Final report; Royal Pharmaceutical Society; 2012 2 Horne, R, H

Final report; Royal Pharmaceutical Society; 2012. 2. Horne, R., Hankins, M. and Jenkins, R; The Satisfaction BGJ398 ic50 with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS): a new measurement tool for audit and research; Quality in Health Care;2001; 10; 135–140. K. Hodsona, M. Smitha, A. Blenkinsoppb, L. Hughesa, D. Jamesa, D. Cohenc, P. Daviesc, C. O’Briena, L. Turnbullc, F. Alamc, M. Longleyc aCardiff University, Cardiff, UK, bBradford University, Bradford, UK, cUniversity of South

Wales, Pontypridd, UK The National Electronic Claim and Audit Form data was used to generate a profile of the Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) Service in Wales. Almost three quarters of community pharmacies have participated, with high variation in the number of DMRs completed per pharmacy: 5% have completed >100 DMRs whilst 36% have completed between 1 and 9. The overall discrepancy rate was 1.3 per DMR. Further work is required to identify the reasons for the variation in service and uptake by pharmacies and pharmacists. The Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) Service aims to improve the management of medicines by reconciling a patient’s medicines following discharge Bortezomib order of the patient from a care setting and supporting patient adherence. For a pharmacy to make a claim for a completed DMR, information from the DMR forms are inputted into the National Electronic Claim and Audit Form (NECAF), for example

number of medicines on the patient’s discharge information from the care setting and first prescription by the General Practitioner (GP) and the number and nature of discrepancies between the two. The study’s objective was to generate a

profile of the DMR service by analysing the NECAF data. The NECAF database containing all claims from October 2011 until the end of December 2013 was obtained and analysed using Microsoft Access® and Excel®. The analysis was verified by NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. Numbers of completed DMRs and of pharmacies and pharmacists engaged with the service were calculated Janus kinase (JAK) and the number, type and range of discrepancies were identified. Data were analysed by community pharmacy ownership type: independents, small chain (2–4), medium sized multiple (5–25) and large sized multiple (>25) chains and supermarkets. A total of 14, 649 DMRs had been completed and payment claimed. Seventy percent (n = 520) of community pharmacies claimed payment for one DMR, whilst 224 (30%) had not claimed payment for any DMRs. Of the latter group, 70 had not claimed for either a DMR or Medicines Use Review (MUR) during the 27 month period. Among the pharmacies that had provided at least one DMR, the range varied considerably (5% had completed >100 DMRs and 36% had completed between 1 and 9 DMRs). Engagement with the scheme varied by pharmacy ownership type. Large multiples completed 56% of all DMRs, followed by the independents (31%). Supermarket pharmacies had the lowest rate of DMR per pharmacy store.

Final report; Royal Pharmaceutical Society; 2012 2 Horne, R, H

Final report; Royal Pharmaceutical Society; 2012. 2. Horne, R., Hankins, M. and Jenkins, R; The Satisfaction GSI-IX cost with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS): a new measurement tool for audit and research; Quality in Health Care;2001; 10; 135–140. K. Hodsona, M. Smitha, A. Blenkinsoppb, L. Hughesa, D. Jamesa, D. Cohenc, P. Daviesc, C. O’Briena, L. Turnbullc, F. Alamc, M. Longleyc aCardiff University, Cardiff, UK, bBradford University, Bradford, UK, cUniversity of South

Wales, Pontypridd, UK The National Electronic Claim and Audit Form data was used to generate a profile of the Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) Service in Wales. Almost three quarters of community pharmacies have participated, with high variation in the number of DMRs completed per pharmacy: 5% have completed >100 DMRs whilst 36% have completed between 1 and 9. The overall discrepancy rate was 1.3 per DMR. Further work is required to identify the reasons for the variation in service and uptake by pharmacies and pharmacists. The Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) Service aims to improve the management of medicines by reconciling a patient’s medicines following discharge http://www.selleckchem.com/products/Bafilomycin-A1.html of the patient from a care setting and supporting patient adherence. For a pharmacy to make a claim for a completed DMR, information from the DMR forms are inputted into the National Electronic Claim and Audit Form (NECAF), for example

