EAHP EU Monitor 25 February 2013

 

The EAHP EU Monitor is a weekly round up of news relevant to hospital pharmacy in Europe.

You can subscribe to the EAHP EU Monitor here.

 

99% of hospital pharmacists experience difficulties with medicines shortages in past year !

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) has published headline results of a recent survey that reveals 99% of responding hospital pharmacists say they have experienced difficulties with medicines shortages in the past year.

With over 300 respondents from 27 countries, the survey also uncovered that 63% of hospital pharmacists report medicines shortages to be a weekly, sometimes daily occurrence, and that 77% consider that problem has become worse in the last year.

Announcing the results at a reception in the European Parliament on access to medicines, EAHP President Dr Roberto Frontini said:

“These headline results confirm what I have increasingly heard from our member across Europe: that the shortages problem is widespread, doesn’t respect national borders, and urgently requires attention if patient care and health services are not to suffer.

Managing shortages and trying to source supply distracts pharmacists from other core tasks, places burden on support staff and can increase stress and workload in the pharmacy environment with consequent impacts on the risk of error. Substitution of medicines in case of shortage of formulary drugs can also confuse doctors and nurses, further raising risks to patient safety.

I want to take this opportunity at the European Parliament to call on all partners to work together in identifying and enacting solutions. This includes industry and supply chain actors, regulatory authorities, and all health professions involved in medicines. I also believe there is a role for the European Commission in bringing Governments and others together on this issue.”

EAHP will present the full results of its survey at its forthcoming Congress in Paris, 13-15th March, 2013.
 

More information here.

News from the European Medicines Agency (EMA)

The EMA has issued a range of opinions on new medicines seeking market approval and published a consultation on two standard paediatric investigation plans (PIPs) for two specific types of cancer with unmet medical needs in children.

Sanofi Pasteur received a positive opinion from the EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommending market approval for a new 6-in-1 pediatric vaccine Hexyon/Hexacima (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB vaccine).

The CHMP also backed French firm Lucane Pharma's Pheburane (sodium phenylbutyrate) for the treatment of chronic management of urea-cycle disorders and expanded use of GlaxoSmithKline's human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix and CSL Behring's intravenous immunoglobulin therapy Privigen. The EMA also issued positive recommendations for generics of Lundbeck's Alzheimer's disease drug Ebixa (memantine) from Mylan and Actavis.

More information here

Separately, the Agency has opened a public consultation on two standard paediatric investigation plans (PIPs) for two specific types of cancer with unmet medical needs in children, acute myeloid leukaemia and rhabdomyosarcoma.

A PIP sets out a programme for the development of a medicine to ultimately authorise its use in children.

Comments on these documents should be submitted by 5 May 2013.

More information here:

EJHP: April edition now online!

EJHP April 2013, Volume 20, Issue 2 is now online with the special theme of ‘Safety and hospital pharmacy’.

The edition includes:

  • editorial articles on the use of generics and pharmacokinetic reasoning;
  • highlights of the EAHP survey in relation to clinical services and patient safety;
  • original articles on the safety of switching to different generics, the introduction of an adverse drug event manager, clinically relevant drug interactions in patients with HIV, qualitative research methods in pharmacy practice, and the handling of hazardous drugs in hospitals; and
  • a postscript on the pharmacist role in an autoimmune disease unit.

Full edition here
 

 

18th Congress of the EAHP: Preview of French Hospital Pharmacy Session

With just two weeks until the 18th congress of the EAHP, Nicolas Janus previews the special Thursday afternoon session on highlights of French Hospital Pharmacy..

Hosted and led by EAHP’s Member Association for France, the Européenne de Formation pour les Pharmaciens (EFP), the session will share 3 noteworthy aspects of current hospital pharmacy practice in France:

1. Medication reconciliation and electronic pharmaceutical files of patients;

2. Integrated chemotherapy services: from hospital compounding to home-based administration to the patient; and,

3. 14 years of experience of a nation-wide information centre on drug and kidney

Preview of session here.

Session abstract here. 
 

This year’s Congress has the overall theme “Improving patient outcomes: a shared responsibility”

Registration information here.

Information on the Scientific Programme here.