NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF NOvARTIS ANd
GSK cOmPLETE TRANSAcTIONS Novartis have announced at the end
of last month that it has completed a series of transactions with
GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), including the acquisition of certain oncology products and pipeline compounds from GSK, the creation of a world- leading consumer healthcare
business through a joint venture that combines the two companies’ consumer divisions, and the divestiture of the Novartis non- influenza Vaccines business to GSK.
The transactions were announced in April 2014 as part of the Novartis global portfolio transformation. Since the end of 2013, Novartis has engaged in a series of transactions to sharpen the company’s focus on three core business segments with global scale: innovative
pharmaceuticals, eye care and generics. As a result of the most recent announcement:
• Novartis Oncology now manages a portfolio of 21 oncology and
hematology medicines to treat more than 25 conditions worldwide. Newly-acquired therapies in
melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and hematology complement Novartis Oncology’s existing group of practice-changing medicines to create a large portfolio of drugs in oncology and hematology targeting important biological disease pathways.
• Based on the depth and breadth of the Novartis Oncology R&D and commercial capabilities, it is
anticipated that Novartis will be able to optimize the therapies acquired from GSK. These include:
n Tafinlar®, a BRAF inhibitor, and Mekinist™, a MEK inhibitor, both approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. On February 6, 2015, GSK announced overall survival results from the COMBI-d trial which demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in the risk of death (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.71 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.55, 0.92], p=0.011) for the combination of Tafinlar and Mekinist compared to Tafinlar monotherapy in patients with BRAF V600E/K mutation- positive metastatic melanoma.
n Votrient®, a VEGFR inhibitor for renal cell carcinoma, which has
shown significant efficacy as first-line treatment for renal cancer.
n Promacta® for thrombocytopenia, Tykerb® for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer and Arzerra® in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are also included in the transaction.
6 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST Only Smarties have the answer
Student Laura-Anne Riach, 23, took part in the challenge and devised a number of techniques to help her remember to take her ‘daily dose.’ She said, “The first week of the challenge was the hardest as I forgot to take the Smarties on time. Almost every ‘dose’ was either late or completely missed.
“I had to do something to remind me to take them so for the second week I used a dossette box and had it sitting in the kitchen. The visual reminder really helped with taking the Smarties on time.
“However, the final week was the most successful. I decided to swap the Smarties with something I really
Third year RGU
Pharmacy students Ray Ore and Laura- Anne Riach
Robert Gordon University (RGU) Pharmacy students recently gained a valuable insight into the challenges patients face when following a course of daily medicine by taking part in a unique challenge.
More than 100 third year students participated in ‘A Smartie a Day’
challenge which required them to take one chocolate Smartie a day for four weeks to experience what it’s like fitting daily medication in to their normal routines.
More than 2,600 Smarties were distributed to the 107 participating
students before the Christmas holidays which had to be taken an hour before eating food.
Initial feedback from the exercise has suggested that many
students found remembering to take one on time every day proved difficult for a number of reasons.
dislike, so I opted for mini Bounty bars. The thought of having to eat one each day was enough of a reminder and I didn’t miss one.”
Alyson Brown, lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, worked with colleagues from RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences to deliver the exercise.
She said, “We’ve never set the students this challenge before so it was interesting to see how they reacted. It has been an insightful exercise which has allowed them to experience ‘taking medicine’ from the patient’s point of view.
“Pharmacists understand patients can have a low level of adherence when it comes to taking daily medication, and it’s important to encourage students to think about the challenges they may face.”
RPS response highlights pharmacy role
Community pharmacies should be viewed as a local community public health resource, ideally placed to
This is one of the key messages to come out of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland’s published response to the Scottish Government’s public health review chaired by Dr Hamish Wilson.
provide healthy living interventions and messages to the population as a whole to prevent ill health or detect it early. early.
it
This is one of the key messages to come out of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland’s published response to the Scottish Government’s public health review chaired by Dr Hamish Wilson.
The RPS stated ‘Providing a holistic approach to care, with a more streamlined approach to signposting such as ensuring all pharmacies are utilising the ALISS project (A Local Information System for Scotland),’ CPS also highlighted in its response the use of ALISS.
"Pharmaceutical public health has great untapped potential to improve To this end CPS have signed a
and champion preventive measures. tThe Health and Social Care Alliance
base for the contribution the
his could contribute significantly to (iwho ad inister ALISS) o list
lifestyles, encourage self-management memorandum of understanding with
mprovements in patient outcomes. We community pharmacies in the system
need to focus resources where they are and for pharm cy teams to signpost
most required and build an evidence p ti nts to local services.
‘Providing a holistic approach to care, with a more streamlined approach to signposting such as ensuring all pharmacies are utilising the ALISS project (A Local Information System for Scotland),’ the response adds.
The RPS stated ‘Providing a holistic Practice & Policy Lead, Aileen Bryson. streamlined approach to signposting pharmacy contributions to public health and makes recommendations or where pharmacy’s role coul be
profession can make,” says RPS’s approach to care, with a more
Th response highligh s current such as ensuring all pharmacies are utilising the ALISS project (A Local Ifnformation System for Scotland).’ expanded including:
CPS also highlighted in its response the use of ALISS. To this end CPS have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Health and Social Care Alliance (who administer ALISS) to list community pharmacies in the system and for pharmacy teams to signpost patients to local services.
The responses highlighted current pharmacy contributions to public health and makes recommendations for where pharmacy’s role could be expanded including:
•
• •
• Public health roles should be expanded and become an integral part of all pharmaceutical care services such as the Chronic Medication Service and integrated appropriately into all routine interventions, with a national strategy to raise awareness of public health priorities.
A role for community pharmacy with NHS vaccine programmes in ScotPlandrescribing and demographic data now provides evidence down to
pharmacies should be coordinated with a wider multidisciplinary approach in other healthcare outlets and with more
Poster campaigns in community atient level which can be interpreted using the pharmaceutical expertise of the public
e lth pharmacists to
• To gain maximum impact the poster campaigns in community pharmacies should be coordinated with a wider multidisciplinary approach in other healthcare outlets and with more general population messages through social media to encourage public ownership and participation.
general population messages through var
identify ga s in servic provi ion and sociatl media to encourage public ownership and participation.
Care Plans (PCPs) can now access •
tailoring resources to the specific public health priorities in local communities. the public health pharmacists to identify gaps in service provision and variation in practice. Pharmaceutical Care Plans (PCPs) can now access health data which allows services to be targeted at the areas of greatest need, tailoring resources to the specific public health priorities in local communities. •
ta geted at th areas of greatest need, patient level which can be interpreted using the pharmaceutical expertise of
• In a similar way to GP contracts, resource to pharmacies should be flexible to reflect the level of deprivation and the demographics in the local population.
Health and Social Care Integration providing an opportunity to improve public health. This needs to focus on person centred care and getting things right first time for patients, providing coordinated local support and improving health education and prevention, rather than infrastructure and co-location.
•
multidisciplinary approach with •
standards and specifications is multidisciplinary approach with
A coordinated, n tio al, A coordinated, national,
essent al to ensure equitable access to standards, specifications and common
ome specialist publ c he lth services goals for the primary care contractors.
such as substance misus .
• Health and Social Care Integration provides an opportunity to improve public health. This needs to focus on person centred care and getting things right first time for patients, providing coordinated local support and improving health education and prevention, rather than infrastructure and co-location.
health data which allows services to be norw provides evidence down to
ion in practice. Pharmaceutical Prescribing and demographic data
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