Drug

Developing a drug library for “smart” IV infusion devices: a smart move?

“Smart” infusion pumps have the potential to reduce intravenous drug administration errors. But these devices are only as reliable as the infusion information they contain — and the person operating them.…

Back to basics: pharmacokinetics

In the first article in a series intended to remind pharmacists about the basic principles of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and therapeutic drug monitoring, Alison Thomson describes the principal pharmacokinetic parameters.…

Azithromycin to be available over the counter for chlamydia treatment

Azithromycin is to be made available over the counter to treat asymptomatic chlamydia infection, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced today (6 August 2008). It is the first oral antibiotic to be switched from prescription-only to pharmacy medicine status. The drug wil…

Complementary medicine in Germany

A look at the history of complementary medicine in Germany.…

Herbal medicine interactions

Herbs may mimic, magnify or oppose the effects of conventional medicines if taken concurrently, says Dr Adriane Fugh-Berman (George Washington university school of medicine, Washington, US). In a review article in the Lancet, he describes documented herb-induced interactions (2000;355:134). P…

Single dose secretin no more effective than placebo for autism

Secretin, a hormone reported to be useful in the treatment of autism, is no more effective than placebo, according to Dr Adrian Sandler (Olson Huff centre for child development, Asheville, North Carolina, US) and colleagues. Reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine (1999;341:1801), the…