Shortlist of abstract posters announced for 18^th Congress of the EAHP 
 

Following over 600 abstract submissions, the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) has agreed a shortlist of 12 abstracts from which to decide the final poster prize winners at the 18^th Congress of the EAHP in Paris, 13-15 March 2013.

The topics covered by the 12 shortlisted posters are:

• Improving insulin prescribing safety
• The operation of a multi-professional unified inhalation instructional system
• Ethanol content in chemotherapy
• Pharmacist optimization of the medication process during admission to hospital
• The effect of hospital pharmacist participation in Intensive Care rounds in reducing medication errors and hospital costs
• Pharmacogenetic research in relation to busulfan clearance in adult hematopoietic stem cell recipients
• Identification of relevant drug interactions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units
• Rates and types of prescribing errors in electronic chemotherapy prescriptions for ambulatory patients
• Design and assessment of an E-learning program to train clinical pharmacists to Vitamin K Antagonists (VKA) consultation
• Impact of MDR1 polymorphisms on the analgesic efficacy of tramadol in patients after a minor surgery
• Dispensing practice in Saudi community pharmacy
• Bayesian approach in the dosing of vancomycin in the treatment of Staphylococcal infections

Pharma industry issue statement of caution on clinical trial transparency 
 

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has issued a statement warning the European Parliament, European Commission and Council of Ministers not to approach the issue of clinical trial transparency “in an indiscriminate way”.

With the European Commission’s proposals for reform of the Clinical Trials Directive via a new Regulation now under scrutiny in the European Parliament, the industry body has expressed concern that transparency of clinical trial information should be balanced against commercial confidentiality.

The statement follows activity by the British Medical Journal, the Cochrane Collaboration, and health journalists to highlight the need for stronger requirements on full disclosure of clinical trial results, whether positive or negative.

Amongst industry concerns are that publishing certain chemistry, manufacturing and controls as well as non-clinical data following European marketing authorisation could “enhance the ability of non-innovators to obtain approval outside the EU based on the originator’s data”

The European Parliament has now allocated scrutiny responsibilities for the Commission proposals to various Committees with deadlines for Members of the Parliament to table amendments in January and February 2013.

The issue of clinical trial data transparency looks set to remain on the key issues of debate.

EAHP is collaborating with a number of partner organisations in order to ensure the new Clinical Trial Regulation meets the needs of hospital pharmacists in practice, with a new joint statement of interested organisations to published in the coming week.

Recent EFPIA statement here

EAHP statement here 

European Parliament set conditions for approving Tonio Borg as new Health Commissioner 

Before approving Tonio Borg as the new Health Commissioner of the European Union, Members of the European Parliament are requiring he agree to a set of conditions.

Borg, Malta's deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, was questioned for three hours by three of the Parliament’s Committees: the Health Committee, the Internal Market Committee and the Agriculture Committee.

The political groups of the Parliament are currently divided on whether to support his candidacy with some groups (ALDE, Green/EFA, GUE/NGL) so far withholding their support based on concerns about his previously expressed opinions on homosexuality, divorce, abortion, and the scientific use of tissues and cells.

In discussions, the European Parliament’s Political Group leaders have set out a list of conditions Mr Borg should meet before being approved to take over the European Commission’s Health Directorate. These are:

• The delivery of the legislative proposal on tobacco products by January 2013;
• The adoption of legislative proposals on animal cloning and novel food by mid-2013;
• The full respect of the March 2013 deadline for the ban of animal testing for cosmetics;
• Better enforcement of EU law on animal transport;
• Full respect of the EU Charter on Fundamental rights, in particular of Article 21, as well as of EU anti-discrimination legislation and case-law;
• Recognising the innate dignity of all citizens of the EU, regardless of their sexual orientations, actively working to address health inequalities and to acting against stigmatisation of people with HIV and AIDS;
• Actively supporting EU policies with regard to women’s rights.

If Mr Borg agrees to these conditions, it is likely he will be ratified as the new EU Health Commissioner this week.

More information about the hearing and procedure here

EJHP: Implications of the EU Directive on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector on procurement decisions

An article was published this week on the online first section of the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP) about the impact of the EU Directive on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector on procurement decisions.

Authored by Mark Santillo of the Department of Quality Assurance, South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, England, the article considers the under-reporting of needle stick injuries and the risk such injuries pose in relation to infection from blood borne pathogens such as hepatitis B, C and HIV.

The article summarises the main impacts for practice arising from the 2010 Directive on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector and what it means for procurement of a range of common injectables in the hospital setting including Low molecular weight heparins, Fragmin, Innohep and Clexane.

The full article is available here