e-Pharmalink is an electronic newsletter of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN), an independent, non-profit Christian organization, whose mission is to support churches and church health system provide and promote just and compassionate quality pharmaceutical services through networking, access to medicine and treatment literacy programmes.

This newsletter aims at equipping pharmacists and other health professionals with information about international trends relevant to their work and opportunities that could support them in their efforts to provide effective and efficient services, particularly in poor countries. It is a summary of news reported by a wide range of publications or organizations and includes web links to the original sources. Anyone can receive this e-mail

NEWS

Hiv and Aids Treatment

More treatment failure in people on TB treatment -who start once daily nevirapine-based ART than efavirenz-based ART
People on TB treatment who started a once-daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen of nevirapine/ddI/3TC were significantly more likely to fail ART than those who started on a once-daily regimen of efavirenz/ddI/3TC, according to a randomised prospective study from Chennai, India. In fact, the nevirapine arm performed so poorly that the study’s Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) ended accrual to that study arm and closed the study ahead of schedule.
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/4F8CD63D-3305-4B22-89AC-22C86352AA09.asp

Ugandan study supports the use of fluconazole to prevent cryptococcal meningitis
Oral fluconazole prophylaxis safely prevents invasive cryptococcal disease in people with advanced HIV. Prophylaxis was effective in people who were waiting to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) and in those who had recently started ART, but who had not yet had a significant improvement in their immune status. It also significantly reduced the incidence of other serious fungal infections like oesophageal candidiasis.
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/547AF143-7C7B-46C7-A401-7FBA857BA95C.asp

Global Fund facing shortfall
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which supplies one-quarter of all AIDS funding, is facing a funding gap of US$5 billion. Unless donors step up their commitments to the multilateral fund, grant amounts will be reduced by 25 percent during the second half of their five-year duration.
http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82791

Tuberculosis

HIV-Positive Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis at High Risk for Acquired Rifampicin Resistance When They Fail Standard Treatment
HIV-positive patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) are at a higher risk of acquired rifampicin resistance (ARR) when they fail a 3-times-weekly short-course intermittent regimen, according to a study presented at the 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF68525755B007C974C

Survey finds highest rates of drug resistant TB
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been recorded at the highest rates ever, according to a new report. The report presents findings from the largest survey to date on the scale of drug resistance in tuberculosis. "Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in the world", is based on data collected between 2002 and 2006 on 90 000 TB patients in 81 countries. It found that extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), a virtually untreatable form of the respiratory disease, has been recorded in 45 countries.
http://stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2008/news.asp

Full Report: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/HQ/1997/WHO_TB_97.229.pdf

Managing TB Medicines at the Primary Level
The Management Sciences for Health (MSH) capacity-building tool targets TB pharmaceutical management issues commonly faced at the primary health care level where there has been little formal training in many country programs.
http://www1.msh.org/projects/rpmplus/Documents/upload/TB-Primary-Level-Guide-April-2008_final-English.pdf

OTHERS

Malaria mosquito resistant to pyrethroids
In a study published online recently in the Genome Research journal and carried out by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK, researchers have confirmed suspicions that mosquitoes have evolved to overcome the effects of pyrethroids, a chemical derived from pyrethrum.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/528074/-/u1xwf5/-/index.html

84 Children Killed by Medicine in Nigeria
According to Nigeria’s Health Ministry, the children died after taking a medicine called My Pikin Baby Teething Mixture, a syrup for teething pain. Health officials said that a batch of the medicine that went on sale in November contained diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent and an ingredient in antifreeze and brake fluid.

The chemical looks, smells and tastes like glycerine, a sweet syrup commonly used in a wide range of medicines, foods and toothpaste, and counterfeiters enhance their profit by substituting diethylene glycol, which is relatively cheap, for the more expensive but harmless glycerine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/africa/07nigeria.html?_r=1&ref=health

Antibiotics over- prescribed for children’s sore throats
According to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, doctors are prescribing antibiotics for children's sore throats more frequently than is necessary.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School compared the rate of antibiotic prescriptions for sore throats to the rate of testing for group A B-haemolytic streptococci (GABHS) or strep throat, the only common cause of sore throats which can be treated with antibiotics.
http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=3805&channel_id=1020&relation_id=30084

USEFUL RESOURCES

Global tuberculosis control and patient care
Ministers from high M/XDR-TB burden countries; will meet in Beijing, China, on 1-3 April 2009, to address the alarming threat of MDR-TB.
http://www.who.int/tb_beijingmeeting/en/index.html

6th Health Informatics in Africa Conference
The 6th Health Informatics in Africa (HELINA) Conference will be held from April 16-18, 2009 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. HELINA is the African region conference of International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA).
http://www.safaids.net/?q=node/758

Advocacy Skills Course, 12-16 October 2009 Nairobi
The purpose of this course is to empower the participants with advocacy and lobbying skills in order to advocate for health and health related issues. It is intended for senior and mid-level programme/projects managers, medical and health personnel and government officers.
http://www.amref.org/info-centre/advocacy-skills-course--/

Tobacco Cessation Interventions for Tuberculosis Patients: A Guide for Low-Income Countries
The guide specifically addresses the association between tobacco smoke and tuberculosis, and how tuberculosis patients can be helped to discontinue tobacco use.
http://www.iuatld.org/upload/home_news/tobacco-and-tb-guide_uk_329.pdf