and vegetables or from supplements, were less likely than other men to get gout.
Gout is a very painful condition causing swelling and stiffness in the joints. It usually affects the big toe joint and can make walking difficult. Gout is quite prevalent, with about 1 in 100 people getting it at some point in life, and is far more common in men than women. It tends to occur in men over 40, especially those who are overweight. Unfortunately, there are few good treatments. The pain is treated mainly with painkillers. ...more
Getting plenty of vitamin C in your diet may protect against painful attacks of gout, researchers have found. The study showed that men who consumed the most vitamin C, from fruit and vegetables or from supplements, were less likely than other men to get gout.
Gout is a very painful condition causing swelling and stiffness in the joints. It usually affects the big toe joint and can make walking difficult. Gout is quite prevalent, with about 1 in 100 people getting it at some point in life, and is far more common in men than women. It tends to occur in men over 40, especially those who are overweight. Unfortunately, there are few good treatments. The pain is treated mainly with painkillers. ...more
MDs, pharmacists battling drug resellers
From the Winnipeg Free Press:
Inner-city doctors and pharmacists want the province to help them crack down on prescription-drug abuse in response to the growing number of people reselling addictive painkillers such as OxyContin on the street.
Betty Edel, executive director of the Mount Carmel Clinic, said the strip of medical clinics and pharmacies along North Main Street has become a hub for the resale of prescription painkillers.
Edel said area residents and people from other Winnipeg communities are coming to North Main to fill their prescriptions and sell them to dealers who, in turn, sell the drugs for a steeper price on the street.
OxyContin is a strong narcotic that contains oxycodone and other opiates and is prescribed by physicians as a long-release painkiller. Some addiction experts call it "hillbilly heroin," since tablets containing oxycodone can be purchased for about $5 a pill, then resold by dealers. ...more
Inner-city doctors and pharmacists want the province to help them crack down on prescription-drug abuse in response to the growing number of people reselling addictive painkillers such as OxyContin on the street.
Betty Edel, executive director of the Mount Carmel Clinic, said the strip of medical clinics and pharmacies along North Main Street has become a hub for the resale of prescription painkillers.
Edel said area residents and people from other Winnipeg communities are coming to North Main to fill their prescriptions and sell them to dealers who, in turn, sell the drugs for a steeper price on the street.
OxyContin is a strong narcotic that contains oxycodone and other opiates and is prescribed by physicians as a long-release painkiller. Some addiction experts call it "hillbilly heroin," since tablets containing oxycodone can be purchased for about $5 a pill, then resold by dealers. ...more
Pharmacists want power to renew prescriptions
From the Windsor (Ont.) Star:
Giving pharmacists authority to fill some prescriptions without a doctor’s order would help patients in our physician shortage-plagued region, a local pharmacist says.
David Malian, a LaSalle pharmacist and past-president of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, is endorsing the recommendation that Ontario pharmacists be given more power to order prescription refills and give people meds for minor ailments without a doctor’s sanction.
“Pharmacists are well-educated, well-trained … and they’re the most accessible health care professional that a patient can see,” Malian said in an interview this week. “Allowing them to expand their scope of practice, in conjunction and in communication with other health care practitioners, only will enhance better health care.”
Last fall, the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council submitted a report to the Ministry of Health that recommends allowing pharmacists to extend or adjust prescriptions, order lab tests and dispense medication for simple ailments like rashes and pink eye. The ministry has said it will study the report and ask for input from health professionals and the public....more
Giving pharmacists authority to fill some prescriptions without a doctor’s order would help patients in our physician shortage-plagued region, a local pharmacist says.
David Malian, a LaSalle pharmacist and past-president of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, is endorsing the recommendation that Ontario pharmacists be given more power to order prescription refills and give people meds for minor ailments without a doctor’s sanction.
“Pharmacists are well-educated, well-trained … and they’re the most accessible health care professional that a patient can see,” Malian said in an interview this week. “Allowing them to expand their scope of practice, in conjunction and in communication with other health care practitioners, only will enhance better health care.”
Last fall, the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council submitted a report to the Ministry of Health that recommends allowing pharmacists to extend or adjust prescriptions, order lab tests and dispense medication for simple ailments like rashes and pink eye. The ministry has said it will study the report and ask for input from health professionals and the public....more
'Don't stop asthma meds in pregnancy'
From IrishHealth.com:
Pregnant women who have asthma run a greater risk of giving birth prematurely if they stop taking their asthma medication, the results of a new study indicate.
According to researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada, ‘many pregnant women cease taking their asthma medication to protect the health of their child. However, they don't know that unchecked asthma can cause greater harm to the child than the medication’.
The researchers also pointed out that there is no link between taking asthma medication, such as Ventolin, and any congenital birth defect.
The study involved 13,000 pregnant women who consulted a doctor about asthma between 1990 and 2002. The Canadian team analysed the medication used by these women and their rate of admission to hospital following visits to A&E.
It found that those who suspended their asthma treatment during pregnancy were more likely to give birth prematurely. The probability of suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) during pregnancy also increased among those who stopped taking their medication. ...more
Pregnant women who have asthma run a greater risk of giving birth prematurely if they stop taking their asthma medication, the results of a new study indicate.
According to researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada, ‘many pregnant women cease taking their asthma medication to protect the health of their child. However, they don't know that unchecked asthma can cause greater harm to the child than the medication’.
The researchers also pointed out that there is no link between taking asthma medication, such as Ventolin, and any congenital birth defect.
The study involved 13,000 pregnant women who consulted a doctor about asthma between 1990 and 2002. The Canadian team analysed the medication used by these women and their rate of admission to hospital following visits to A&E.
It found that those who suspended their asthma treatment during pregnancy were more likely to give birth prematurely. The probability of suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) during pregnancy also increased among those who stopped taking their medication. ...more
Monday, March 09, 2009
Birth-control pills, low birth weight linked
From the National Post:
Women who get pregnant within a few weeks of taking birth-control pills seem much more likely than others to have low birth-weight or premature babies, concludes a new Canadian study that deals with one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs.
The findings suggest couples should consider using condoms and other "barrier" contraception methods in the month before they try to conceive, say the researchers from the University of Ottawa.
The study does not definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship and needs to be confirmed by more research, said the lead investigator. It is also unclear why oral contraceptives might affect the development of the fetus, added Xi-Kuan Chen, an epidemiologist.
The findings should not be ignored, though, he said.
"Doctors should be bringing this to the attention of patients," said Mr. Chen, who is also a senior analyst with the Canadian Institute for Health Information. "When they consult with some patients, they should suggest there might be some effect for them." ...more
Women who get pregnant within a few weeks of taking birth-control pills seem much more likely than others to have low birth-weight or premature babies, concludes a new Canadian study that deals with one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs.
The findings suggest couples should consider using condoms and other "barrier" contraception methods in the month before they try to conceive, say the researchers from the University of Ottawa.
The study does not definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship and needs to be confirmed by more research, said the lead investigator. It is also unclear why oral contraceptives might affect the development of the fetus, added Xi-Kuan Chen, an epidemiologist.
The findings should not be ignored, though, he said.
"Doctors should be bringing this to the attention of patients," said Mr. Chen, who is also a senior analyst with the Canadian Institute for Health Information. "When they consult with some patients, they should suggest there might be some effect for them." ...more
Bitter pill for 'uncaring' pharmacists
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
Suburban pharmacies sheltered from supermarket competition routinely failed to live up to their claims of being caring professionals, according to the consumer organisation, Choice.
The consumer group has seized on fresh research that says pharmacies are failing to give customers advice on drugs. It wants consumers to have a voice in the secretive negotiations between the Pharmacy Guild and the Government over the billions of taxpayer dollars paid to pharmacists to provide dispensing services.
University of South Australia researchers have found that nearly half the customers surveyed said they rarely got advice on drugs from pharmacists.
This was despite the $5.44 pharmacists receive from the Government each time they dispensed a prescription, in adddition to their retail mark-up.
"Most consumers are not routinely given or offered written or oral medicine information at the time a medicine is dispensed," concludes a report by the university's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. ...more
Suburban pharmacies sheltered from supermarket competition routinely failed to live up to their claims of being caring professionals, according to the consumer organisation, Choice.
The consumer group has seized on fresh research that says pharmacies are failing to give customers advice on drugs. It wants consumers to have a voice in the secretive negotiations between the Pharmacy Guild and the Government over the billions of taxpayer dollars paid to pharmacists to provide dispensing services.
University of South Australia researchers have found that nearly half the customers surveyed said they rarely got advice on drugs from pharmacists.
This was despite the $5.44 pharmacists receive from the Government each time they dispensed a prescription, in adddition to their retail mark-up.
"Most consumers are not routinely given or offered written or oral medicine information at the time a medicine is dispensed," concludes a report by the university's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. ...more
Alberta cancer patients win drug funding
From the Calgary Herald:
Tears of joy greeted the Stelmach government's announcement Thursday that it will spend an estimated $5 million a year to fund the colorectal cancer treatment Avastin--making Alberta one of the last provinces to cover the controversial drug.
With cancer patients looking on, Health Minister Ron Liepert told the legislature the province will begin funding Avastin on April 1, following an Alberta Health Services Board recommendation Thursday that the pricey drug be covered.
"At the end of the day, what we want to do is what is right,"Liepert told reporters. "The decision is the right one."
The decision follows an Alberta Cancer Board recommendation in January that government fund Avastin for the treatment of advanced colon cancer.
Avastin has been at the centre of a national debate about costly cancer drugs, but the board endorsed the therapy after reviewing studies showing it can modestly extend survival for those suffering from colon cancer.
The health minister announced the decision Thursday after Calgary-Currie Liberal MLA Dave Taylor brought patients and family members to the legislature to plead their case. ...more
Tears of joy greeted the Stelmach government's announcement Thursday that it will spend an estimated $5 million a year to fund the colorectal cancer treatment Avastin--making Alberta one of the last provinces to cover the controversial drug.
With cancer patients looking on, Health Minister Ron Liepert told the legislature the province will begin funding Avastin on April 1, following an Alberta Health Services Board recommendation Thursday that the pricey drug be covered.
"At the end of the day, what we want to do is what is right,"Liepert told reporters. "The decision is the right one."
The decision follows an Alberta Cancer Board recommendation in January that government fund Avastin for the treatment of advanced colon cancer.
Avastin has been at the centre of a national debate about costly cancer drugs, but the board endorsed the therapy after reviewing studies showing it can modestly extend survival for those suffering from colon cancer.
The health minister announced the decision Thursday after Calgary-Currie Liberal MLA Dave Taylor brought patients and family members to the legislature to plead their case. ...more
Doctor recycles prescription drugs to the homeless
From CBC News:
A prominent Canadian doctor has begun to recycle unused prescription drugs to homeless people in Ottawa because he says they could not afford them otherwise, CBC News has learned.
Dr. Jeff Turnbull, chief of staff at the Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, acknowledges the practice is controversial but says it is one way to ensure that homeless people get the medication they desperately need.
He and Dr. Ron MacCormick, an oncologist in Sydney, N.S., want provincial governments to establish regulations that would guide doctors who want to recycle unused prescription drugs that would otherwise be thrown out.
"I think it's a common sense issue where we could come up with common sense guidelines to direct this," Turnbull said.
Turnbull, who is nominated to become president of the Canadian Medical Association next year, gives the unused drugs to patients at an inner city health centre in Ottawa. ...more
A prominent Canadian doctor has begun to recycle unused prescription drugs to homeless people in Ottawa because he says they could not afford them otherwise, CBC News has learned.
Dr. Jeff Turnbull, chief of staff at the Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, acknowledges the practice is controversial but says it is one way to ensure that homeless people get the medication they desperately need.
