This paper reports on the evaluation of an enquiry based learning (EBL) module in pharmaceutical chemistry which has been developed for first year pharmacy students. The module aims to encourage integration of knowledge within the multi-disciplinary pharmacy degree, leading to an appreciation of the importance that chemical properties have on the action of medicines. In teams, students selected a therapeutic area and medicines for its management. Following an introductory workshop, the teams completed an information retrieval and analysis exercise.

Undergraduate pharmacy education is undergoing reform, largely driven by changes in the role of the pharmacist. One area of the curriculum coming under particular scrutiny is the final year research project. It has been suggested that such projects should perhaps play a lesser role in undergraduate education because research is not part of the working remit of most pharmacists. If, as a School of Pharmacy, we are to make an informed contribution to any debate, we must be clear about the role the project currently plays, both within our own institution and at a wider level.

Herbal remedies constitute an important component of any healthcare system. Increasing demand for the use of herbal remedies and reports of harm caused by inappropriate use are not uncommon. Pharmacists are well positioned to offer advice on the use of drugs and herbs; therefore natural products must be included in the Pharmacy curriculum. At the Department of Pharmacy in the National University of Singapore, instruction on natural products is delivered based on a tripartite approach.

The aim of this article is to present information related to pharmacy practice and education in two countries, South Africa and New Zealand, where there is currently a small migration of pharmacists from the former to the latter. The pharmacy profession in both countries is under the statutory regulation of a pharmacy council, and a society is responsible for professional aspects. The councils also play an important role in undergraduate pharmacy education, and tertiary institutions are responsible for the curricula.

Objectives: To describe and assess the impact of pharmacists’ interventions in the collaborative care of patients with diabetes in a Nigerian hospital.

Pharmaceutical sales representatives have many avenues of career advancement, including those in specialty areas (for example, o­ncology or HIV), managed care and hospital accounts. But for reps with a strong scientific inclination and a knack for presenting clinical data, the scientific liaison career is an expanding segment of field-based pharmaceutical professions.

For full article Click Here

Additional income, new responsibilities and further industry experience are just a few of the benefits that attract many to pursue a promotion. A number of organizations have expanded their sales forces, creating a wide range of opportunities for salespeople to move o­n to the next level. For many companies, however, those days are in the past. The large pharma companies are not expanding the way they used to. The reality is that there are simply too many reps in the field. In some cases, three or four sales reps are calling o­n the same doctor, selling the same drug and communicating the same information. Large sales divisions with strong share of voice in the market have certainly proven to be effective in the drug industry. However, sales executives are realizing that this type of fast-paced growth cannot go o­n forever.

As a representative, there are three main practice settings where you can partner with pharmacists to influence doctors: clinical pharmacy, long-term care facilities and retail pharmacy. Clinical pharmacists are those who work in hospitals or clinics. The clinical pharmacist may actually make rounds in the hospital, looking at charts and making optimal drug recommendations to physicians, or may work in collaboration with physicians to hold follow-up visits with patients who have chronic diseases to manage their medications. Likewise, pharmacists in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, review residents' charts monthly and make drug recommendations to physicians who care for these patients. The term retail pharmacist or community pharmacist refers to those who work at Giant, CVS, Rite Aid, Neighborcare and other retail pharmacies.

Have you ever been o­n a sales team that was sick? The symptoms are severe: Malignant bickering. Chronic frustration. Lost bonuses. Missed objectives. Self-serving behaviors. It seems like the Grim Reaper has a seat at every monthly meeting! Unfortunately, there is no pill to remedy these ills. To start o­n the path to recovery, a sales team needs to follow a four-step prescription for effectiveness.

For full article Click Here

Graduating medical school seniors pursuing careers as doctors are more apt to choose a non-primary care specialty in 2003, according to the Leawood, KS-based American Academy of Family Physicians. According to information released by the National Resident Matching Program, the 2003 initial fill rate for family practice residency programs is 76.2%, or 2,239 positions filled out of 2,940 positions offered. This represents a 5% decrease from last year's initial fill rate and continues a six-year trend that began in 1997.

For full article Click Here

The Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America announced that it has adopted a voluntary program to report counterfeit drugs to the Food and Drug Administration. "This program reaffirms our member companies' commitment to the highest standards of drug quality and patient safety," said Alan F. Holmer, president of PhRMA. "The information provided by PhRMA members under this program will assist FDA in carrying out its responsibilities to protect the safety and integrity of the nation's drug supply by quickly and effectively removing counterfeit drugs from the marketplace."

For full article Click Here

The vast majority of physicians perceive today's sales representatives as younger, less experienced, more aggressive, less collegial and more focused o­n sales as opposed to science, according to an o­nline survey of physicians conducted by Accel Healthcare Communications LLC, a healthcare advertising and medical communications firm based in New York. Reps are perceived as mostly interested in "pitching" their products and dropping off samples to promote physician use, while physicians are really looking for timely, credible information they can trust.

For full article Click Here