E-DRUG: Seeking feedback on The WHO Model Formulary
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[This request from WHO deserves 10 minutes from each E-drugger!
Please note that you should NOT hit the REPLY button, as then your E-drug moderator gets your contribution.
Rather FORWARD this message to emlsecretariat@who.int
Thanks! Wilbert Bannenberg, moderator]
Dear E-druggers,
The Medicines Policies and Standards Department in the WHO wants
feedback on the WHO Model Formulary. We would like answers to the
following questions:
Do you use it?
What is useful about the Formulary?
What could be improved?
Do you use the print version? The electronic version?
Have you modified it for your setting? made a national or regional
version?
What is your main professional activity (medicine/pharmacy/nursing/drug
policy/student/other)
What type of institution do you work at? (health ministry/medical
school/pharmacy school/ secondary health care/primary healthcare/other)
Any other comments?
Please forward your replies to emlsecretariat@who.int
Many thanks!
Dr Suzanne Hill
Scientist
Policy, Access and Rational Use
Medicines Policy and Standards
WHO HQ Geneva Switzerland
HillS@who.int
E-DRUG: Pediatric Drug Info source
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I would like to recommend a new resource freely
available on the internet to Hinari phase 1 & phase 2
developing countries on paediatric drug information.
BNF for Children (BNFC, published in 2005, is the "little sister" publication of the British National Formulary(BNF) that most of you are
already familiar with. To access BNFC website go to:
The BNFC fills an important gap as there is often no information on off-label or unlicensed pediatric use of medicines from manufacturers if the medicine was licensed to be used only in adults in a country.
For example using sildanefil (Viagra) in a one month old newborn baby is both off-label and unlicensed use.
(Viagra is used in newborns to treat persistent pulmonary hypertension.)
Let me just explain off-label and unlicensed use here:
Pediatricians often use medicines in children with serious or complicated conditions that were developed for adults and been tested only in adults in clinical trials. Prescribing of these medicines that have not been specifically licensed for children is called off-label prescribing(unlabeled use), or when no peadiatric dosage form is available for administration and reformulation of tablets capsule is needed, unlicensed use, for example in the above case Viagra tablet is dissolved in water or fruit juice before given through a nasogastric tube to the newborn.
I hope you'll find this new drug information resource useful.
Klara Tisocki
Dr Klara Tisocki
B. Pharm., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Phone: + 965 7975493
Fax: +965 534-2807
e-mail: ktisocki@yahoo.ie, tisocki@hsc.edu.kw
Faculty of Pharmacy, Kuwait University
Kuwait
E-DRUG: ARV adherence in resource-poor settings
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Dear colleagues,
Are there any colleagues out there who are dealing with patients who are already on ARVs and are admitted into a ward bed for whatever reason?
In our resource constrained settings, it is a challenge for nursing staff to ensure that a patient in the ward takes their medication as per a very rigid time schedule, as they are dealing with very impractical nurse-patient ratios (sometimes 1 nurse to 80 patients). We are struggling with what to do in such a situation.
While I understand that the level of adherence required for ARVs is >95%, I wonder if anyone has done studies to compare actual adherence rates against clinical / virological / patient outcomes?
Atieno Ojoo
Chief Pharmacist
Kenyatta National Hospital
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel +254-20-272 6300 ext 43515
atisojoo@yahoo.co.uk