Healthcare - Articles

Awards for Innovation, Export Achievement and NHS Partnership held at ERBI's Winter Ball at The Imperial War Museum, Duxford on November 29th 2008.
A project which has the capability to shorten patient waiting lists for CT scans used to detect life-threatening conditions such as brain tumours, has won Hope Enterprises the ERBI Medtech 2008 award for NHS Partnership, sponsored by Health Enterprise East. The team worked closely with NHS staff to capture the data needed for specially customised prediction software. The software demonstrated that a ‘zero wait’ can be achieved and a same day service offered to patients, thereby avoiding the need for a return journey to hospital. The award was presented to Roger Thorpe, Managing Director of Hope Enterprises by Barnaby Perks of ERBI Medtech, an…

According to recent information from MIND, the leading mental health charity, Patient research released today by the Healthcare Commission has revealed that a shocking 68% of mental health inpatients are still being housed on mixed sex wards, showing no improvement on last year's figures
According to recent information from MIND, the leading mental health charity, Patient research released today by the Healthcare Commission has revealed that a shocking 68% of mental health inpatients are still being housed on mixed sex wards, showing no improvement on last year's figures (1). Women were even less likely to be given single-sex accommodation than men, with 78% being treated on a mixed-sex ward in comparison to 61% of men. The count me in census (2), introduced as part of the Delivering Race…

Our eMarketing team at PharmiWeb Solutions often works with pharma brand teams to find new ways to reach healthcare professionals with news of the latest product or initiative. And sometimes, it can be challenging, with all of the pressures and time constraints that the average primary care practice faces.
But surely it must be easier for patients? Well, we thought so too, until we came across this recent news story that may be the start of an alarming trend. According to veritable news source Newsbiscuit.com, Moira Braithwaite, 52, of Dorking, Surrey, UK is celebrating her ninth successive Receptionist of the Month Award after preventing over 35,000 patients getting an appointment within 48 hours during the month of September alone. Click here to find out more. Let us know if you’ve come a…

We are facing a world where microbes once again have the potential to cause untreatable diseases, due to the resistance to virtually all available drugs. WHO suggests that even if the pharmaceutical industry were to step up the efforts to develop new drugs immediately, some diseases might still not have any effective therapies within the next ten years.
How about proving them wrong? Visiongain is dedicating its Re-emerging infectious diseases conference to the war on drug resistant microbes, uniting researchers from around the world in a unique exchange of thoughts, experiences and ideas. The conference will focus on the future of anti-microbial agents and will provide you with understanding of cutting edge research in: • DNA-based therapies • Novel beta-lactam inhibitors • New drug targets…

White paper from CERAM highlights novel techniques to expose fake medicines and unlicensed manufacturing processes
CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis has published a white paper highlighting how surface analysis can expose counterfeit medicines. It describes how technologies such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToFSIMS) are being used in novel ways to not only analyse the composition of various pharmaceuticals, but also to determine differences in the manufacturing processes involved. The author of the white paper, Dr. Justine Bentley, explains how technology is helping to stem the trade in counterfeit drugs. She says "Counterfeit medicines are incredibly dangerous and represent a significant challenge to public health, so…

The gastrointestinal (GI) disorders market has been one of the largest and most profitable therapeutic areas in the world pharmaceutical industry. With a reported $49.9bn in revenues in 2007, the GI disorders market competes consistently with cardiovascular diseases and oncology for the top 3 therapeutic areas in terms of market value.
The gastrointestinal (GI) disorders market has been one of the largest and most profitable therapeutic areas in the world pharmaceutical industry. With a reported $49.9bn in revenues in 2007, the GI disorders market competes consistently with cardiovascular diseases and oncology for the top 3 therapeutic areas in terms of market value. In 2007, this sector contributed seven blockbuster drugs, four of which ranked among the top 20 highest revenue generating pr…

NHS Direct estimate that one in five UK women over forty years of age suffer from stress incontinence and, whilst it is often caused by childbirth or menopause, it can affect any women at any age.
NHS Direct estimate that one in five UK women over forty years of age suffer from stress incontinence and, whilst it is often caused by childbirth or menopause, it can affect any women at any age. But dealing with the embarrassing symptons is only half the problem; the psychological impact can be devestating. One woman describes how her husband thought she had become agrophobic because she refused to go out anymore, another describes how she put her social life on hold and refused to go on holiday. The inhibiting effect also impacts on personal relationships with many women avoiding physical c…

