Today's other stories in brief
Tamiflu fails to help swine flu patient
The first swine flu patient to show resistance to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu has been identified in Denmark.
The virus has not previously shown resistance to Tamiflu, made by Roche, or GlaxoSmithKline’s Relenza and both medicines have been successful in reducing the severity of the disease when administered in the first few days.
Roche said the patient, who has since recovered, had received a low dose of the drug and that it expected some people to show resistance.
According to the Danish National Board of Health, “This one case of a resistant virus doesn’t change our recommendations to use Tamiflu.”
Call for greater use of pharmacy
The PSI (Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland), the pharmacy regulator, has claimed that greater use of pharmacies in front-line health services would save money and improve care for patients in the community.
Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, registrar and chief executive of the PSI, was speaking as the body made its submission to the Expert Group on Resource Allocation and Financing in the Health Sector. In a statement, Dr McLoughin said that if front-line professional services in chemists were “enhanced” this would further support home care and cost-effective care within the community, making pharmacy “a first ‘point of contact’ in a new primary care system”.
Irish Healthcare Awards entries
Entries are currently being accepted for the Irish Healthcare Awards which take place in Dublin in October. Organised by the Irish Medical Times, it aims to “recognise originality, excellence and innovation in the fields of education, pharmaceutical innovation, healthcare collaboration and patient support”.
The closing date for entries is August 7th. For further information, contact Dylan Conway, Medical Publications Ireland,
24-26 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin 7, tel: 01-817 6330 or e-mail: dylan.conway@imt.ie