Tag Archives: Drugs

Diabetes sufferers must ask questions

Posted on by

image

London: Over three quarters (78%) of two million people diagnosed with diabetes1 in the UK don’t receive any information on their medicines when they are given a new prescription and 36% don’t know what questions to ask about their treatment options.2

Partly as a result of missing information, nearly two thirds (65%) of people with diabetes are not taking their medications as prescribed, and one in three people don’t understand what their diabetesmedications are for or how to take them because they feel stupid asking

questions.2

Therefore, in order to empower people with diabetes to communicate with their healthcare professional and help improve their understanding of medicines, two new resources have been made available by a partnership of Ask About Medicines, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industryand Diabetes UK.

A booklet, Ask About Your Diabetes Medicines,contains questions that people might want to ask healthcare professionals involved in their treatment throughout their diagnosis and treatment. It also signposts people to further sources of information, including patient-friendly Medicine Guides for Diabetes www.medicines.org.uk.

The new Medicine Guides provide easy-to-understand information about every diabetes medicine to help people use them safely and effectively, and make better informed choices about treatment, with their health professional.

The Medicine Guides have been developed as part of the Medicines Information Project (MIP), which is creating a new comprehensive, structured source of information about medicines alongside information about the condition and all the treatment options. Medicine Guides are linked to information about the condition and the range of treatment options available, provided via NHS Direct Online.

These two resources aim to help people make better informed choices about treatment, with their health professional, and to understand and use their medicines safely and effectively.

Simon O’Neill, Director of Care and Policy at Diabetes UK, commented, “It is vital that people with diabetes are empowered and encouraged to ask questions. 95% of diabetes management is self care, so failing to understand or take medicines could be fatal. Our research suggests that many people don’t know what questions to ask which is why we have developed this simple but powerful tool. Alongside the new medicine guide resource, this should mean that people with diabetes are able to ask
for and receive the right I information about their condition and treatment.”

To obtain a copy of the Ask About Your Diabetes Medicines booklet please visit www.askaboutmedicines.org For more information about Diabetes please call the Diabetes UK Careline on 0845 120 2960 or visit www.diabetes.org.uk

References:
1. Boyle DIR et al. A record linking capture-recapture technique to create a diabetes disease register for epidemiological research, 1998 2. Research Now conducted the Diabetes Information Jigsaw Survey among 505 people with diabetes, June 2006.

Notes to editors:

www.medicines.org.uk or via the NHS
Direct Online website at Ask About Medicines www.askaboutmedicines.orgis the independent campaign to increase people’s involvement in decisions about their use
of medicines.

Diabetes UK www.diabetes.org.uk is the largest organisation in the UK working for people with diabetes, funding research, campaign and helping people live with the condition. It has over 170,000 members and is working for people with diabetes, their carers, family and friends. The organisation represents the interest of people with diabetes by lobbying the government for better standards of care and the best quality of life. Diabetes UK spends over £6 million on research every year to improve the treatment of diabetes and hope that their research will ultimately lead to finding a cure for diabetes. Diabetes UK’s mission is to improve the lives of people with diabetes and to work towards a future without diabetes.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry www.abpi.org.ukis the trade association for some 75 companies in the UK that produce prescription medicines. As part of their role they have encouraged Datapharm to develop medicines information for patients which is available online at www.medicines.org.uk

British business guide to drink and drugs in workplace

Posted on by

London: In England 17 million working days are lost every year through alcohol-related sickness while 35 percent of people of working age have used an illicit drug.

Now the most comprehensive guide ever compiled to tackle the booze and drugs culture in the British workplace has been published to help ease the pressure on both employers and employees.

Issued by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine in London, the ‘Guidance on alcohol and drug misuse in the workplace’ report has been written by the country’s leading experts and draws on all the most up-to-date information and advice.

In fact the guide has been considered such an important aid in dealing with the problem, that it has also been recognised by the medical research charity, the BUPA Foundation, by winning its annual Health at Work award.

One of the author’s of the report, Dr Steve Deacon, said: “Managing the misuse of drugs and alcohol in the workplace, is a real minefield for business. We found that what they needed was a clear, simple breakdown of the best, most up-to-date and relevant advice.

“This guide not only assists in prevention but also offers support to those seeking treatment and rehabilitation. It is a one-stop shop for handling all issues relating to alcohol and drug misuse.”

The vice-chairman of the BUPA Foundation, Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen said: “All the evidence shows that the misuse of drugs and alcohol in the workplace is on the increase. The price to pay is high – absenteeism, accidents at work, poor performance, errors, lost productivity and long-term ill health.

“The guidance will be a vital tool to occupational physicians as well as those people who work in human resources and safety management, in tackling these issues.”

Dr Steve Deacon and his team received their BUPA Foundation award at a ceremony at Lincoln’s Inn in London yesterday.