number of medicines on the patient’s discharge information from the care setting and first prescription by the General Practitioner (GP) and the number and nature of discrepancies between the two. The study’s objective was to generate a

profile of the DMR service by analysing the NECAF data. The NECAF database containing all claims from October 2011 until the end of December 2013 was obtained and analysed using Microsoft Access® and Excel®. The analysis was verified by NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. Numbers of completed DMRs and of pharmacies and pharmacists engaged with the service were calculated Immune system and the number, type and range of discrepancies were identified. Data were analysed by community pharmacy ownership type: independents, small chain (2–4), medium sized multiple (5–25) and large sized multiple (>25) chains and supermarkets. A total of 14, 649 DMRs had been completed and payment claimed. Seventy percent (n = 520) of community pharmacies claimed payment for one DMR, whilst 224 (30%) had not claimed payment for any DMRs. Of the latter group, 70 had not claimed for either a DMR or Medicines Use Review (MUR) during the 27 month period. Among the pharmacies that had provided at least one DMR, the range varied considerably (5% had completed >100 DMRs and 36% had completed between 1 and 9 DMRs). Engagement with the scheme varied by pharmacy ownership type. Large multiples completed 56% of all DMRs, followed by the independents (31%). Supermarket pharmacies had the lowest rate of DMR per pharmacy store.

Appendix S1 Coefficients of the final model Please note: Wiley-

Appendix S1. Coefficients of the final model. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material)

should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“The aim of the study was to reconstruct the HIV epidemic in Australia for selected populations categorized by exposure route; namely, transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM), transmission among injecting drug check details users (IDUs), and transmission among heterosexual men and women in Australia. Statistical back-projection techniques were extended to reconstruct the historical HIV infection curve using surveillance data. We developed and used a novel modified back-projection modelling technique that makes maximal use of all available surveillance data sources in Australia, namely, (1) newly diagnosed HIV infections, 5-Fluoracil (2) newly acquired HIV infections and (3) AIDS diagnoses. The analyses suggest a peak

HIV incidence in Australian MSM of ∼2000 new infections per year in the late 1980s, followed by a rapid decline to a low of <500 in the early 1990s. We estimate that, by 2007, cumulatively ∼20  000 MSM were infected with HIV, of whom 13% were not diagnosed with HIV infection. Similarly, a total of ∼1050 and ∼2600 individuals were infected through sharing needles and heterosexual contact, respectively, and in 12% and 23% of these individuals, respectively, the infection remained undetected. Male homosexual contact accounts for the majority of new HIV infections in Australia. However, the transmission route distribution of new HIV infections has changed over time. The number of HIV infections is increasing substantially among MSM, increasing moderately in those infected via heterosexual exposure, and decreasing in IDUs. Estimates of

past and current HIV and AIDS incidences and prevalences are important for effective public health prevention strategies. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia has been under surveillance since 1981 through notification of AIDS diagnoses, Astemizole and since 1985 through notification of cases of newly diagnosed HIV infection. Since 1991, further surveillance has been supplemented by national notification of HIV diagnoses with evidence of newly acquired HIV infection, defined as new HIV diagnoses with either a previous negative HIV test within 12 months, or evidence of a recent seroconversion illness. Although these data are indicative of trends in the HIV epidemic, they cannot be used directly to estimate the incidence of HIV infection. Accurate estimates of the incidence of HIV infection are required at the national and subgroup levels to determine trends in the epidemic and to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies.

Appendix S1 Coefficients of the final model Please note: Wiley-

Appendix S1. Coefficients of the final model. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material)

should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“The aim of the study was to reconstruct the HIV epidemic in Australia for selected populations categorized by exposure route; namely, transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM), transmission among injecting drug see more users (IDUs), and transmission among heterosexual men and women in Australia. Statistical back-projection techniques were extended to reconstruct the historical HIV infection curve using surveillance data. We developed and used a novel modified back-projection modelling technique that makes maximal use of all available surveillance data sources in Australia, namely, (1) newly diagnosed HIV infections, this website (2) newly acquired HIV infections and (3) AIDS diagnoses. The analyses suggest a peak