Recent reports state that between four and five percent of the population suffer from Dyslexia. It is estimated that there are about 375,000 pupils in the UK with dyslexia and a total of some two million people who are severely affected. Yet it still can be difficult for parents to find the right help for their children.
Raising awareness about the needs of Dyslexic people will be one of the themes of the Dyslexia Awareness Week, which runs from 3th- 9th November. As part of the campaign, Need2Know are promoting their popular book, Dyslexia and Other Learning Difficulties - A Parent’s Guide. This informative guide takes parents step-by-step through diagnosis, treatment, education and into career options. Up-to-the-minute facts and practical advice will help parents to pinpoint exactly what…

Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) acknowledges the publication of the new Technology Appraisal Guidance (TAG 160, for the primary prevention, and 161 for the secondary prevention, of osteoporotic fragility fractures in post-menopausal women) issued by NICE.
- Final Guidance Issued by NICE Monday 27th October 2008: Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) acknowledges the publication of the new Technology Appraisal Guidance (TAG 160, for the primary prevention, and 161 for the secondary prevention, of osteoporotic fragility fractures in post-menopausal women) issued by NICE. Within the scope of this guidance NICE considered alendronate, risedronate, etidronate, strontium ranelate, raloxifene and teriparatide (secondary prevention only). P&GP welcomes the recommendation of…

The following is taken from the ABPI's Press Release dated 29th October 2008
Top-ups are a prime example of the inequalities that exist within the UK’s healthcare systems. We believe that they are not only discriminatory but also unnecessary. The notion that there is not enough money to pay for new medicines is wrong. Medicines are making up a smaller and smaller part of the overall NHS budget.See Figure 1. (Source:PPA, ONS, DH, NAW, ISD, IMS dataview). In 2007, medicines accounted for just 9.9 per cent of the overall budget. See Figure 2. (Source: OHE compendium) While people in the UK are being denied access to modern medicines that enhance and prolong life, they are readily available in other European countries, where prices and spending are higher. In 2007, the UK spent £195 pe…

NHS staff (in England) are making excellent progress against two key priority areas - to reduce waiting times to 18 weeks and cut Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections - statistics released today show.
Department of Health statistics for August show that nationally the NHS has met its commitment to ensure that 90% of patients who require admission to hospital and 95% of patients not needing admission, start treatment within 18 weeks of referral from their GP. This means that the operational standard has been met five months ahead of the end of December 2008 deadline. The median referral to treatment time waited by patients who were admitted for treatment has come down from 18.8 weeks in March 2007 to 8 weeks in August this year and the median referral to treatment time waited by…

Boehringer Ingelheim and the search for new targeted cancer treatments
Founded in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany, it is a family-owned, globally operating research-driven group of companies committed to the goal of serving mankind through research into diseases and the development of new treatment options of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine. The Boehringer Ingelheim group, with 137 subsidiaries in 47 countries across the world and a total of approximately 38,500 employees, reported net sales of almost 10.6 billion Euros in 2006. With its activities focused on Human Pharmaceuticals and Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim demonstrates a clear commitment to improving the…

The ever-evolving healthcare industry has very few constants, and the pharmaceutical sales industry is just another piece of the puzzle that is in the middle of a major transformation. For multinationals, eager to sell their drugs in different countries, juggling between scores of different languages and different laws has always proved to be a major dampener.
 Enter the medical sales representative, whose job does not entail just doling out drugs anymore. Sales reps have to understand the finer nuances of similar medications, and be able to succinctly explain the pros and cons of each option to demanding patients and health-care providers, in their preferred language. With mergers and alliances hitting an all-time high in the pharma sector, the effectiveness of the sales force can mak…

