Author: Lynne Taylor

The UK government’s drive to reform general practice services should not be restricted to extending opening hours and making more use of high street pharmacies to treat minor ailments, says the Confederation of the British Industry (CBI).

Follow-on biotechnology drugs – also referred to as “biosimilars” (the European Union definition) or “biogenerics” – should carry the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) “black triangle” symbol, denoting that a medicine should be intensively monitored for adverse drug reactions. And, with periodic reviews, the triangle should remain unless the safety evidence is clear that it can be removed, Dr Brian Iddon, Labour MP for Bolton South-East, told the House of Commons during an adjournment debate this month.

Massive growth is being forecast for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets of the Middle East states, driven by moves to liberalise national economies, the introduction of mass health insurance and the determination of the region’s governments to become self-sufficient in pharmaceuticals production.

Leaders of the European pharmaceutical industry have once again stressed that they are not seeking, and have never sought, direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription medicines to be permitted within the European Union.

The UK government has announced plans to extend the role of pharmacy in England in dealing with minor illnesses, with more pharmacists being able to prescribe for such conditions.