He and Dr. Ron MacCormick, an oncologist in Sydney, N.S., want provincial governments to establish regulations that would guide doctors who want to recycle unused prescription drugs that would otherwise be thrown out.
"I think it's a common sense issue where we could come up with common sense guidelines to direct this," Turnbull said.
Turnbull, who is nominated to become president of the Canadian Medical Association next year, gives the unused drugs to patients at an inner city health centre in Ottawa. ...more
A little bit of sugar provides lasting pain relief for babies: study
From CBC News:
Sugar has a calming effect on babies that lasts beyond 10 minutes, new Toronto research suggests.
Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children, the University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital and York University studied 240 babies and their reactions after half were given sugar and the other half were given a placebo following a painful medical procedure.
The research involved measuring the "pain responses" of the babies during a diaper change after a blood test, including recording their heart rate and facial reactions, such as squeezing their eyes shut and bulging their brows.
The findings, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, determined that while babies cried during a diaper change after a blood test, giving them a bit of sugar after the needle appeared to dull the pain.
The majority of the babies in both the group given the sugar and the group given a placebo were given a diaper change within an hour of the blood test.
The infants given table sugar, or sucrose, had lower pain scores than the infants given placebos. ...more
Sugar has a calming effect on babies that lasts beyond 10 minutes, new Toronto research suggests.
Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children, the University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital and York University studied 240 babies and their reactions after half were given sugar and the other half were given a placebo following a painful medical procedure.
The research involved measuring the "pain responses" of the babies during a diaper change after a blood test, including recording their heart rate and facial reactions, such as squeezing their eyes shut and bulging their brows.
The findings, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, determined that while babies cried during a diaper change after a blood test, giving them a bit of sugar after the needle appeared to dull the pain.
The majority of the babies in both the group given the sugar and the group given a placebo were given a diaper change within an hour of the blood test.
The infants given table sugar, or sucrose, had lower pain scores than the infants given placebos. ...more
HIV rates 'surprisingly high' in those over 50
From CTV News:
Rates of HIV infection among people over 50 appear to be on the rise - perhaps in part to the increased use of erectile-dysfunction drugs, global experts are warning.
In an article published in the World Health Organization's Bulletin on Tuesday, WHO experts warn that HIV is still rarely considered a risk for older individuals, even though seniors are considered more likely than younger people to risk unprotected sex.
"HIV prevalence and incidence in the over-50-year-olds seem surprisingly high and the risk factors are totally unexplored," the authors from the WHO and Minnesota's St. Olaf College write.
Patients over the age of 50 make up roughly eight per cent of new HIV diagnoses in Europe and 11 per cent in the United States, the report finds. And in Brazil, HIV infection among those aged over 50 years doubled between 1996 and 2006, jumping from 7.5 to 15.7 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. ...more
Rates of HIV infection among people over 50 appear to be on the rise - perhaps in part to the increased use of erectile-dysfunction drugs, global experts are warning.
In an article published in the World Health Organization's Bulletin on Tuesday, WHO experts warn that HIV is still rarely considered a risk for older individuals, even though seniors are considered more likely than younger people to risk unprotected sex.
"HIV prevalence and incidence in the over-50-year-olds seem surprisingly high and the risk factors are totally unexplored," the authors from the WHO and Minnesota's St. Olaf College write.
Patients over the age of 50 make up roughly eight per cent of new HIV diagnoses in Europe and 11 per cent in the United States, the report finds. And in Brazil, HIV infection among those aged over 50 years doubled between 1996 and 2006, jumping from 7.5 to 15.7 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. ...more
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Drug Imports May Become Legal in U.S. Under Obama, McCain Plans
From Bloomberg:
Americans may soon be able to buy cheap drugs imported from other countries without fear of breaking the law, now that a five-year push in Congress for new rules has gained support in President Barack Obama’s budget.
A proposal to allow drug imports was introduced today by Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican defeated by Obama for the presidency, along with Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan, of North Dakota, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, of Maine. Obama called for the changes in his budget last week, and views the measure as one way to reduce health-care costs so that medical coverage for the uninsured can be expanded.
Brand-name drugs in other countries cost as much as 70 percent less than in the U.S. Allowing imports would save Americans $50 billion over the next decade, including $10 billion for the U.S. government, the lawmakers said. Dorgan and Snowe previously introduced similar legislation opposed by the pharmaceutical industry and former President George W. Bush. ...more
Americans may soon be able to buy cheap drugs imported from other countries without fear of breaking the law, now that a five-year push in Congress for new rules has gained support in President Barack Obama’s budget.
A proposal to allow drug imports was introduced today by Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican defeated by Obama for the presidency, along with Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan, of North Dakota, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, of Maine. Obama called for the changes in his budget last week, and views the measure as one way to reduce health-care costs so that medical coverage for the uninsured can be expanded.
Brand-name drugs in other countries cost as much as 70 percent less than in the U.S. Allowing imports would save Americans $50 billion over the next decade, including $10 billion for the U.S. government, the lawmakers said. Dorgan and Snowe previously introduced similar legislation opposed by the pharmaceutical industry and former President George W. Bush. ...more
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Cross-border medicine trade back in spotlight
From the Globe and Mail:
U.S. President Barack Obama's $3.55-trillion (U.S.) budget included one sentence that could reopen a long simmering debate in Canada - how much access Americans should have to inexpensive medicines from Canada.
For years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made it difficult for Americans to import drugs from other countries, including Canada, citing concerns about safety. But that has not stopped many Internet pharmacies from sprouting up on this side of the border, offering a wide range of prescription and non-prescription drugs, usually at lower prices. Price controls and a lower dollar have kept medicine prices generally lower in Canada compared with the United States.
The Internet cross-border business has been estimated as close to $1-billion (Canadian) and peaked several years ago when the Canadian dollar traded well below 70 cents (U.S). Business has trailed off in recent years as the dollar strengthened and changes were made to some U.S. drug plans for senior citizens.
Yesterday, Mr. Obama signalled in his budget that his administration supports efforts to open up the cross-border medicine trade. One section, titled "Lower Drug Costs and Improves Food and Medical Product Safety," noted that the budget "supports the Food and Drug Administration's new efforts to allow Americans to buy safe and effective drugs from other countries." ...more
U.S. President Barack Obama's $3.55-trillion (U.S.) budget included one sentence that could reopen a long simmering debate in Canada - how much access Americans should have to inexpensive medicines from Canada.
For years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made it difficult for Americans to import drugs from other countries, including Canada, citing concerns about safety. But that has not stopped many Internet pharmacies from sprouting up on this side of the border, offering a wide range of prescription and non-prescription drugs, usually at lower prices. Price controls and a lower dollar have kept medicine prices generally lower in Canada compared with the United States.
The Internet cross-border business has been estimated as close to $1-billion (Canadian) and peaked several years ago when the Canadian dollar traded well below 70 cents (U.S). Business has trailed off in recent years as the dollar strengthened and changes were made to some U.S. drug plans for senior citizens.
Yesterday, Mr. Obama signalled in his budget that his administration supports efforts to open up the cross-border medicine trade. One section, titled "Lower Drug Costs and Improves Food and Medical Product Safety," noted that the budget "supports the Food and Drug Administration's new efforts to allow Americans to buy safe and effective drugs from other countries." ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart's cure for the recession
From the Financial Post:
The sorry economy may be sending customers in to a Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. outlet these days for some Xanax and a box of tissue to dry their tears.
But after posting 19 consecutive quarters of profit in a backsliding retail sector, what's important to chief executive Jurgen Schreiber is the added booty customers continue to walk out with: a tube of lipstick here, a scented candle there, a treat from the new line of antioxidant chocolate and perhaps some Royale toilet paper, offered that week at a fire-sale price. Before they know it, that trip for a box of Kleenex has morphed into a $150 basket of items at the checkout counter.
"People spend 20 to 30 minutes in our stores looking around," Mr. Schreiber said in a recent interview at his Toronto headquarters, shortly after Canada's largest drug store chain posted a fourth-quarter earnings rise of 14.4% and sales that leapt 15% to $2.5-billion. That's against an economic backdrop that saw the biggest overall retail sales decline in December since the same month in 1991, when the goods and services tax was introduced. Sales fell 5.4% from November, while economists were projecting a decline of up to 3%. ...more
The sorry economy may be sending customers in to a Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. outlet these days for some Xanax and a box of tissue to dry their tears.
But after posting 19 consecutive quarters of profit in a backsliding retail sector, what's important to chief executive Jurgen Schreiber is the added booty customers continue to walk out with: a tube of lipstick here, a scented candle there, a treat from the new line of antioxidant chocolate and perhaps some Royale toilet paper, offered that week at a fire-sale price. Before they know it, that trip for a box of Kleenex has morphed into a $150 basket of items at the checkout counter.
"People spend 20 to 30 minutes in our stores looking around," Mr. Schreiber said in a recent interview at his Toronto headquarters, shortly after Canada's largest drug store chain posted a fourth-quarter earnings rise of 14.4% and sales that leapt 15% to $2.5-billion. That's against an economic backdrop that saw the biggest overall retail sales decline in December since the same month in 1991, when the goods and services tax was introduced. Sales fell 5.4% from November, while economists were projecting a decline of up to 3%. ...more
Prescription drugs: more business for Canadian online pharmacies?
From CBC News:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration still says "don't do it." The "it" being buying prescription drugs from Canadian — or any other foreign — online pharmacy.
The official line is that if you're an American buying drugs online, you could be paying for:
* Counterfeit drugs.
* Medicine that's too strong or two weak.
* Drugs made in unsafe conditions.
* Drugs that are beyond their best-before date.
The FDA says there's nothing wrong with buying online, as long as the website is located in the United Prescription drugs being measured out.States, is licensed by the state board of pharmacy where the site is operating, has a licensed pharmacist on hand to answer your questions and requires a prescription from a doctor who is licensed to practice in the United States. ...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration still says "don't do it." The "it" being buying prescription drugs from Canadian — or any other foreign — online pharmacy.
The official line is that if you're an American buying drugs online, you could be paying for:
* Counterfeit drugs.
* Medicine that's too strong or two weak.
* Drugs made in unsafe conditions.
* Drugs that are beyond their best-before date.
The FDA says there's nothing wrong with buying online, as long as the website is located in the United Prescription drugs being measured out.States, is licensed by the state board of pharmacy where the site is operating, has a licensed pharmacist on hand to answer your questions and requires a prescription from a doctor who is licensed to practice in the United States. ...more
Health Canada asks for quarantine of drugs from Indian plant under investigation
From the Canadian Press:
An Indian pharmaceutical firm has agreed to a Health Canada request to quarantine all drugs coming into Canada from a manufacturing plant alleged to have falsified data and test results.
Health Canada said Thursday that Ranbaxy Canada has agreed to place a hold on all drugs coming into the country from the Paonta Sahib manufacturing facility.
Health Canada revealed the move in a brief end-of-day email in response to questioning from The Canadian Press.
The questions were provoked by a statement issued Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA said it was halting review of new drug applications involving the Paonta Sahib plant because it had evidence of data falsification.
Health Canada provided no details of how many or what type of drugs Ranbaxy Canada imports to this country. Nor did it offer advice to people who might be taking those drugs.
"Health Canada is taking appropriate actions to mitigate the potential risks to the health and safety of Canadians," said the response, sent by spokesperson Alastair Sinclair.
"Following Health Canada's request, Ranbaxy Canada has quarantined all products imported into Canada from the Paonta Sahib site." ...more
An Indian pharmaceutical firm has agreed to a Health Canada request to quarantine all drugs coming into Canada from a manufacturing plant alleged to have falsified data and test results.
Health Canada said Thursday that Ranbaxy Canada has agreed to place a hold on all drugs coming into the country from the Paonta Sahib manufacturing facility.
