FASTtrack applied pharmaceutical practice

This revision guide takes the student pharmacist or pharmacy technician through the main stages involved in pharmaceutical dispensing. It gives bullet points of basic information on applied pharmacy practice followed by questions and answers. This reference text accompanies the compulsory dispensing courses found in all undergraduate MPharm programmes and equivalent technical training courses. Changes for the new edition include: * Information on revisions to the community pharmacy contract. * Additional content on new advanced community pharmacy services. * Revised worked examples and student questions. * Updated prescription labelling information, including the use of new cautionary and warning labels. * Updated references and bibliography.

Applied pharmaceutical practice

Applied Pharmaceutical Practice is an invaluable resource and will guide the student pharmacist and pharmacy technician through the main stages involved in pharmaceutical dispensing. As a core reference text, it is ideal as a companion to the compulsory dispensing courses found in all undergraduate MPharm programmes and the equivalent technical training courses. Contents include: •medicines classification and standard operating procedures •NHS supply in the community and within hospitals •non-NHS supply •controlled drugs •emergency supply •patient counselling and communication •poisons and spirits This practical textbook contains useful exercises with an answers section and numerous examples and is written by authors with extensive experience within the field. This is a comprehensive guide through the main stages of pharmaceutical dispensing.The textbook is designed to guide student pharmacists or pharmacy technicians through the main stages involved in pharmaceutical dispensing. It provides students with a core reference text to accompany the compulsory dispensing course found in all pharmacy undergraduate programmes, highlighting and explaining all key concepts behind the processes involved in pharmaceutical dispensing.

Faces of pricing and profit planning in innovation at the doorstep of the EU:government pricing policy in the pharmaceutical sector in Turkey

The majority of research on the pharmaceutical sector has focused on an overall micro economic, medical oriented welfare issues, whereas the marketing management role of the innovative drug manufacturer has to a large extent been disregarded. Using the case of Turkey, through a series of in-depth interviews with highly innovative companies, other marketing management possibilities are explored based on broader definitions of value and transparency. Our results suggest that pharmaceutical companies as well as the government might have a too narrow focus of value and underestimate the potential long term benefits of a broader approach to marketing management and long term relationships between the various stakeholders.

Quality control of pharmaceutical ingredients:developing a caking test for industry

Objectives - Powdered and granulated particulate materials make up most of the ingredients of pharmaceuticals and are often at risk of undergoing unwanted agglomeration, or caking, during transport or storage. This is particularly acute when bulk powders are exposed to extreme swings in temperature and relative humidity, which is now common as drugs are produced and administered in increasingly hostile climates and are stored for longer periods of time prior to use. This study explores the possibility of using a uniaxial unconfined compression test to compare the strength of caked agglomerates exposed to different temperatures and relative humidities. This is part of a longer-term study to construct a protocol to predict the caking tendency of a new bulk material from individual particle properties. The main challenge is to develop techniques that provide repeatable results yet are presented simply enough to be useful to a wide range of industries. Methods - Powdered sucrose, a major pharmaceutical ingredient, was poured into a split die and exposed to high and low relative humidity cycles at room temperature. The typical ranges were 20–30% for the lower value and 70–80% for the higher value. The outer die casing was then removed and the resultant agglomerate was subjected to an unconfined compression test using a plunger fitted to a Zwick compression tester. The force against displacement was logged so that the dynamics of failure as well as the failure load of the sample could be recorded. The experimental matrix included varying the number of cycles, the amount between the maximum and minimum relative humidity, the height and diameters of the samples, the number of cycles and the particle size. Results - Trends showed that the tensile strength of the agglomerates increased with the number of cycles and also with the more extreme swings in relative humidity. This agrees with previous work on alternative methods of measuring the tensile strength of sugar agglomerates formed from humidity cycling (Leaper et al 2003). Conclusions - The results show that at the very least the uniaxial tester is a good comparative tester to examine the caking tendency of powdered materials, with a simple arrangement and operation that are compatible with the requirements of industry. However, further work is required to continue to optimize the height/ diameter ratio during tests.

Preparation and characterization of gas-filled liposomes:Can they improve oil recovery?

Although well known for delivering various pharmaceutical agents, liposomes can be prepared to entrap gas rather than aqueous media and have the potential to be used as pressure probes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Using these gas-filled liposomes (GFL) as tracers, MRI imaging of pressure regions of a fluid flowing through a porous medium could be established. This knowledge can be exploited to enhance recovery of oil from the porous rock regions within oil fields. In the preliminary studies, we have optimized the lipid composition of GFL prepared using a simple homogenization technique and investigated key physico-chemical characteristics (size and the physical stability) and their efficacy as pressure probes. In contrast to the liposomes possessing an aqueous core which are prepared at temperatures above their phase transition temperature (Tc), homogenization of the phospholipids such as 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine (DPPC) or 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocoline (DSPC) in aqueous medium below their Tc was found to be crucial in formation of stable GFL. DSPC based preparations yielded a GFL volume of more than five times compared to their DPPC counter part. Although the initial vesicle sizes of both DSPC and DPPC based GFL were about 10 μm, after 7 days storage at 25°C, the vesicle sizes of both formulations significantly (p < 0.05) increased to 28.3 ± 0.3 μm and 12.3 ± 1.0 μm, respectively. When the DPPC preparation was supplemented with cholesterol at a 1:0.5 or 1:1 molar ratio, significantly (p < 0.05) larger vesicles were formed (12-13 μm), however, compared to DPPC only vesicles, both cholesterol supplemented formulations displayed enhanced stability on storage indicating a stabilizing effect of cholesterol on these gas-filled vesicles. In order to induce surface charge on the GFL, DPPC and cholesterol (1: 0.5 molar ratio) liposomes were supplemented with a cationic surfactant, stearylamine, at a molar ratio of 0.25 or 0.125. Interestingly, the ζ potential values remained around neutrality at both stearylamine ratios suggesting the cationic surfactant was not incorporated within the bilayers of the GFL. Microscopic analysis of GFL confirmed the presence of spherical structures with a size distribution between 1-8 μm. This study has identified that DSPC based GFL in aqueous medium dispersed in 2% w/v methyl cellulose although yielded higher vesicle sizes over time were most stable under high pressures exerted in MRI. Copyright © Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