This week, organizations around the globe are working to create awareness and educate people about the signs, symptoms, treatment and prevention of one of the leading causes of death and disability––stroke. Wednesday, 29 October officially marks World Stroke Day.
According to the World Health Organization, every year 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke. Five million die, and another five million are left permanently disabled. Globally, stroke is the second leading cause of death above the age of 60 years, and the fifth leading cause of death in people aged 15-59 years old. In many developed countries the incidence of stroke is declining even though the actual number of strokes is increasing because of the aging population. In the developing world, however, the incidence of stroke i…

Dr George Patino (aka Giorgio Giovanni Paticciano), 48 years old and a Mexican citizen by birth, was sentenced today at Kingston Crown Court to 3 years imprisonment.
Dr George Patino (aka Giorgio Giovanni Paticciano), 48 years old and a Mexican citizen by birth, was sentenced today at Kingston Crown Court to 3 years imprisonment. He is the latest in a group of businessmen engaged in a conspiracy to be prosecuted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in an operation known as Stormgrand. This operation led to convictions in one of the biggest conspiracies of the supply of counterfeit medicines of its kind in the UK. Over a period of nine months (February 2005 – October 2005) Dr Patino, with the help of his co-conspirator Ashish Halai, bought nearly $237,000 worth…

Lilly Commences Cash Tender Offer for ImClone Systems at $70 Per Share
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Alaska Acquisition Corporation, has commenced its tender offer for all outstanding shares of ImClone Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: IMCL) at a price of $70.00 net per share in cash. Lilly and ImClone previously announced that they had reached a definitive merger agreement for Lilly to acquire ImClone. The Board of Directors of ImClone has unanimously determined that the offer and the merger are fair to, and in the best interests of, ImClone and its shareholders; approved and declared advisable the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the offer; and recommended that holders of shares of ImClone common stock…

Data Indicate Bioabsorbable Stent Platform Has Potential to Become the Next Major Breakthrough in Interventional Treatment
Washington — Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced two-year data from 30 patients in its ABSORB clinical trial, demonstrating that its bioabsorbable drug eluting stent successfully treated coronary artery disease and was absorbed into the walls of treated arteries within two years, leaving behind blood vessels that appeared to move and function similar to unstented arteries. Patients who received Abbott's bioabsorbable drug eluting coronary stent and were followed out to two years experienced no stent thrombosis out to two years and no new major adverse cardiac events (MACE) between six months and two years. These results confirmed earlier positive one-year clinical re…

The new oral antidiabetic drugs sitagliptin and vildagliptin work by boosting the guts incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP to regulate insulin secretion following food intake and glucagon secretion when blood sugar is low.
The new oral antidiabetic drugs sitagliptin and vildagliptin work by boosting the gut’s incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP to regulate insulin secretion following food intake and glucagon secretion when blood sugar is low. Their action seems to be merely to enhance a natural process. However, given concerns about the impact of other oral antidiabetic drugs on the heart, clinicians and patients are asking what impact, if any, DPP-4 inhibitors have on cardiovascular disease. Over the past couple of years, the link between antidiabetic drugs and heart disease has been a hot topic…

Current treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are failing to control patients' pain adequately, and health care professionals are not fully addressing patients' concerns, new research suggests. At the recent Annual Congress of Rheumatology meeting (EULAR) in Paris this summer, findings of a study presented during a UCB-sponsored symposium highlighted a mismatch between perceptions of patients and professionals as to what constitutes effective management of RA
Rheumatologists who treat RA tend to monitor a patient’s response to treatment focussing on how many joints remain tender and swollen, and by the level of markers of active inflammatory disease in the circulation, Dr Peter Taylor of The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, at Imperial College London, explained. If these are reduced by…

Deciding whether or not women with breast cancer require adjuvant chemotherapy after removal of the primary tumour has traditionally been based on a series of prognostic clinical features such as tumour size, lymph node involvement, and other factors. If risk of recurrence is deemed low, adjuvant therapy and its associated toxicity can be avoided. Molecular technology is now available to help clinicians decide on the risks of a particular tumour recurring, based on its genetic fingerprint.
Women with very small breast cancer tumours <20mm, are usually considered by clinical guidelines to have a good prognosis. However, results of a small study reported at the recent European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual congress in Stockholm, Sweden, suggest that for a substantial proporti…