Health Canada revealed the move in a brief end-of-day email in response to questioning from The Canadian Press.
The questions were provoked by a statement issued Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA said it was halting review of new drug applications involving the Paonta Sahib plant because it had evidence of data falsification.
Health Canada provided no details of how many or what type of drugs Ranbaxy Canada imports to this country. Nor did it offer advice to people who might be taking those drugs.
"Health Canada is taking appropriate actions to mitigate the potential risks to the health and safety of Canadians," said the response, sent by spokesperson Alastair Sinclair.
"Following Health Canada's request, Ranbaxy Canada has quarantined all products imported into Canada from the Paonta Sahib site." ...more
McKesson withdraws offer for Uniprix after pharmacists fail to approve deal
From the Brandon (MB) Sun:
The sale of Quebec's second-largest pharmacy was scuttled Friday after independent pharmacists who own Uniprix Inc. rejected an offer from medicine distributor McKesson Canada.
The company withdrew its offer after the number of shares tendered by the deadline Friday didn't meet the minimum conditions laid out in McKesson's Jan. 19 offer.
McKesson said it will continue to support the independent pharmacy business model despite withdrawing the offer.
"Our desire to help the Uniprix Group succeed and to see further growth among its banners remains strong, and we wish to pursue our longstanding business relationship," stated McKesson Canada president Domenic Pilla. ...more
The sale of Quebec's second-largest pharmacy was scuttled Friday after independent pharmacists who own Uniprix Inc. rejected an offer from medicine distributor McKesson Canada.
The company withdrew its offer after the number of shares tendered by the deadline Friday didn't meet the minimum conditions laid out in McKesson's Jan. 19 offer.
McKesson said it will continue to support the independent pharmacy business model despite withdrawing the offer.
"Our desire to help the Uniprix Group succeed and to see further growth among its banners remains strong, and we wish to pursue our longstanding business relationship," stated McKesson Canada president Domenic Pilla. ...more
Wash. pharmacist put old drugs back in supply
From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:
The pharmacist at TOP Food and Drug in suburban Edmonds seemed like an excellent employee.
Friendly and helpful to the customers, he even ran a collection drive, asking people to bring back any unused prescriptions so he could donate the medicine to Third World countries.
Instead, he put much of that medicine back in the pharmacy's supply - even if its expiration date had passed - thus improving the store's profits while masking that he was also skimming thousands of dollars in copayments and other transactions.
The now-former pharmacist, Milton Cheung, will be sentenced Friday after admitting his conduct in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last fall. The government and Cheung's attorney agreed to recommend a 15-month sentence, while the pharmacy's parent company, Bellingham-based Haggen Inc., has agreed to create a compliance program to improve record-keeping at all its pharmacies.
"Customers were never advised that they were receiving expired and adulterated drugs," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Friedman wrote in a memo to the court. "And while there are no reports of adverse patient reaction, Cheung had no right to expose the public to the risk of product tampering, bacteria and other market adulteration inherent in his scheme." ...more
The pharmacist at TOP Food and Drug in suburban Edmonds seemed like an excellent employee.
Friendly and helpful to the customers, he even ran a collection drive, asking people to bring back any unused prescriptions so he could donate the medicine to Third World countries.
Instead, he put much of that medicine back in the pharmacy's supply - even if its expiration date had passed - thus improving the store's profits while masking that he was also skimming thousands of dollars in copayments and other transactions.
The now-former pharmacist, Milton Cheung, will be sentenced Friday after admitting his conduct in a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last fall. The government and Cheung's attorney agreed to recommend a 15-month sentence, while the pharmacy's parent company, Bellingham-based Haggen Inc., has agreed to create a compliance program to improve record-keeping at all its pharmacies.
"Customers were never advised that they were receiving expired and adulterated drugs," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Friedman wrote in a memo to the court. "And while there are no reports of adverse patient reaction, Cheung had no right to expose the public to the risk of product tampering, bacteria and other market adulteration inherent in his scheme." ...more
Monday, February 23, 2009
Hospira Healthcare Corporation Recalls Two Lots of Desferrioxamine Mesilate for Injection, BP (500 mg and 2g format)
From Health Canada:
Health Canada is advising consumers of a recall of Desferrioxamine Mesilate for Injection (500 mg and 2g format) by Hospira Healthcare Corporation. Certain lots of this product are being recalled because of the potential for very small particles to form after preparation for intravenous administration.
Health Canada is working with the company on the recall of the affected Canadian products from the market. The following specific lots are being recalled:
Lot number: U072231AA in 500mg format
Lot number: U102237AA in 2g format
...more
Health Canada is advising consumers of a recall of Desferrioxamine Mesilate for Injection (500 mg and 2g format) by Hospira Healthcare Corporation. Certain lots of this product are being recalled because of the potential for very small particles to form after preparation for intravenous administration.
Health Canada is working with the company on the recall of the affected Canadian products from the market. The following specific lots are being recalled:
Lot number: U072231AA in 500mg format
Lot number: U102237AA in 2g format
...more
Suspension of marketing of Raptiva (efalizumab) in Canada
From Health Canada:
This Communication is to inform you about the Health Canada recommendation for EMD Serono Canada Inc. to suspend the commercialization of RAPTIVA in Canada.
EMD Serono Canada Inc., in consultation with Health Canada, has urgent new safety information concerning RAPTIVA (efalizumab).
RAPTIVA is an immunomodulating, humanized monoclonal antibody which was authorized in Canada in 2005 for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adult patients (18 years or older) who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
For Health Professionals
For the Public
This Communication is to inform you about the Health Canada recommendation for EMD Serono Canada Inc. to suspend the commercialization of RAPTIVA in Canada.
EMD Serono Canada Inc., in consultation with Health Canada, has urgent new safety information concerning RAPTIVA (efalizumab).
RAPTIVA is an immunomodulating, humanized monoclonal antibody which was authorized in Canada in 2005 for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adult patients (18 years or older) who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
For Health Professionals
For the Public
Updated Safety Information regarding Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) associated with TYSABRI® (natalizumab)
From Health Canada:
Biogen Idec Canada Inc., in consultation with Health Canada, would like to inform you that previously communicated safety information regarding post-marketing reports of PML in patients receiving TYSABRI® (natalizumab) monotherapy is now included in the Canadian Product Monograph. PML is a known risk of TYSABRI therapy.
TYSABRI is a humanized monoclonal antibody and is currently authorized as monotherapy (i.e. single disease-modifying agent) for the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations, to decrease the number and volume of active brain lesions identified on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and to delay the progression of physical disability.
For health care professionals
For the public
Biogen Idec Canada Inc., in consultation with Health Canada, would like to inform you that previously communicated safety information regarding post-marketing reports of PML in patients receiving TYSABRI® (natalizumab) monotherapy is now included in the Canadian Product Monograph. PML is a known risk of TYSABRI therapy.
TYSABRI is a humanized monoclonal antibody and is currently authorized as monotherapy (i.e. single disease-modifying agent) for the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations, to decrease the number and volume of active brain lesions identified on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and to delay the progression of physical disability.
For health care professionals
For the public
Pharmacists put their strike on hold
It's a bit late, but here's an update on the Egyptian pharmacist strike...
From the Los Angeles Times:
In a sudden move on Tuesday evening, Egyptian pharmacists decided to suspend their strike during negotiations with the government aimed at reaching a compromise on a new taxation law.
“We received strong promises from top officials that the problem will be solved,” Mahmoud Abdel Maqsoud, secretary-general of the pharmacists’ syndicates told The Times on his way to the Finance Ministry to start a new round of talks. “We don’t mean to torture patients; we deal with a very sensitive commodity so our moves should be well calculated.”
All private pharmacies have abided by their union’s decision to halt the strike, Abdel Maqsoud added. ...more
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Drug maker suspends sale of psoriasis drug
From the Toronto Star:
The distributor of a psoriasis drug that is the subject of safety concerns has agreed to suspend sales of it in Canada.
Health Canada recommended that EMD Serono Canada Inc. stop the marketing of Raptiva, the brand name for the drug efalizumab.
Raptiva was authorized in October 2005 for treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in patients 18 years of age and older.
But use of the drug has been linked to cases of a condition called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or PML, a severe and sometimes fatal neurological disease.
And other serious infections have been seen in people who have taken the drug for three years or more, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, encephalitis, meningitis and sepsis, a bloodstream infection. ...more
The distributor of a psoriasis drug that is the subject of safety concerns has agreed to suspend sales of it in Canada.
Health Canada recommended that EMD Serono Canada Inc. stop the marketing of Raptiva, the brand name for the drug efalizumab.
Raptiva was authorized in October 2005 for treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in patients 18 years of age and older.
But use of the drug has been linked to cases of a condition called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or PML, a severe and sometimes fatal neurological disease.
And other serious infections have been seen in people who have taken the drug for three years or more, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, encephalitis, meningitis and sepsis, a bloodstream infection. ...more
E-cigarettes mimic smoking, but are they safe?
From CTV News:
What if you could get your daily nicotine fix without also inhaling the hazardous chemicals found in conventional cigarettes?
Chinese manufacturers have solved that problem by creating an electronic cigarette, which delivers nicotine in a cigarette-like package but without the tobacco and chemical additives that are linked to cancer and other health problems.
But while these products are slowly growing in popularity around the world, including Canada, they are not approved for use as smoking-cessation aids such as nicotine gums and patches, and it is still unclear if the amount of nicotine they deliver is safe.
"I think that things that help people to quit are very good, like approved products that help people to quit," Prof. Kelli-an Lawrance, a tobacco researcher at Brock University's Community Health Sciences department, told CTV.ca.
"I think that these particular devices are being marketed with the intention of keeping people smoking...They're not smoking them to try to quit. And so I think that that's a really big issue." ...more
What if you could get your daily nicotine fix without also inhaling the hazardous chemicals found in conventional cigarettes?
Chinese manufacturers have solved that problem by creating an electronic cigarette, which delivers nicotine in a cigarette-like package but without the tobacco and chemical additives that are linked to cancer and other health problems.
But while these products are slowly growing in popularity around the world, including Canada, they are not approved for use as smoking-cessation aids such as nicotine gums and patches, and it is still unclear if the amount of nicotine they deliver is safe.
"I think that things that help people to quit are very good, like approved products that help people to quit," Prof. Kelli-an Lawrance, a tobacco researcher at Brock University's Community Health Sciences department, told CTV.ca.
"I think that these particular devices are being marketed with the intention of keeping people smoking...They're not smoking them to try to quit. And so I think that that's a really big issue." ...more
Man charged with painkiller fraud, theft
From United Press International:
Police in Calgary, Alberta, have charged a pharmacy worker with fraud and theft related to 15,000 missing painkiller tablets.
Constable Dan Allen told the Calgary Sun the investigation showed customers' drug plan information was used to forge prescriptions for OxyContin painkiller pills from a Shoppers Drug Mart franchise where the suspect worked as a pharmacy technician.
"He would, in one case, find perhaps a couple who have two policies: one under perhaps the male, and one under the female, and he would then bill a portion to one of the clients and a portion to the other client, which would then raise no flags for the store," Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. ...more
Police in Calgary, Alberta, have charged a pharmacy worker with fraud and theft related to 15,000 missing painkiller tablets.
Constable Dan Allen told the Calgary Sun the investigation showed customers' drug plan information was used to forge prescriptions for OxyContin painkiller pills from a Shoppers Drug Mart franchise where the suspect worked as a pharmacy technician.
"He would, in one case, find perhaps a couple who have two policies: one under perhaps the male, and one under the female, and he would then bill a portion to one of the clients and a portion to the other client, which would then raise no flags for the store," Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. ...more
Family celebrates victory as new drugs approved on P.E.I.