Strategic groups, cognitive groups and environmental change in the UK pharmaceutical industry

This chapter explores the relationship between changes in strategy and environmental pressures within the UK Pharmaceutical Industry during a ten- year period. Two stable strategic time periods (SSTPs) were identified each of five years duration. Within each time period seven strategic groups were found but 11 out of 29 firms (37.9%) changed strategic groups membership during the period studied. The break between these two SSTPs was found to coincide with a sharp increase in the substitution of branded pharmaceuticals by cheaper parallel imports. A significant relationship was found between firms that changed groups and both their continent of origin and nationality. Firms whose home markets are more vulnerable to substitution were more likely to switch strategic groups. © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Direction of outward FDI of EMNEs:evidence from the Indian pharmaceutical sector

This article seeks to add to the small but growing literature of emerging-market multinational enterprises (EMNEs). Using two linked large firm-level databases, it seeks to explore the determinants of outward investment of Indian pharmaceutical companies, distinguishing between developed- versus developing-country destinations. It specifically examines the impact of two firm-level characteristics that embody “non-OLI” [ownership, location, and internalization] firm-specific capabilities of EMNEs. The finding of this study is that family firms are keen on investing in other developing countries but much less so in developed countries. However, international linkages in the form of foreign investors offset this.

Does ownership structure of emerging-market firms affect their outward FDI? The case of the Indian automotive and pharmaceutical sectors

This paper examines the impact of ownership structures of emerging-market firms, which are shaped by local institutions, on the decision of these firms to undertake outward FDI. Our results suggest that family firms and firms with concentrated ownerships (both ubiquitous in emerging markets) are less likely to invest overseas, and that strategic equity holding by foreign investors facilitates outward FDI. We conclude that organisational forms such as family firms, which are optimal outcomes of institutions prevailing in emerging markets, may be suboptimal in a changing business environment in which outward FDI is necessary for access to resources and markets.

The influence of marketing factors and substance characteristics on pharmaceutical sales in a state-controlled prescriptions pharmaceuticals market

The present dissertation investigates the influence of brand as well as substance-related marketing attributes on prescription pharmaceutical sales within a state-controlled market. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was conducted in the first instance, during which knowledge about the most relevant research within this field was gathered. Consequently, over 538 publications were reviewed and indicated as being potentially relevant, leading to an eventual count of 98 core publications. However, most of these studies had been conducted in the mainly unrestricted US market. These findings were then summarised and statistically evaluated. In a second step, based on the literature review, a qualitative study, containing focus and Delphi groups, was then performed. The participants in these studies were involved in pharmaceutical marketing within a state-controlled prescriptions pharmaceuticals market. Consequently, the findings were slightly different to those derived by the systematic literature review. Based on this second step, seven hypotheses were proposed. In the third step, these hypotheses were tested, using collected data and a secondary market dataset provided by a market research institute. A statistical analysis was then performed, applying descriptive as well as multiple regression analytical methods. The evaluation of the results resulted in a conceptual model of physician targeting, leading to several theoretical, methodological and managerial implications.

Drivers of peak sales for pharmaceutical brands

Peak sales are an important metric in the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, managers are focused on the height-of-peak-sales and the time required achieving peak sales. We analyze how order of entry and quality affect the level of peak sales and the time-to-peak-sales of pharmaceutical brands. We develop a growth model that includes these two variables as well as control variables for own and competitive marketing activities. We find that early entrants achieve peak sales later, and they have higher peak-sales levels. High-quality brands achieve peak sales earlier, and their peak-sales levels are higher. In addition, quality has a moderating effect on the order of entry effect on time-to-peak-sales. Our results indicate that late entrants have longer expected time-to-peak-sales when they introduce a brand with high quality.

Effects of pharmaceutical marketing:a re-analysis of the study of Windmeijer et al

Despite a growing body of scientific research, there is still much uncertainty about the effects of marketing expenditures on the demand for pharmaceuticals. Recently it was found that higher marketing expenditures for a brand may reduce the price elasticity of demand, and hence allow firms to charge higher prices (Windmeijer et al [1]). In this study we reconsider the study by Windmeijer et al. We find that their econometric models are based on an incorrect assumption of homogeneous parameters across brands. As a consequence, our conclusions concerning the effects of pharmaceutical marketing are different from theirs.