Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic


Book Description

Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.




Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services


Book Description

Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services Standards Handbook (also known as the Yellow Guide) provides standards for unlicensed aseptic preparation in the UK, as well as practical information to aid implementation of the standards. The handbook delivers essential standards in a practical way and in a format that will be useful for pharmacy management, staff working in aseptic preparation units and those whose role it is to audit the services. The accompanying support resources help with understanding the complexities of relevant topics including microbiology, radiopharmaceuticals, advanced therapy medicinal products, technical (quality) agreements and capacity planning. All the standards have been revised and updated for this 5th edition. The text is produced on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the NHS Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance Committee. New in this edition: Replaces the 4th edition standards and forms the basis for an ongoing audit program in the NHS Many new and revised standards Greater emphasis on Pharmaceutical Quality Systems; the responsibilities of pharmacy management, Chief Pharmacists (or equivalent), has been expanded in line with developments in Good Manufacturing Practice Reformatted into 2 parts: standards and support resources. This is a new collaboration between the RPS and NHS. Since the previous edition the RPS has become the professional body for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. RPS launched these standards as part of a library of professional standards and a programme of work to create standards for all areas of pharmacy. The Handbook is essential for pharmacists, hospital pharmacy management and technical services teams, and auditors of unlicensed NHS hospital pharmacy aseptic preparation services in the UK, pharmacists and regulators. The text is used to inform standards used in several other countries.




Regulating Pharmaceuticals In Europe: Striving For Efficiency, Equity And Quality


Book Description

"This thoughtful and comprehensive book represents the best work I have seen on the current situation concerning medication policies in the EU. It is not just that this is a very up-to-date compendium of facts and data across a wide variety of domains that impact on pharmaceutical regulation. The book is also strong on analysis of those facts as well." Jerry Avorn, Harvard Medical School. "This book offers a comprehensive examination of approaches to manage pharmaceutical expenditures in Europe. It is a must-read for those who seek to understand and navigate the changing regulatory environment for medicines in the European Union." Bernie O'Brien, McMaster University, Canada. The rising cost of pharmaceutical expenditures in many European countries is of concern to governments required to make effective use of health care budgets. Taking a broad perspective that encompasses institutional, political and supranational aspects of pharmaceutical regulation, this book examines approaches used to manage pharmaceutical expenditure across Europe and what impact these strategies have had on efficiency, quality, equity and cost of pharmaceutical care.Regulating Pharmaceuticals in Europe is an important book for students of health policy, regulation and management, and for health managers and policy makers. The editors: Elias Mossialos is Brian Abel-Smith Professor of Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Research Director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Monique Mrazek is a Health Economist (Europe and Central Asia region) for the World Bank and formerly a Research Officer in Health Economics for the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Tom Walley is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool and Director of the UK National Health Technology Assessment Programme. Contributors:Julia Abelson, Christa Altenstetter, Vittorio Bertele’, Christine Bond, Marcel L. Bouvy, Colin Bradley, Steve Chapman, Anna Dixon, Michael Drummond, Pierre Durieux, Edzard Ernst, Armin Fidler, Eric Fortess, Richard Frank, Silvio Garattini, Leigh Hancher, Ebba Holme Hansen, Steve Hudson, Kees de Jonchere, Panos Kanavos, Sjoerd Kooiker, Jean-Marc Leder, Graham Lewis, Donald W. Light, Alistair McGuire, Elias Mossialos, Monique Mrazek, Maria Pia Orru', Govin Permanand, Guenka Petrova, Munir Pirmohamed, Dennis Ross-Degnan, Frans Rutten, Steven Soummerai, David Taylor, Sarah Thomson, Tom Walley.




The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry


Book Description

Incorporating HC 1030-i to iii.




Economic Crisis, Health Systems and Health in Europe


Book Description

Economic shocks pose a threat to health and health system performance by increasing people's need for health care and making access to care more difficult - a situation compounded by cuts in public spending on health and other social services. But these negative effects can be avoided by timely public policy action. While important public policy levers lie outside the health sector, in the hands of those responsible for fiscal policy and social protection, the health system response is critical. This book looks at how health systems in Europe reacted to pressure created by the financial and economic crisis that began in 2008. Drawing on the experience of over 45 countries, the authors:' analyse health system responses to the crisis in three policy areas: public funding for the health system; health coverage; and health service planning, purchasing and delivery 'assess the impact of these responses on health systems and population health' identify policies most likely to sustain the performance of health systems facing financial pressure' explore the political economy of implementing reforms in a crisisThe book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the choices available to policy-makers - and the implications of failing to protect health and health-system performance - in the face of economic and other forms of shock.--




Making Medicines Affordable


Book Description

Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.




Social and Administrative Aspects of Pharmacy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries


Book Description

Social and Administrative Aspects of Pharmacy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Present Challenges and Future Solutions examines the particularities of low- and middle-income countries and offers solutions based on their needs, culture and available resources. Drawing from the firsthand experience of researchers and practitioners working in these countries, this book addresses the socio-behavioral aspects of pharmacy and health, pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutical policy, supply management and marketing, pharmacoepidemiology and public health pharmacy specific to low- and middle-income countries. While some practices may be applied appropriately in disparate places, too often pharmacy practice in low- and middle-income countries is directly copied from successes in developed countries, despite the unique needs and challenges low- and middle-income countries face. - Examines key issues and challenges of pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical sector specific to low- and middle-income countries - Compares pharmacy practice in developed and developing countries to highlight the unique challenges and opportunities of each - Provides a blueprint for the future of pharmacy in low- and middle-income countries, including patient-centered care, evidence-based care and promoting the role of the pharmacist for primary health care in these settings




Pharmacy in England


Book Description

This White Paper (Cm. 7341, ISBN 9780101734127), sets out a programme for future NHS pharmaceutical services in England. Divided into 8 chapters with 2 annexes, it covers the following areas: the background to the White Paper; the context of change, looking at the major health and social challenges that have prompted a review of pharmacy services; expanding access and choice through more help with medicines; more pharmacy services supporting healthy living and better care; communications and relationships and how these can be improved by highlighting the varied services and benefits offered by pharmacies and pharmacists; research and innovation in practice; the pharmacy profession; the current structure and contractual arrangements of the pharmacy system. The Government has set out a future vision for the pharmacy services in England, including a number of specific objectives, including: making pharmacies into "healthy living centres", promoting health and helping people to take care of themselves; offer NHS treatment for minor ailments; provide specific support for people who are starting a new course of treatment; offer screening for those at risk of vascular disease; use new technologies to expand choice and improve care in hospitals and the community; become commissioned based on the range and quality of the services being delivered. Related publications to this White Paper, include: The Future of Pharmacy (http://www.appg.org.uk/documents/ThefutureofPharmacy_006.pdf); Our Health, Our Care (Cm.6737, ISBN 0101673728); Our NHS, Our Future (http://www.ournhs.nhs.uk/fromtypepad/283411_OurNHS_v3acc.pdf); A Vision for Pharmacy in the New NHS, July 2003 (http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Closedconsultations/DH_4068353?).