From CBC News:
Eighteen new drugs, many of them for fighting cancer, will be added to P.E.I.'s drug formulary on March 1, the government announced Thursday — a move that will save many families thousands of dollars.
Health Minister Doug Currie estimates this announcement will have an immediate positive impact on 1,200 Islanders.
"When you hear stories about families tapping into their lifetime savings, when you're talking to families who are taking second mortgages on their house, you know as a minister that you have to act," said Currie.
About 33 per cent of Islanders live without private health insurance. It's those people who are most likely to be helped by this announcement. While drugs not on the approved list might be prescribed, there is no chance of the cost being covered by the government.
Once a drug is on the list, it is possible for some people without insurance to have costs covered. ...more
Eighteen new drugs, many of them for fighting cancer, will be added to P.E.I.'s drug formulary on March 1, the government announced Thursday — a move that will save many families thousands of dollars.
Health Minister Doug Currie estimates this announcement will have an immediate positive impact on 1,200 Islanders.
"When you hear stories about families tapping into their lifetime savings, when you're talking to families who are taking second mortgages on their house, you know as a minister that you have to act," said Currie.
About 33 per cent of Islanders live without private health insurance. It's those people who are most likely to be helped by this announcement. While drugs not on the approved list might be prescribed, there is no chance of the cost being covered by the government.
Once a drug is on the list, it is possible for some people without insurance to have costs covered. ...more
Sask. residents spending more on erectile dysfunction drugs
From the Regina Leader Post:
Spending on prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) has been rising rapidly in Saskatchewan, a report authored by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests.
The Canadian Rx Atlas, published in December, breaks down Canada’s $19 billion in prescription drug spending and identifies consumer trends in the field.
According to the report, national per capita retail spending on ED drugs grew at an average rate of 39.6 per cent per year between 1998 and 2007. Saskatchewan’s annual growth rate of 45.5 per cent was second only to Quebec.
Canadians spent a reported $154 million on ED drugs in 2007, compared to a mere $4.7 million in 1998. Saskatchewan residents accounted for approximately $3.6 million of that total, or $3.50 per capita.
While he was unable to answer exactly why men in Saskatchewan are reaching for their Viagra or Cialis faster than other Canadians, Dr. J. Steven Richardson, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan, says it may have something to do with demographics. ...more
Spending on prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) has been rising rapidly in Saskatchewan, a report authored by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests.
The Canadian Rx Atlas, published in December, breaks down Canada’s $19 billion in prescription drug spending and identifies consumer trends in the field.
According to the report, national per capita retail spending on ED drugs grew at an average rate of 39.6 per cent per year between 1998 and 2007. Saskatchewan’s annual growth rate of 45.5 per cent was second only to Quebec.
Canadians spent a reported $154 million on ED drugs in 2007, compared to a mere $4.7 million in 1998. Saskatchewan residents accounted for approximately $3.6 million of that total, or $3.50 per capita.
While he was unable to answer exactly why men in Saskatchewan are reaching for their Viagra or Cialis faster than other Canadians, Dr. J. Steven Richardson, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan, says it may have something to do with demographics. ...more
Egyptian pharmacists strike against tax law
From the International Herald Tribune:
Pharmacists in privately owned drugstores in Egypt went on strike Monday to protest efforts by authorities to enforce a new tax law, their union said.
The law, adopted in 2005, requires pharmacists to use a new bookkeeping method that includes all merchandise sold in drugstores — not just medicines — in their tax returns. Pharmacies in Egypt sell common toiletries and hair care products as well as pharmaceuticals.
Pharmacists argue that medicines are not a profit-making enterprise and that they should have a lower taxation, different from other goods.
Mohammad Abdel Gawad of the Pharmacists Union said the strike was called after efforts to get a tax exemption failed. He said many of the 45,000 privately owned pharmacies were expected to take part in the open-ended protest. Egyptian pharmacists strike against tax law -
Pharmacists in privately owned drugstores in Egypt went on strike Monday to protest efforts by authorities to enforce a new tax law, their union said.
The law, adopted in 2005, requires pharmacists to use a new bookkeeping method that includes all merchandise sold in drugstores — not just medicines — in their tax returns. Pharmacies in Egypt sell common toiletries and hair care products as well as pharmaceuticals.
Pharmacists argue that medicines are not a profit-making enterprise and that they should have a lower taxation, different from other goods.
Mohammad Abdel Gawad of the Pharmacists Union said the strike was called after efforts to get a tax exemption failed. He said many of the 45,000 privately owned pharmacies were expected to take part in the open-ended protest. Egyptian pharmacists strike against tax law -
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Edmonton wellness company ordered to offer refunds on cancer drugs
From the Calgary Herald:
An Edmonton-based wellness company that made unsubstantiated claims that some of its products could cure cancer has agreed to post a correction online and offer full refunds to its customers after a federal investigation by the Competition Bureau.
Bioenergy Wellness Inc., which did business as Energyworks Wellness Center, was making unproven claims on two websites that its products — papimi, magnapulse and far infrared sauna — were effective in preventing or treating cancer.
Papimi is a medical device that delivers radiation-free magnetic pulses to body tissue and claims to stimulate health and repair diseased tissue. Magnapulse operates on a similar philosophy.
Infrared saunas produce sun-like heat without harmful ultraviolet rays that penetrate the body and allegedly detoxify the body through sweat.
“Cancer is a serious disease and we’re not going to let them make those claims,” said Tagreed Boules, senior competition law officer for the Competition Bureau. ...more
An Edmonton-based wellness company that made unsubstantiated claims that some of its products could cure cancer has agreed to post a correction online and offer full refunds to its customers after a federal investigation by the Competition Bureau.
Bioenergy Wellness Inc., which did business as Energyworks Wellness Center, was making unproven claims on two websites that its products — papimi, magnapulse and far infrared sauna — were effective in preventing or treating cancer.
Papimi is a medical device that delivers radiation-free magnetic pulses to body tissue and claims to stimulate health and repair diseased tissue. Magnapulse operates on a similar philosophy.
Infrared saunas produce sun-like heat without harmful ultraviolet rays that penetrate the body and allegedly detoxify the body through sweat.
“Cancer is a serious disease and we’re not going to let them make those claims,” said Tagreed Boules, senior competition law officer for the Competition Bureau. ...more
Rare brain infection linked to MS drug
From CBC News:
There are reports of a rare brain infection among people taking the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, Health Canada warns.
The brain infection, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, usually happens in people with weakened immune systems.
Since Tysabri first came on markets several years ago, five people around the world who were taking the drug developed PML and one case resulted in death, Health Canada said Wednesday.
The drug has been approved for use in Canada since 2006 for the treatment of the relapsing-remitting form of MS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
In this type of MS, patients alternate between periods when they experience symptoms and when they don't. ...more
There are reports of a rare brain infection among people taking the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, Health Canada warns.
The brain infection, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, usually happens in people with weakened immune systems.
Since Tysabri first came on markets several years ago, five people around the world who were taking the drug developed PML and one case resulted in death, Health Canada said Wednesday.
The drug has been approved for use in Canada since 2006 for the treatment of the relapsing-remitting form of MS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
In this type of MS, patients alternate between periods when they experience symptoms and when they don't. ...more
B.C. leads in use of erectile dysfunction medication
From the Vancouver Sun:
B.C. residents spend 25-per-cent less per capita on medicine than the rest of Canada -- except when it comes to prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction.
We spend the most on those.
A new University of B.C. report on prescription-drug spending does not explain whether the greater use of drugs such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra is due to a higher proportion of men in B.C. with impotence.
Experts interviewed Tuesday said they thought it might have to do with cultural factors. For example, such drugs are used "recreationally" in the homosexual community.
"We know they are used in the gay community as performance-enhancing drugs, so that's a theory to explain the higher spending here, but I have no data to back that up," said Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria.
Commenting on the findings in the Canadian Rx Atlas by the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Cassels said B.C. doctors "tend to be more conservative when prescribing drugs, but maybe not when it comes to Viagra." ...more
B.C. residents spend 25-per-cent less per capita on medicine than the rest of Canada -- except when it comes to prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction.
We spend the most on those.
A new University of B.C. report on prescription-drug spending does not explain whether the greater use of drugs such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra is due to a higher proportion of men in B.C. with impotence.
Experts interviewed Tuesday said they thought it might have to do with cultural factors. For example, such drugs are used "recreationally" in the homosexual community.
"We know they are used in the gay community as performance-enhancing drugs, so that's a theory to explain the higher spending here, but I have no data to back that up," said Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria.
Commenting on the findings in the Canadian Rx Atlas by the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Cassels said B.C. doctors "tend to be more conservative when prescribing drugs, but maybe not when it comes to Viagra." ...more
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Naturopaths to be allowed to prescribe medication
I'm not sure I follow this story. I thought the point of going to a naturopath was because you would want to avoid traditional pharmaceuticals.
From the Vancouver Sun:
Naturopathic doctors in B.C. could soon be allowed to prescribe medications if the provincial government goes ahead with plans to change its health profession regulations.
The changes would make B.C. the first province in Canada to grant naturopathic doctors the authority to prescribe drugs such as antibiotics, painkillers and anti-depressants.
But the move is being met with concern from the B.C. Medical Association, which argues patient safety will be put at risk if the changes are allowed.
In a letter written last month to the province’s medical doctors, association president Bill Mackie expressed the group’s concerns.
“The BCMA is significantly concerned with the expansion of scope proposed for naturopaths that includes the ability to order lab tests and prescribe Schedule I and II medications,” he wrote. ...more
HIV drug could raise heart attack risk
From the Irish Times:
A widely used anti-HIV drug could raise heart attack risk by encouraging blood clots to form, according to a new study by Irish scientists that was unveiled at a major international conference in Canada last week.
The Dublin-based researchers showed that patients on the anti-viral drug Abacavir have stickier blood platelets – which can clump to form clots – than patients who are not taking that drug as part of their therapy.
HIV infection itself is thought to increase heart attack risk, but last year a Danish-led study of more than 30,000 HIV-infected patients found that Abacavir appeared to almost double that risk, said Dr Paddy Mallon, consultant in infectious diseases at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital and a lecturer in medicine at University College Dublin. ...more
A widely used anti-HIV drug could raise heart attack risk by encouraging blood clots to form, according to a new study by Irish scientists that was unveiled at a major international conference in Canada last week.
The Dublin-based researchers showed that patients on the anti-viral drug Abacavir have stickier blood platelets – which can clump to form clots – than patients who are not taking that drug as part of their therapy.
HIV infection itself is thought to increase heart attack risk, but last year a Danish-led study of more than 30,000 HIV-infected patients found that Abacavir appeared to almost double that risk, said Dr Paddy Mallon, consultant in infectious diseases at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital and a lecturer in medicine at University College Dublin. ...more
Glaucoma drug offers new way to grow eyelashes
From CTV News:
Women who long for lush lashes have had to rely on messy mascara and fussy false lashes. Now, doctors have stumbled on a new treatment from an unexpected source: a glaucoma drug.
The drug is called Lumigan. For glaucoma patients, the medication reduces pressure inside the eye. But it also appears to make lashes thicker by increasing the growth cycle of hair follicles and slowing down how fast they fall out.
The drug seems to offer this unexpected side effect because it's made with prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that flourish during a woman's pregnancy and can make her hair thicker.
Now, Vancouver husband wife team Drs. Jean & Alastair Carruthers, an ophthalmologist and a dermatologist, are studying the medication. They say that in their tests, they found that people grew lashes that were about 50 per cent longer and twice as thick. The lashes were also 18 per cent darker - all of this without the need for mascara. ...more
Women who long for lush lashes have had to rely on messy mascara and fussy false lashes. Now, doctors have stumbled on a new treatment from an unexpected source: a glaucoma drug.
