Réseau Pharmaceutique Œcuménique (EPN)

NEWS

Cardiovascular diseases: One pill treats all?
The development of a pill that is reported to reduce 80% of cardiovascular events has generated debate since 2003 when reports on the polypill were first published. There are claims that the pill will hinder healthy lifestyles since patients will have an instant remedy for cardio related illnesses.  Conversely, other claims are that it is a simple way of ensuring adherence to treatment and better clinical outcomes.
http://www.australianprescriber.com/index.php?content=/magazines/vol28no4/82_83_editorial.htm

Interventions to promote rational drug use
The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed 12 key ways to promote rational drug use at national and grassroots levels.  These guidelines are:

• Establishment of a multidisciplinary national body to coordinate policies on medicine use
• Use of clinical guidelines
• Development and use of a national essential medicines list
• Establishment of drug and therapeutic committees in hospitals
• Inclusion of problem-based pharmacotherapy training in undergraduate curricula
• Supervision, audit and feedback
• Use of independent information on medicines
• Educating the public about medicines
• Avoidance of perverse financial incentives
• Use of appropriate and enforced regulation
• Allocation of sufficient funds by governments to ensure availability of medicines and staff

http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/rational_use/en/index.html

HIV/AIDS

US Approves use of ARV drugs
Health officials in the United States have granted approval for the use of a generic liquid version of the ARV drug AZT, allowing it to be used overseas under a U.S programme to fight the virus.
http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/6566/newsletter

Tanzania gets new HIV/AIDS facility
One of the most modern HIV/AIDS facilities in East Africa with a capacity to process 1,000 HIV tests per hour has opened at the Muhimbili National hospital in Tanzania.  The centre which was set up by the Abbot Fund in conjunction with the Tanzania government, will greatly improve the healthcare of people living with HIV/AIDS as well as other chronic illnesses.
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49398&SelectRegion=East_Africa,%20Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=TANZANIA

High Incidence of TB reported after start of ART
MSF treatment programmes in resource-limited countries are seeing high incidences of TB in patients after they begin taking antiretroviral therapy.
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/6f10822e-7e9d-4740-aefd-92131f44b2d4.asp

Side effects: Why ARV patients change treatment schedule
A recent study of HIV/AIDS patients on ARV treatment shows that they change from first line to second line treatment due to toxicity.
http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/d225aead-0e1c-425c-b8f7-6324ece54a53.asp?hp=1

MALARIA

HIV/AIDS Drug also prevents malaria
A drug that is used to protect people living with HIV/AIDS against opportunistic infections such as pneumonia has also been found to prevent malaria. 
http://www.fightingmalaria.org/news.php?ID=589&month=October%202005

TB

New TB treatment would halve treatment time
The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and Bayer Healthcare have developed a new TB drug that could reduce treatment time by two to three months from the current 6 months to at most four months.  Clinical trials for the drug are currently underway in South Africa and Uganda with others expected to be conducted on 2,500 patients in six global countries.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/1500AP_Tuberculosis.html

Potential TB treatment
A drug that is currently approved for use to treat bacterial infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in over 100 countries could soon be used to treat TB.  This would make it the first new treatment for TB in 40 years.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=32228

FOCUS ON RESOURCES

PUBLICATIONS

Title: Fighting TB on the frontlines: Key findings and recommendations on the crucial role played by front-line health workers in TB control
Publisher: Health and Development Networks
This is a publication that reports on findings made following six months of discussions to share information and assess the critical role that front-line health workers play in trying to combat TB.
http://www.healthdev.org/eforums/cms/individual.asp?sid=105&sname=Stop-TB

WEBSITES

WHO Launches medicines website
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new website www.who.int/medicines which is structured towards WHO’s activities in medicines.  The site has sections on selection and rational use, medicine policies, quality, safety and traditional medicines.

Antimicrobial resistance information bank
WHO in collaboration with the Centre for Electronic Disease Surveillance has built the Antimicrobial Resistance Information Bank (AR Info Bank).  This site provides access to quality information for policy holders and health workers on drug resistance and resistance surveillance networks.
http://oms2.b3e.jussieu.fr/arinfobank/

COURSES

Drugs and Therapeutic Training Course
Drug and Therapeutics Committees and Training of Trainers Course
Dates: November 28th – December 10th, 2005
Location: Penang, Malaysia
For more details please visit: http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/6592/newsletter

PRDU Training Course
International training course on promoting rational drug use in the community
Dates: January 15th – 24th 2006
Location: Jaipur, India
For more details please visit:
http://www.who.int/medicines/events/rdu/en/index.html

PRDU CD-ROM-based Training Course
This is a course which is accessible through the internet for free.  It offers training materials in Adobe Acrobat (PDF), Ms Word and Power point formats.  The materials provide session guides, trainers guides and visual aides and are ideal for health professionals who prefer to train at their own pace or are unavailable to attend training courses.
http://dcc2.bumc.bu.edu/prdu/default.html

SCHOLARSHIPS

TASO Scholarships
The AIDS Support Organization – Uganda (TASO) has introduced a scholarship initiative aimed at enhancing HIV/AIDS service provider competence.  For further details and to download the application form, please visit:
http://www.tasouganda.org/newsdetail.php?id=33