· The BUPA Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that funds medical research into the prevention, relief and cure of sickness and ill health. Since 1979 The BUPA Foundation has awarded grants in excess of £19 million to medical research and healthcare initiatives across a range of disciplines from surgery to occupational health. Further information on the BUPA Foundation is available at < a href="http://www.bupafoundation.co.uk">www.bupafoundation.co.uk

· The vast majority of grants go to medical research teams in NHS hospitals.

· The BUPA Foundation Awards are made annually to recognise excellence in medical research and healthcare. The six categories are – care of the elderly, clinical excellence, communication, epidemiology, medical research and health at work.

· Award winners receive a cheque for £10,000.

· This year BUPA donated £2.5 million to the BUPA Foundation.

· Dr Steve Deacon works at the Faculty of Occupational Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians in London.

UK health body bans Alzheimer’s drugs on NHS

Posted on by

London: Alzheimer’s sufferers in the UK are being refused drugs that could help them until their symptoms get worse.

The Government’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has turned down appeals to allow the drugs, Aricept, Exelon and REminyl, which cost about £2.50 a day for all sufferers. Only patients with moderate symptoms of the disease will be offered treatment Ebixa not allowed at all

The ban on their use for new patients within the state’s NHS is set to take effect from November 22 with existing patients with mild Alzheimer’s allowed to continue.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, was critical of the decision which he said risked the health of thousands to save just £2.50 a day.

He added: ‘This blatant cost-cutting will rob people of priceless time early in the disease and later clinicians will have no choice but to use dangerous sedatives that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. This is victimisation of the most vulnerable in society.’

He claimed there had been ‘ fundamental flaws’ in the appraisal process which never took account of the savings the drugs make to a carer’s time. He called for the Government to intervene, although campaigners and the drug companies may apply for judicial review of the decision.

New clot-busting drug offers hope to stroke victims

Posted on by

London: Trials of a new clot-busting drug for stroke victims are taking place in the US and Canada.

If successful, the drug, by UK company Vernalis and codenamed V10153, could go into the final phase of clinical trials next year.

The drug contains a protein that activates when it comes into contact with a clot and breaks it up. It is thought that the drug will be particularly helpful to those who have ischemic strokes, the most common form of stroke triggered by a blood clot in the brain. It can be given up to nine hours after a stroke and still be viable, unlike most current medications.

Vernalis medical director Dr John Hutchison said that clotbusting drugs should be administered as quickly as possible after a stroke, but that it was often difficult to get a patient scanned and treated within three hours.

Joint supplement better at fighting arthritis than drugs, reveals US research

Posted on by

San Diego: A supplement taken by athletes is better at fighting osteoarthritis pain than prescription drugs, research by the American College of Rheumatologyhas revealed.

Sportsmen have been using glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin – basic building blocks in cartilage tissue – for years because of the enormous pressure on their joints.

Now a study funded by the U.S. government says over-the-counter supplements significantly reduce pain as joints naturally wear with increasing age.

It is thought they decrease the inflammation caused by the disorder and stimulate the production of cells needed to make new cartilage. Supplements helped four out of five people and had negligible side effects.

About Elixir

Posted on by

image

Avril O’Connor is the Editor of Elixir News and Elixir magazine. It has been developed from a passion which began in 2002 when there was a proliferation of web sites selling anti-ageing products and services….but few with an independent voice.

In April 2005 Elixir News was born. It is editorially independent enabling consumers to better make informed choices about their health and anti-ageing products and services.

We do not accept payment to write endorsements of products and services or for the inclusion of experts and services in our directories. This enables Elixir News to be a credible and independent news source, as well as including all the services and professional experts that we consider relevant to our readership. Nevertheless inclusion is not an endorsement by us and should it come to our attention that any business mentioned on our site is being conducted in an illegal or unethical manner we will remove it from our directories.

Visitors to our site should also bear in mind that many claims are made for anti-ageing products and services that are not necessarily substantiated by scientific evidence and should always take the expert advice of a qualified medical doctor.

It is the intention of Elixir News to fairly report and investigate the facts. If we consider that any claims for products/services are bogus or unsubstantiated we will say so. If you have had negative experiences with businesses in this sector please let us know and we will take up the challenge. We also report on our positive experiences with products and services. Advertising or sponsorship is clearly labelled as such.

We hope that you will find our web site useful in arming you with knowledge that can help you live a longer and happier life. But once again we do advise anyone with persistent health problems to consult a qualified medical practitioner/doctor. Anyone embarking on a intensive anti-ageing programme should, in particular, seek the advice of a qualified specialist about the supplements they plan to take and in what quantities, as they may conflict with drug therapy and certain medical conditions. The doctor may advise certain blood and other tests to determine your individual needs.

Please do let us know about your experiences and feedback on the information within this site. Email us at info@elixirnews.com