The drug is called Lumigan. For glaucoma patients, the medication reduces pressure inside the eye. But it also appears to make lashes thicker by increasing the growth cycle of hair follicles and slowing down how fast they fall out.
The drug seems to offer this unexpected side effect because it's made with prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that flourish during a woman's pregnancy and can make her hair thicker.
Now, Vancouver husband wife team Drs. Jean & Alastair Carruthers, an ophthalmologist and a dermatologist, are studying the medication. They say that in their tests, they found that people grew lashes that were about 50 per cent longer and twice as thick. The lashes were also 18 per cent darker - all of this without the need for mascara. ...more
Five Filipino pharmacists dismissed
From Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday:
As the mixing of chemotherapy drugs resumed yesterday at the National Radiotherapy Centre, St James, five Filipino pharmacists were out of work after they were advised by the Health Ministry that their services were “no longer required”.
The termination of contract came after an “industrial relations problem” involving pharmacists at the NRC which resulted in intravenous chemotherapy being halted for scores of persons with cancer.
However, Newsday learnt that the persons whose contracts were terminated did not work at the NRC.
As he left the graduation ceremony for Registered Nurses, Midwives, and Nursing Assistants at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, Health Minister Jerry Narace said, “The matter is being resolved, and there are people treating with the pharmacists. A solution has been worked out,” Narace said to reporters. ...more
As the mixing of chemotherapy drugs resumed yesterday at the National Radiotherapy Centre, St James, five Filipino pharmacists were out of work after they were advised by the Health Ministry that their services were “no longer required”.
The termination of contract came after an “industrial relations problem” involving pharmacists at the NRC which resulted in intravenous chemotherapy being halted for scores of persons with cancer.
However, Newsday learnt that the persons whose contracts were terminated did not work at the NRC.
As he left the graduation ceremony for Registered Nurses, Midwives, and Nursing Assistants at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, Health Minister Jerry Narace said, “The matter is being resolved, and there are people treating with the pharmacists. A solution has been worked out,” Narace said to reporters. ...more
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Pharmacists struggling to deal with prescription drug fraud in B.C.: study
From CBC.ca:
B.C.'s pharmacists are not prepared to detect or deal with prescription drug fraud, according to a new study conducted by the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.
The study found that even if there's something obviously wrong with a prescription slip, many pharmacists are worried about what would happen if they confronted a patient, according to co-author Dr. Irwin Cohen, the research director of the university's centre for social responsibility.
"It is a very personal individual decision when someone comes with a fraudulent prescription or if someone comes with clear signs of abuse," said Cohen.
"It's certainly not pandemic yet," Cohen added. "But pharmacists are telling us they are ill equipped to deal with the problem. We also can't discount the fact that some people are using fraudulent prescriptions to obtain powerful and dangerous medications to sell for profit." ...more
B.C.'s pharmacists are not prepared to detect or deal with prescription drug fraud, according to a new study conducted by the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.
The study found that even if there's something obviously wrong with a prescription slip, many pharmacists are worried about what would happen if they confronted a patient, according to co-author Dr. Irwin Cohen, the research director of the university's centre for social responsibility.
"It is a very personal individual decision when someone comes with a fraudulent prescription or if someone comes with clear signs of abuse," said Cohen.
"It's certainly not pandemic yet," Cohen added. "But pharmacists are telling us they are ill equipped to deal with the problem. We also can't discount the fact that some people are using fraudulent prescriptions to obtain powerful and dangerous medications to sell for profit." ...more
Test kit highlights possible rise in prescription drug use among kids
From the Vancouver Sun:
As if it isn't enough for parents to worry about whether their teenager is using marijuana, cocaine or crystal meth, a new drug-testing kit presents parents with the option of testing their children for prescription drug use, too.
With a quick snip or a clump of hair, parents can find out within days whether a child has dipped into the family medicine cabinet, has tried cocaine in the past three months, uses crystal meth on the weekends, or is taking painkillers on a daily basis.
"Prescription drugs are so accessible to kids. They're in the medicine cabinet, so they don't really think it's dangerous for them," said Zeynep Ilgaz, president and co-founder of Confirm BioSciences, the California-based maker of the home drug-testing kits.
"Kids think it's a safe way to get high because they're not illegal."
Ilgaz said prescription drug abuse, particularly of OxyContin and Vicodin, is on the rise in the United States.
There are few Canadian statistics on the number of people who abuse prescription drugs, but the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says available evidence suggests Canadians are among the heaviest consumers of psychotropic medication in the world. And a recent study found indications that non-medicinal use of prescription opioids is increasingly replacing heroin. ...more
As if it isn't enough for parents to worry about whether their teenager is using marijuana, cocaine or crystal meth, a new drug-testing kit presents parents with the option of testing their children for prescription drug use, too.
With a quick snip or a clump of hair, parents can find out within days whether a child has dipped into the family medicine cabinet, has tried cocaine in the past three months, uses crystal meth on the weekends, or is taking painkillers on a daily basis.
"Prescription drugs are so accessible to kids. They're in the medicine cabinet, so they don't really think it's dangerous for them," said Zeynep Ilgaz, president and co-founder of Confirm BioSciences, the California-based maker of the home drug-testing kits.
"Kids think it's a safe way to get high because they're not illegal."
Ilgaz said prescription drug abuse, particularly of OxyContin and Vicodin, is on the rise in the United States.
There are few Canadian statistics on the number of people who abuse prescription drugs, but the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says available evidence suggests Canadians are among the heaviest consumers of psychotropic medication in the world. And a recent study found indications that non-medicinal use of prescription opioids is increasingly replacing heroin. ...more
N.D. House defeats bill that would have changed pharmacy ownership
From the Jamestown (ND) Sun:
North Dakota pharmacists and defenders of the state’s small towns came out on top Friday in the biggest battle of the 2009 Legislature.
The House soundly defeated a proposed repeal of the state’s 40-year-old law that requires pharmacies in the state be majority-owned by a pharmacist. House Bill 1440 went down on a 57-35 vote after an hour-long debate that at times got emotional.
“Trust the people of North Dakota,” said Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, who favored repeal and more choice for North Dakotans in where to shop for prescriptions.
“Let the people decide. Nobody’s forcing anyone to do anything different,” he said. ...more
North Dakota pharmacists and defenders of the state’s small towns came out on top Friday in the biggest battle of the 2009 Legislature.
The House soundly defeated a proposed repeal of the state’s 40-year-old law that requires pharmacies in the state be majority-owned by a pharmacist. House Bill 1440 went down on a 57-35 vote after an hour-long debate that at times got emotional.
“Trust the people of North Dakota,” said Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, who favored repeal and more choice for North Dakotans in where to shop for prescriptions.
“Let the people decide. Nobody’s forcing anyone to do anything different,” he said. ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart profit jumps, sees strong '09
From Reuters:
Shoppers Drug Mart (SC.TO) reported a 14.4 percent jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by strong pharmacy and front-of-store sales, and said it saw sales rising through 2009, despite the slowing economy.
Canada's biggest pharmacy chain said it earned C$173.1 million ($138.8 million), or 80 Canadian cents a share, in its fourth quarter, up from C$151.3 million, or 70 Canadian cents a share, a year earlier.
Revenue grew 14.7 percent to C$2.5 billion.
Analysts had expected average earnings per share of 75 Canadian cents, before items, and revenue of C$2.495 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart (SC.TO) reported a 14.4 percent jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by strong pharmacy and front-of-store sales, and said it saw sales rising through 2009, despite the slowing economy.
Canada's biggest pharmacy chain said it earned C$173.1 million ($138.8 million), or 80 Canadian cents a share, in its fourth quarter, up from C$151.3 million, or 70 Canadian cents a share, a year earlier.
Revenue grew 14.7 percent to C$2.5 billion.
Analysts had expected average earnings per share of 75 Canadian cents, before items, and revenue of C$2.495 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. ...more
Too early to get excited about premature ejaculation drug
From the Globe and Mail:
For years, men who suffer from erectile dysfunction have been able to use Viagra or similar medications to provide some lift to their sex life. But there has never been a specific drug to help men who peak too soon.
Now, a major pharmaceutical company, Janssen-Ortho Inc., has filed an application with Health Canada to market in this country a new drug designed to treat premature ejaculation.
"This is a really common problem," said Gerald Brock, a professor at the University of Western Ontario who has been involved with company-sponsored trials of the drug.
The condition, which can cause great emotional distress for men and their partners, is believed to affect up to one-third of males, Dr. Brock said. Basically, they lack sexual control and reach orgasm in less than two minutes.
Scientists have long suspected that serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain, plays a role in the disorder. In fact, patients are sometimes treated with a class of antidepressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which affect serotonin levels. ...more
For years, men who suffer from erectile dysfunction have been able to use Viagra or similar medications to provide some lift to their sex life. But there has never been a specific drug to help men who peak too soon.
Now, a major pharmaceutical company, Janssen-Ortho Inc., has filed an application with Health Canada to market in this country a new drug designed to treat premature ejaculation.
"This is a really common problem," said Gerald Brock, a professor at the University of Western Ontario who has been involved with company-sponsored trials of the drug.
The condition, which can cause great emotional distress for men and their partners, is believed to affect up to one-third of males, Dr. Brock said. Basically, they lack sexual control and reach orgasm in less than two minutes.
Scientists have long suspected that serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain, plays a role in the disorder. In fact, patients are sometimes treated with a class of antidepressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which affect serotonin levels. ...more
New heart drug offers hope
From the Hamilton Spectator:
Hamilton doctors can calm a heart beating dangerously fast with a new drug expected to drastically improve the chances of surviving a common heart condition.
The drug Dronedarone cuts by 25 per cent the number of cardiac deaths and hospitalizations from atrial fibrillation, which is an abnormal heart rhythm afflicting about one per cent of the population.
The ATHENA study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine holds the hope of a treatment with far fewer side effects and better results.
“This study was spectacularly positive,” said Dr. Stuart Connolly, principal investigator of the ATHENA study and head of cardiology at Hamilton Health Sciences. “This is a very important finding.”
The drug is not yet available, but is expected to be approved in Canada in the next year or so. ...more
Hamilton doctors can calm a heart beating dangerously fast with a new drug expected to drastically improve the chances of surviving a common heart condition.
The drug Dronedarone cuts by 25 per cent the number of cardiac deaths and hospitalizations from atrial fibrillation, which is an abnormal heart rhythm afflicting about one per cent of the population.
The ATHENA study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine holds the hope of a treatment with far fewer side effects and better results.
“This study was spectacularly positive,” said Dr. Stuart Connolly, principal investigator of the ATHENA study and head of cardiology at Hamilton Health Sciences. “This is a very important finding.”
The drug is not yet available, but is expected to be approved in Canada in the next year or so. ...more
Aging men may be under-prescribed bone-saving drugs, osteoporosis study finds
From the Canadian Press:
A new study suggests aging men and their doctors may not be paying enough attention to bone health.
The report from the Canadian Institutes for Health Information says older men in Canada are substantially less likely to be taking bisphosphonate drugs than are women.
Bisphosphonates are drugs used to counter the effects of osteoporosis and to prevent fractures.
While one in five senior women were using these medications in 2006-2007, only one out of every 30 senior men had been given a prescription for one of the drugs.
It is true that osteoporosis affects women more often than men; in fact, women are twice as likely to develop the bone-weakening disease.
But the report found the gap in prescribing rates between men and women is much bigger than the difference in disease incidence. ...more
A new study suggests aging men and their doctors may not be paying enough attention to bone health.
The report from the Canadian Institutes for Health Information says older men in Canada are substantially less likely to be taking bisphosphonate drugs than are women.
Bisphosphonates are drugs used to counter the effects of osteoporosis and to prevent fractures.
While one in five senior women were using these medications in 2006-2007, only one out of every 30 senior men had been given a prescription for one of the drugs.
It is true that osteoporosis affects women more often than men; in fact, women are twice as likely to develop the bone-weakening disease.
But the report found the gap in prescribing rates between men and women is much bigger than the difference in disease incidence. ...more
Mannville pharmacy closes doors after 40 years
From the Vermilion (AB) Standard:
Stu Nickerson was reading the newspaper one day when he spotted an advertisement - Pharmacy for Sale in Mannville, Alberta. The year was 1969.
“I had been managing a pharmacy in Grimshaw, Alberta for three years and I thought I could probably do it on my own. So we packed up and moved here in February on the coldest day I have ever experienced,” said Stu.
Now 40 years later Stu says it is time to hang up the pharmacy coat and take some time to travel with his wife Jean.
“We will continue to live in Mannville but would really love to travel and see the rest of this province and the country. We have done lots of traveling outside of Canada so now it is time to explore a bit of home,” said Stu.
In the 40 years as a pharmacist Stu says there have been many changes with the biggest being the modernization of computer technology in pharmacy services. ...more
Stu Nickerson was reading the newspaper one day when he spotted an advertisement - Pharmacy for Sale in Mannville, Alberta. The year was 1969.
“I had been managing a pharmacy in Grimshaw, Alberta for three years and I thought I could probably do it on my own. So we packed up and moved here in February on the coldest day I have ever experienced,” said Stu.
Now 40 years later Stu says it is time to hang up the pharmacy coat and take some time to travel with his wife Jean.
“We will continue to live in Mannville but would really love to travel and see the rest of this province and the country. We have done lots of traveling outside of Canada so now it is time to explore a bit of home,” said Stu.
In the 40 years as a pharmacist Stu says there have been many changes with the biggest being the modernization of computer technology in pharmacy services. ...more
Influenza patient reports pharmacist to ministry
Another unusual Swaziland pharmacy story...
From the Swazi Observer:
A man who was sick with flu has reported a Mbabane pharmacist to the ministry of health, claiming he was sold medication that did not cure the illness.
Bheki Dlamini, who hails from Nkoyoyo had a verbal showdown with the pharmacist on Friday as he complained of an unsatisfactory service.
So heated was the argument that the pharmacists told Dlamini to swallow all 20 tablets at once to get healed. ...more
St James chemo patients blanked
From the Trinidad Express:
Chemotherapy patients at the St James Radiotherapy Clinic have been turned away because the pharmacists are not mixing the drugs.
According to the patients, who requested anonymity, clinic officials told them that the pharmacists had not been paid and as a direct result, they refused to do any work.
The patients, however, found this excuse to be ridiculous and called on Health Minister Jerry Narace to intervene.
"The doctors are seeing people, the nurses are seeing people, but yet no one can get therapy," one patient angrily said. ...more
Chemotherapy patients at the St James Radiotherapy Clinic have been turned away because the pharmacists are not mixing the drugs.
According to the patients, who requested anonymity, clinic officials told them that the pharmacists had not been paid and as a direct result, they refused to do any work.
The patients, however, found this excuse to be ridiculous and called on Health Minister Jerry Narace to intervene.
"The doctors are seeing people, the nurses are seeing people, but yet no one can get therapy," one patient angrily said. ...more
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Massive study casts doubt on health benefits of multivitamins
From Canada.com:
Multivitamins don’t protect women against heart attack, stroke, cancer or an early death, according to a massive study involving tens of thousands of women.
Millions of women take multivitamins, often in the hope the popular supplements will prevent cancer and other diseases.
But the largest study ever conducted in post-menopausal women has found “convincing evidence” that multivitamin use has “little or no influence” on the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease or dying from any cause in post-menopausal women.
The research involved 161,808 American women, age 50 to 79, who are part of the ongoing Women’s Health Initiative, the largest study of women’s health. A total of 41.5 per cent of the women used multivitamins. The most popular was a multivitamin with minerals.
The women were enrolled in the trial between 1993 and 1998. After an average eight years of followup, researchers found no evidence multivitamins either increased or decreased the risk of cancers of the breast (invasive), colon/rectum, endometrium, ovary, kidney, bladder, stomach or lung.
They also found no significant effect on the risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the veins. ...more
Multivitamins don’t protect women against heart attack, stroke, cancer or an early death, according to a massive study involving tens of thousands of women.
Millions of women take multivitamins, often in the hope the popular supplements will prevent cancer and other diseases.
But the largest study ever conducted in post-menopausal women has found “convincing evidence” that multivitamin use has “little or no influence” on the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease or dying from any cause in post-menopausal women.
The research involved 161,808 American women, age 50 to 79, who are part of the ongoing Women’s Health Initiative, the largest study of women’s health. A total of 41.5 per cent of the women used multivitamins. The most popular was a multivitamin with minerals.
The women were enrolled in the trial between 1993 and 1998. After an average eight years of followup, researchers found no evidence multivitamins either increased or decreased the risk of cancers of the breast (invasive), colon/rectum, endometrium, ovary, kidney, bladder, stomach or lung.
They also found no significant effect on the risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the veins. ...more
Changing habits may not lower blood pressure
From Reuters:
People who say they are making lifestyle changes in addition to taking medication to reduce high blood pressure may actually be less likely to have their blood pressure under control than people relying on drugs alone, new research from Canada shows.
"Whether we like it or not, the only thing which we can definitely offer which really works is drug treatment," Dr. George J. Fodor of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ontario told Reuters Health. "I don't like it and most people don't like it, but this is the simple truth."
Exercise, weight loss and other lifestyle modifications are widely recommended as the first line of treatment for people recently diagnosed with hypertension. While clinical trials have shown that these measures are effective, there is less information on how readily people make these changes in real life, and how effective they are outside the clinical trial setting. ...more
People who say they are making lifestyle changes in addition to taking medication to reduce high blood pressure may actually be less likely to have their blood pressure under control than people relying on drugs alone, new research from Canada shows.
"Whether we like it or not, the only thing which we can definitely offer which really works is drug treatment," Dr. George J. Fodor of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ontario told Reuters Health. "I don't like it and most people don't like it, but this is the simple truth."
Exercise, weight loss and other lifestyle modifications are widely recommended as the first line of treatment for people recently diagnosed with hypertension. While clinical trials have shown that these measures are effective, there is less information on how readily people make these changes in real life, and how effective they are outside the clinical trial setting. ...more
J&J Ejaculation Pill, World’s First, Wins Approvals
From Bloomberg:
Johnson & Johnson won approval in Sweden and Finland for the first prescription pill to treat premature ejaculation, three years after U.S. regulators rejected the drug, the company said.
The drugmaker expects to win clearance for dapoxetine, to be sold as Priligy, in five more European nations and has applied for approval in Canada, Australia, Mexico, Turkey and six other countries, said Greg Panico, a spokesman for New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&J, today in a telephone interview. The pill, taken a few hours before intercourse, should be in European drugstores by April, he said.
“There’s a globally significant market” for premature ejaculation treatments, Panico said. He declined to estimate sales.
Dapoxetine may generate $575 million a year by 2011 for the company, said Michael Weinstein, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst in New York, in an Oct. 29 note to clients. It’s one of several drugs J&J is developing to replace revenue it expects to lose to generic competition to top-selling medications such as the antipsychotic Risperdal, he said. ...more
Johnson & Johnson won approval in Sweden and Finland for the first prescription pill to treat premature ejaculation, three years after U.S. regulators rejected the drug, the company said.
The drugmaker expects to win clearance for dapoxetine, to be sold as Priligy, in five more European nations and has applied for approval in Canada, Australia, Mexico, Turkey and six other countries, said Greg Panico, a spokesman for New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&J, today in a telephone interview. The pill, taken a few hours before intercourse, should be in European drugstores by April, he said.
“There’s a globally significant market” for premature ejaculation treatments, Panico said. He declined to estimate sales.
Dapoxetine may generate $575 million a year by 2011 for the company, said Michael Weinstein, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst in New York, in an Oct. 29 note to clients. It’s one of several drugs J&J is developing to replace revenue it expects to lose to generic competition to top-selling medications such as the antipsychotic Risperdal, he said. ...more
Cancer patients need access to records, report says
From CTV News:
Cancer patients in Canada - especially those who live in remote areas - need to be given access to their electronic health records to ensure they get the best treatment, say the authors of a new report card on cancer in Canada.
The Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada says in its annual report card that patients are not getting enough access to their own medical records.
The CACC conducted a survey of oncology clinics located more than two hours from a regional cancer centre, and found that most aren't using electronic health records to record vital information. Of 11 clinics surveyed across the country, only seven had access to an integrated health record system.
Of those seven, only three allowed clinic staff to make notes on the records.
Such limitations compromise patient care, the authors insist, because oncologists who devised the treatment plans are not able to follow whether treatment is being given properly, or what complications the patient encountered. ...more
Cancer patients in Canada - especially those who live in remote areas - need to be given access to their electronic health records to ensure they get the best treatment, say the authors of a new report card on cancer in Canada.
The Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada says in its annual report card that patients are not getting enough access to their own medical records.
The CACC conducted a survey of oncology clinics located more than two hours from a regional cancer centre, and found that most aren't using electronic health records to record vital information. Of 11 clinics surveyed across the country, only seven had access to an integrated health record system.
Of those seven, only three allowed clinic staff to make notes on the records.
Such limitations compromise patient care, the authors insist, because oncologists who devised the treatment plans are not able to follow whether treatment is being given properly, or what complications the patient encountered. ...more
Let pharmacists prescribe: advisory council
From the Sault (ON) Star:
Pharmacists will play a larger role in the delivery of health care, including being able to write some prescriptions and adapt existing ones, if the provincial government accepts several proposals before it.
With guidance from the Ontario Pharmacists' Association and Ontario College of Pharmacists, the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council released a report last month recommending changes to the scope of practice for a number of medical professions.
"The idea is for a more collaborative health care system, so it's not just doctors doing everything but everybody working together," said Tina Perlman, chair of the OPA board of directors.
Perlman, a Sault Ste. Marie native who now works as a community pharmacist in London, was here Monday to host the annual district meeting. She said pharmacists are keen to better use the skills they graduate with after a minimum six years of study.
According to the report, Canadian pharmacy programs turn out graduates "who would be equally competent in the skill of prescribing drugs and managing drugs" as medical students. The difference is those medical students then go on to hone their skills in residency and practice. ...more
Pharmacists will play a larger role in the delivery of health care, including being able to write some prescriptions and adapt existing ones, if the provincial government accepts several proposals before it.
With guidance from the Ontario Pharmacists' Association and Ontario College of Pharmacists, the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council released a report last month recommending changes to the scope of practice for a number of medical professions.
"The idea is for a more collaborative health care system, so it's not just doctors doing everything but everybody working together," said Tina Perlman, chair of the OPA board of directors.
Perlman, a Sault Ste. Marie native who now works as a community pharmacist in London, was here Monday to host the annual district meeting. She said pharmacists are keen to better use the skills they graduate with after a minimum six years of study.
According to the report, Canadian pharmacy programs turn out graduates "who would be equally competent in the skill of prescribing drugs and managing drugs" as medical students. The difference is those medical students then go on to hone their skills in residency and practice. ...more
Monday, February 09, 2009
Health store steroid dealer pleads guilty
From the North Shore (BC) News:
The owner of a North Vancouver health and supplement store charged with selling steroids to kids has pled guilty to one count of drug trafficking.
Joao Melo, 28, appeared in North Vancouver provincial court Thursday to enter the plea. His co-accused, Sylvie Tran, 26, was not present.
Melo and Tran were arrested last October for selling the steroid derivative Methyl-1-Testosterone or M1T at their business, SVN Canada on Lower Lonsdale. The arrests concluded a one-year undercover investigation by the North Vancouver RCMP.
According to federal Crown prosecutor Jay Straith, the maximum penalty for trafficking the drug is a three-year jail sentence.
An anabolic steroid, M1T is listed as a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. It is not approved for sale anywhere in Canada. Although the drug does help create muscle bulk, over time it can cause extremely serious side effects including liver disorders, hardening of the arteries and lung problems. ...more
The owner of a North Vancouver health and supplement store charged with selling steroids to kids has pled guilty to one count of drug trafficking.
Joao Melo, 28, appeared in North Vancouver provincial court Thursday to enter the plea. His co-accused, Sylvie Tran, 26, was not present.
Melo and Tran were arrested last October for selling the steroid derivative Methyl-1-Testosterone or M1T at their business, SVN Canada on Lower Lonsdale. The arrests concluded a one-year undercover investigation by the North Vancouver RCMP.
According to federal Crown prosecutor Jay Straith, the maximum penalty for trafficking the drug is a three-year jail sentence.
An anabolic steroid, M1T is listed as a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. It is not approved for sale anywhere in Canada. Although the drug does help create muscle bulk, over time it can cause extremely serious side effects including liver disorders, hardening of the arteries and lung problems. ...more
Albertans paying more for generic drugs, U of C study says
From the Calgary Herald:
Albertans are paying "very high prices" for generic drugs when compared with prices seen in other countries - a result of provincial policies, a new report from the University of Calgary said.
The research paper, written by U of C professor Aidan Hollis, said current policies across Canadian provinces - not just in Alberta - do a poor job of ensuring low drug prices. Among Hollis's concerns include insurance rules that discourage patients from looking for lower-priced drugs and the lack of incentives for drug companies to introduce other generic drugs to the market to challenge what's already available.
"Thanks to the expected arrival of generic versions of several blockbuster drugs, it appears that generic drugs will be one of the fastest-growing elements of health expenditures in Canada over the next few years," Hollis said in the paper. "Thus, given both the importance of generic drug expenditures and the extensive revision of drug procurement policies in other provinces, the time seems ripe for a review of Alberta’s policies."
The report estimated that 51 per cent of the prescriptions filled in Alberta are generic drugs - at a total cost of $400 million in 2007. In a comparison of the lowest prices available for generic drugs, the report found that consumers in Ontario paid only about 82 per cent of what Albertans paid for a comparable drug. ...more
Albertans are paying "very high prices" for generic drugs when compared with prices seen in other countries - a result of provincial policies, a new report from the University of Calgary said.
The research paper, written by U of C professor Aidan Hollis, said current policies across Canadian provinces - not just in Alberta - do a poor job of ensuring low drug prices. Among Hollis's concerns include insurance rules that discourage patients from looking for lower-priced drugs and the lack of incentives for drug companies to introduce other generic drugs to the market to challenge what's already available.
"Thanks to the expected arrival of generic versions of several blockbuster drugs, it appears that generic drugs will be one of the fastest-growing elements of health expenditures in Canada over the next few years," Hollis said in the paper. "Thus, given both the importance of generic drug expenditures and the extensive revision of drug procurement policies in other provinces, the time seems ripe for a review of Alberta’s policies."
The report estimated that 51 per cent of the prescriptions filled in Alberta are generic drugs - at a total cost of $400 million in 2007. In a comparison of the lowest prices available for generic drugs, the report found that consumers in Ontario paid only about 82 per cent of what Albertans paid for a comparable drug. ...more
Green tea blocks cancer drug benefits
From the Globe and Mail:
Many consider it a miracle beverage that can help shed pounds, reduce the risk of heart disease and even ward off some types of cancer.
But new research suggests that green tea may also have a dark side - by blocking the effects of a cancer drug.
Components of green tea seem to bind to the cancer drug bortezomib, also known by brand name Velcade, and stop it from reaching its target in cancer cells, according to a study published online yesterday in the journal Blood.
Velcade is primarily used to treat multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
Health Canada approved the drug in 2005 for use in patients who have already received at least one prior therapy or a stem-cell transplant, or are not suitable for transplant.
"We expected the opposite. We expected that [green tea] would help the drug," said Axel Schönthal, professor in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and senior author of the study. ...more
Many consider it a miracle beverage that can help shed pounds, reduce the risk of heart disease and even ward off some types of cancer.
But new research suggests that green tea may also have a dark side - by blocking the effects of a cancer drug.
Components of green tea seem to bind to the cancer drug bortezomib, also known by brand name Velcade, and stop it from reaching its target in cancer cells, according to a study published online yesterday in the journal Blood.
Velcade is primarily used to treat multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
Health Canada approved the drug in 2005 for use in patients who have already received at least one prior therapy or a stem-cell transplant, or are not suitable for transplant.
"We expected the opposite. We expected that [green tea] would help the drug," said Axel Schönthal, professor in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and senior author of the study. ...more
A battle over mail-order drugs
From the Boston Globe:
Medco's Willingboro plant may be the largest pharmacy in the world. It is the size of six football fields, and it can fill more prescriptions in a day than an average corner drugstore does in a year.
Robotic arms instead of human hands pour pills into bottles and label them. Infrared scanners rather than human eyes check and recheck each bottle. The machines are 23 times more accurate than the average pharmacist, Medco says, thanks to technology so advanced that computers consult the weather forecast along the shipping routes of heat-sensitive drugs and insert a cooling gel pack if needed.
Actual pharmacists, some of whom handle only specific diseases such as diabetes or cancer, check each patient's record, flag potentially harmful drug interactions, and determine whether there may be a cheaper alternative.
Mail-service pharmacies pitched themselves to Barack Obama's team as one tool for beating back rising health costs and improving healthcare quality.
In a country that spends a larger share of its economy on healthcare than any other in dustrialized nation, and where the chronically ill account for 75 percent of all health spending, owners of mail-service pharmacies say Medicare could save billions if more people bought their regular medications from mail-service pharmacies, exploiting their scale, efficiency, and specialized expertise. ...more
Medco's Willingboro plant may be the largest pharmacy in the world. It is the size of six football fields, and it can fill more prescriptions in a day than an average corner drugstore does in a year.
Robotic arms instead of human hands pour pills into bottles and label them. Infrared scanners rather than human eyes check and recheck each bottle. The machines are 23 times more accurate than the average pharmacist, Medco says, thanks to technology so advanced that computers consult the weather forecast along the shipping routes of heat-sensitive drugs and insert a cooling gel pack if needed.
Actual pharmacists, some of whom handle only specific diseases such as diabetes or cancer, check each patient's record, flag potentially harmful drug interactions, and determine whether there may be a cheaper alternative.
Mail-service pharmacies pitched themselves to Barack Obama's team as one tool for beating back rising health costs and improving healthcare quality.
In a country that spends a larger share of its economy on healthcare than any other in dustrialized nation, and where the chronically ill account for 75 percent of all health spending, owners of mail-service pharmacies say Medicare could save billions if more people bought their regular medications from mail-service pharmacies, exploiting their scale, efficiency, and specialized expertise. ...more
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Big drugstore operators take aim at N. Dakota law
From the Associated Press:
North Dakotans packed an auditorium on the state Capitol grounds Tuesday to debate a state law requiring pharmacies to have pharmacists as their majority owners. The law is under heavy fire from large retailers who say that if it's repealed, they can offer $4 prescriptions and lower drug costs.
North Dakota, where you can't get a prescription filled at a Walgreens, is the only state with such a law, state officials say.
The National Conference of State Legislatures found at least one other state requiring a percentage of pharmacist ownership but none as restrictive as North Dakota.
Republican state Rep. Jon Nelson of Rugby, a sponsor of a bill to repeal the ownership restriction, said it would give people better choices in buying prescription drugs and would help those who are uninsured and underinsured.
Nine-year-old Jakob Olson of Bismarck was one of the first to speak for the repeal. He said he has gone through seven surgeries, and has asthma and allergies, and said his parents have referred to the legislation as the "Jakob Bill." ...more
North Dakotans packed an auditorium on the state Capitol grounds Tuesday to debate a state law requiring pharmacies to have pharmacists as their majority owners. The law is under heavy fire from large retailers who say that if it's repealed, they can offer $4 prescriptions and lower drug costs.
North Dakota, where you can't get a prescription filled at a Walgreens, is the only state with such a law, state officials say.
The National Conference of State Legislatures found at least one other state requiring a percentage of pharmacist ownership but none as restrictive as North Dakota.
Republican state Rep. Jon Nelson of Rugby, a sponsor of a bill to repeal the ownership restriction, said it would give people better choices in buying prescription drugs and would help those who are uninsured and underinsured.
Nine-year-old Jakob Olson of Bismarck was one of the first to speak for the repeal. He said he has gone through seven surgeries, and has asthma and allergies, and said his parents have referred to the legislation as the "Jakob Bill." ...more
Chief Pharmacist Thuli assaulted me
I couldn't resist posting this. It must be interesting working in the government offices in Swaziland.
From the Times of Swaziland:
Thuli Sibiya, the Chief Pharmacist in the Ministry of Health, left some employees agape when she allegedly floored her subordinate with punches.
Sibiya is alleged to have reduced Busisiwe Shongwe, employed as a cleaner in the same ministry, to a punch bag on Tuesday at around 9am.
The unfortunate scenario unfolded inside the ministry’s storeroom.
Shongwe, in an interview yesterday, confirmed to have been physically abused allegedly by the pharmacist in full view of her colleagues and a ‘stranger’.
"My only sin was to politely greet her (sawubona sisi Thuli)," a choking Shongwe alleged as she fought back tears. She said the pleasant remark was met with a deafening silence.
The traumatised cleaner claimed Sibiya went ballistic and responded with a hail of punches targeted at her face.
Shongwe claimed that Sibiya belittled her by reducing her into a punch bag in front of her colleagues including a lawyer who all watched helplessly. ...more
Doctor-pharmacist turf war erupts
From the East Valley (AZ) Tribune:
A turf war of sorts is brewing at the Capitol between doctors and pharmacists over who is qualified to decide when people need vaccinations.
The Arizona Pharmacy Alliance wants to allow its members to administer certain shots without the customers first getting a prescription from a doctor. Mindy Rasmussen, the organization’s director, said that change in law will help ensure that Arizonans get the immunizations they need.
But the move is getting a fight from the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians. Laura Hahn, that group’s executive director, said she fears the proposal would needlessly endanger patient health.
The pharmacists have won the first round: The House Committee on Health and Human Services approved HB 2164 without dissent. It has the added benefit of being backed by the Arizona Retailers Association, many of whose members operate pharmacies.
But even Rasmussen acknowledged that the bill faces an uncertain future unless the objections from the doctors can be overcome. ...more
A turf war of sorts is brewing at the Capitol between doctors and pharmacists over who is qualified to decide when people need vaccinations.
The Arizona Pharmacy Alliance wants to allow its members to administer certain shots without the customers first getting a prescription from a doctor. Mindy Rasmussen, the organization’s director, said that change in law will help ensure that Arizonans get the immunizations they need.
But the move is getting a fight from the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians. Laura Hahn, that group’s executive director, said she fears the proposal would needlessly endanger patient health.
The pharmacists have won the first round: The House Committee on Health and Human Services approved HB 2164 without dissent. It has the added benefit of being backed by the Arizona Retailers Association, many of whose members operate pharmacies.
But even Rasmussen acknowledged that the bill faces an uncertain future unless the objections from the doctors can be overcome. ...more
Pharmacist guilty of misconduct by supplying pills to rogue doctor
From the New Zealand Herald:
An Auckland pharmacist's actions in dispensing 773 prescriptions for the pseudoephedrine-based drug Sudomyl - a total of 46,380 60mg tablets - have been found to be professional misconduct.
So far known only as Mr Y, the pharmacist filled prescriptions from "rogue doctor" Rhys Cullen over five months to March 31, 2007, the Health Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal says.
Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical for manufacturing illicit street drugs known as meth or "P".
The tribunal suspended Dr Cullen from practice on March 29, 2007, and subsequently had his registration as a doctor cancelled. He was fined $15,000.
The tribunal said in a professional conduct committee decision released yesterday that Dr Cullen's practice delivered bundles of prescriptions for Sudomyl and paid for them in cash. ...more
An Auckland pharmacist's actions in dispensing 773 prescriptions for the pseudoephedrine-based drug Sudomyl - a total of 46,380 60mg tablets - have been found to be professional misconduct.
So far known only as Mr Y, the pharmacist filled prescriptions from "rogue doctor" Rhys Cullen over five months to March 31, 2007, the Health Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal says.
Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical for manufacturing illicit street drugs known as meth or "P".
The tribunal suspended Dr Cullen from practice on March 29, 2007, and subsequently had his registration as a doctor cancelled. He was fined $15,000.
The tribunal said in a professional conduct committee decision released yesterday that Dr Cullen's practice delivered bundles of prescriptions for Sudomyl and paid for them in cash. ...more
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Common antidepressants cut adult suicide risk: study
From Reuters:
Common antidepressants suspected of raising suicide risk among children reduce the risk for adults, Italian scientists reported on Monday.
The findings that the drugs cut suicide risk by more than 40 percent among adults and over 50 percent for elderly people should reassure doctors, the researchers said.
But the study confirmed the drugs seriously raise the suicide risk for children, Corrado Barbui of the University of Verona and colleagues reported in the Canadian Medical Journal.
"Data from observational studies should reassure doctors that prescribing (the drugs) to patients with major depression is safe," they wrote. ...more
Common antidepressants suspected of raising suicide risk among children reduce the risk for adults, Italian scientists reported on Monday.
The findings that the drugs cut suicide risk by more than 40 percent among adults and over 50 percent for elderly people should reassure doctors, the researchers said.
But the study confirmed the drugs seriously raise the suicide risk for children, Corrado Barbui of the University of Verona and colleagues reported in the Canadian Medical Journal.
"Data from observational studies should reassure doctors that prescribing (the drugs) to patients with major depression is safe," they wrote. ...more
Ontario sees rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea cases
From CTV News:
There has been a sharp increase in the percentage of gonorrhea cases in Ontario that are resistant to antibiotics that until recently were potent and simple-to-use weapons against the sexually transmitted infection, a new study published Tuesday reveals.
The research showed that 28 per cent of gonorrhea samples tested in 2006 were resistant to fluoroquinolone drugs, up from four per cent in 2002. And in selected sites, it was even higher, according to the study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Fully 55 per cent of samples from one unnamed clinic -- identified by the researchers as treating a large clientele of men who have sex with men -- were quinolone resistant. The authors said to their knowledge this is the highest resistance rate so far reported in North America.
Both the authors and infectious diseases experts who were not involved in the work were startled by how quickly and how high the rate climbed. ...more
There has been a sharp increase in the percentage of gonorrhea cases in Ontario that are resistant to antibiotics that until recently were potent and simple-to-use weapons against the sexually transmitted infection, a new study published Tuesday reveals.
The research showed that 28 per cent of gonorrhea samples tested in 2006 were resistant to fluoroquinolone drugs, up from four per cent in 2002. And in selected sites, it was even higher, according to the study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Fully 55 per cent of samples from one unnamed clinic -- identified by the researchers as treating a large clientele of men who have sex with men -- were quinolone resistant. The authors said to their knowledge this is the highest resistance rate so far reported in North America.
Both the authors and infectious diseases experts who were not involved in the work were startled by how quickly and how high the rate climbed. ...more
Ontario aims to counter drug firm sales pitches
From the National Post:
Hoping to counter the influence of pharmaceutical-company representatives and their well-versed sales pitches, the Ontario government is joining a growing national movement to offer physicians one-on-one drug briefings that leave out the commercial bias.
Research suggests that visits by pharmaceutical reps, the heart of a multi-million-dollar marketing system, can inordinately skew doctors' prescribing habits.
The province is planning to fund independent experts to visit medical offices and offer a balanced, evidence-based take on drug treatment.
The advice from the proposed service should lead to more appropriate treatments being prescribed to patients, the Ministry of Health says.
It is also hoped to lower costs for the government drug plan.
Its action follows on the heels of a similar initiative getting underway in B.C. Other provinces, from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia, have also dabbled in the idea, called "academic detailing," though the Ontario venture promises to be the largest one yet. ...more
Hoping to counter the influence of pharmaceutical-company representatives and their well-versed sales pitches, the Ontario government is joining a growing national movement to offer physicians one-on-one drug briefings that leave out the commercial bias.
Research suggests that visits by pharmaceutical reps, the heart of a multi-million-dollar marketing system, can inordinately skew doctors' prescribing habits.
The province is planning to fund independent experts to visit medical offices and offer a balanced, evidence-based take on drug treatment.
The advice from the proposed service should lead to more appropriate treatments being prescribed to patients, the Ministry of Health says.
It is also hoped to lower costs for the government drug plan.
Its action follows on the heels of a similar initiative getting underway in B.C. Other provinces, from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia, have also dabbled in the idea, called "academic detailing," though the Ontario venture promises to be the largest one yet. ...more
Pharmacist retires after 60 years
From the Victoria Times Colonist:
Pharmacist Ed Rowley spent close to six decades working for the best of reasons.
"I like working with my sons. I think that's the whole thing -- I like my job," said the 83-year-old Rowley, who retired last month after a colourful 60-year career behind the counter.
During the years that Rowley worked with sons Craig, Grant and Bruce, "I don't think we ever had a disagreement."
Quips fly fast and furious among the four Rowleys, who are well-known in Fairfield, where the Gonzales Pharmacy has dispensed prescriptions since 1952.
Soft-spoken, with a wicked sense of humour, Ed Rowley has a prodigious memory. After graduating from the University of B.C. in 1949, he worked as a pharmacist until Sept. 23, almost 60 years in the same career, one he says has brought him many friends and much satisfaction. ...more
Pharmacist Ed Rowley spent close to six decades working for the best of reasons.
"I like working with my sons. I think that's the whole thing -- I like my job," said the 83-year-old Rowley, who retired last month after a colourful 60-year career behind the counter.
During the years that Rowley worked with sons Craig, Grant and Bruce, "I don't think we ever had a disagreement."
Quips fly fast and furious among the four Rowleys, who are well-known in Fairfield, where the Gonzales Pharmacy has dispensed prescriptions since 1952.
Soft-spoken, with a wicked sense of humour, Ed Rowley has a prodigious memory. After graduating from the University of B.C. in 1949, he worked as a pharmacist until Sept. 23, almost 60 years in the same career, one he says has brought him many friends and much satisfaction. ...more
National drug plan needed: Report
From the Vancouver Sun:
Governments must act now to make sure prescription drug costs are affordable — especially for many newly unemployed Canadians who have lost not only their paycheques but also their medical benefits, a new report says.
In the Health Council of Canada report, expected to be released Friday, the federal, provincial and territorial governments are urged to "re-engage" and get back to work on the National Pharmaceutical Strategy that was agreed to in 2004 to address the safety and affordability of prescription drugs.
"We have, across the country, a patchwork of different provincial drug plans," said John Abbott, interim CEO of the Health Council.
"Coverage is sporadic and those on low incomes, particularly those now that may face unemployment because of the economic uncertainty in Canada, are going to be most vulnerable."
The national drug strategy aims to improve nine key areas, among them reducing drug costs, providing faster access to new drugs, improving the way drugs are monitored once they're on the market, and developing options for catastrophic drug coverage....more
Governments must act now to make sure prescription drug costs are affordable — especially for many newly unemployed Canadians who have lost not only their paycheques but also their medical benefits, a new report says.
In the Health Council of Canada report, expected to be released Friday, the federal, provincial and territorial governments are urged to "re-engage" and get back to work on the National Pharmaceutical Strategy that was agreed to in 2004 to address the safety and affordability of prescription drugs.
"We have, across the country, a patchwork of different provincial drug plans," said John Abbott, interim CEO of the Health Council.
"Coverage is sporadic and those on low incomes, particularly those now that may face unemployment because of the economic uncertainty in Canada, are going to be most vulnerable."
The national drug strategy aims to improve nine key areas, among them reducing drug costs, providing faster access to new drugs, improving the way drugs are monitored once they're on the market, and developing options for catastrophic drug coverage....more
Foreign doctors, our values
This article is primarily about physicians, but the same can be applied to foreign pharmacists in Canada. In fact, there is mention of pharmacists further into the article.
From the Globe and Mail:
When Andrea and Ginette Markowski, a same-sex couple, went doctor shopping last month, they got a rude surprise. The doctor they approached confessed she was uncomfortable with lesbians- - so uncomfortable she advised them to look elsewhere.
The doctor, Kamelia Elias, who works in a Winnipeg clinic, has practised in Canada for five years. She received her medical training in Egypt, and her religion condemns homosexuality. Lesbians "get a lot of diseases and infections," she told the local paper, incorrectly. "I said it's better to find someone who will take this type of patient." But the couple was furious. "She clearly was shocked by our relationship, unable to recover," said Andrea Markowski.
Dr. Elias is just one of an increasing number of immigrant medical professionals whose beliefs and backgrounds clash with Canadian ways. Some discover that the struggle to have their credentials recognized is not the only barrier; there's also the culture gap. The Markowskis have filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, and Dr. Elias has found herself condemned by gay-rights groups across the country....more
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Task force taking group approach to opiate problem
From the Fort Francis (Ont.) Times:
With the abuse of prescription drugs like oxycontin on the rise, a community task force has been established to address the problems arising from the increasing amount of opiate addiction in Rainy River District and First Nations’ communities.
OPP Insp. Dave Lucas, who last week was appointed as the new detachment commander of the Kenora OPP, informed delegates at the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards Zone 1 semi-annual meeting here in Fort Frances that representatives from pharmacies, aboriginal agencies, counselling services, dental offices, prevention programs, police services, and health care have come together to discuss the problem—and are trying to find both short-term and long-term solutions.
Insp. Lucas admitted he didn’t know much about this kind of opiate abuse until two years ago, when it became very clear it was a problem in Rainy River District.
“I asked myself, ‘Why didn’t I know about this if it is such a huge issue?’” he remarked, adding it quickly became evident there are no regulations to control how these drugs are prescribed. ...more
With the abuse of prescription drugs like oxycontin on the rise, a community task force has been established to address the problems arising from the increasing amount of opiate addiction in Rainy River District and First Nations’ communities.
OPP Insp. Dave Lucas, who last week was appointed as the new detachment commander of the Kenora OPP, informed delegates at the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards Zone 1 semi-annual meeting here in Fort Frances that representatives from pharmacies, aboriginal agencies, counselling services, dental offices, prevention programs, police services, and health care have come together to discuss the problem—and are trying to find both short-term and long-term solutions.
Insp. Lucas admitted he didn’t know much about this kind of opiate abuse until two years ago, when it became very clear it was a problem in Rainy River District.
“I asked myself, ‘Why didn’t I know about this if it is such a huge issue?’” he remarked, adding it quickly became evident there are no regulations to control how these drugs are prescribed. ...more
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)