HIV incidence in Australian MSM of ∼2000 new infections per year in the late 1980s, followed by a rapid decline to a low of <500 in the early 1990s. We estimate that, by 2007, cumulatively ∼20  000 MSM were infected with HIV, of whom 13% were not diagnosed with HIV infection. Similarly, a total of ∼1050 and ∼2600 individuals were infected through sharing needles and heterosexual contact, respectively, and in 12% and 23% of these individuals, respectively, the infection remained undetected. Male homosexual contact accounts for the majority of new HIV infections in Australia. However, the transmission route distribution of new HIV infections has changed over time. The number of HIV infections is increasing substantially among MSM, increasing moderately in those infected via heterosexual exposure, and decreasing in IDUs. Estimates of

past and current HIV and AIDS incidences and prevalences are important for effective public health prevention strategies. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia has been under surveillance since 1981 through notification of AIDS diagnoses, Resveratrol and since 1985 through notification of cases of newly diagnosed HIV infection. Since 1991, further surveillance has been supplemented by national notification of HIV diagnoses with evidence of newly acquired HIV infection, defined as new HIV diagnoses with either a previous negative HIV test within 12 months, or evidence of a recent seroconversion illness. Although these data are indicative of trends in the HIV epidemic, they cannot be used directly to estimate the incidence of HIV infection. Accurate estimates of the incidence of HIV infection are required at the national and subgroup levels to determine trends in the epidemic and to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies.

Appendix S1 Coefficients of the final model Please note: Wiley-

Appendix S1. Coefficients of the final model. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material)

should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“The aim of the study was to reconstruct the HIV epidemic in Australia for selected populations categorized by exposure route; namely, transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM), transmission among injecting drug HM781-36B clinical trial users (IDUs), and transmission among heterosexual men and women in Australia. Statistical back-projection techniques were extended to reconstruct the historical HIV infection curve using surveillance data. We developed and used a novel modified back-projection modelling technique that makes maximal use of all available surveillance data sources in Australia, namely, (1) newly diagnosed HIV infections, see more (2) newly acquired HIV infections and (3) AIDS diagnoses. The analyses suggest a peak

HIV incidence in Australian MSM of ∼2000 new infections per year in the late 1980s, followed by a rapid decline to a low of <500 in the early 1990s. We estimate that, by 2007, cumulatively ∼20  000 MSM were infected with HIV, of whom 13% were not diagnosed with HIV infection. Similarly, a total of ∼1050 and ∼2600 individuals were infected through sharing needles and heterosexual contact, respectively, and in 12% and 23% of these individuals, respectively, the infection remained undetected. Male homosexual contact accounts for the majority of new HIV infections in Australia. However, the transmission route distribution of new HIV infections has changed over time. The number of HIV infections is increasing substantially among MSM, increasing moderately in those infected via heterosexual exposure, and decreasing in IDUs. Estimates of

past and current HIV and AIDS incidences and prevalences are important for effective public health prevention strategies. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Australia has been under surveillance since 1981 through notification of AIDS diagnoses, Florfenicol and since 1985 through notification of cases of newly diagnosed HIV infection. Since 1991, further surveillance has been supplemented by national notification of HIV diagnoses with evidence of newly acquired HIV infection, defined as new HIV diagnoses with either a previous negative HIV test within 12 months, or evidence of a recent seroconversion illness. Although these data are indicative of trends in the HIV epidemic, they cannot be used directly to estimate the incidence of HIV infection. Accurate estimates of the incidence of HIV infection are required at the national and subgroup levels to determine trends in the epidemic and to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies.

Although these isolates appear similar to strain M1 and were also

Although these isolates appear similar to strain M1 and were also initially enriched

Selleckchem Z-VAD-FMK from gradient-culture systems, L70 and LD2 were isolated in Fe(III)-reducing, dilution series, whereas strain M1 was unable to reduce Fe(III) in the presence of either lactate or acetate. In addition, Geelhoed et al. (2009) reported that L70 and LD2 did not oxidize Fe(II) and suggest that these bacteria grew in Fe(II) gradient systems using Fe(III) hydroxide as a terminal electron acceptor. Regardless of slight differences in phylogeny and physiology, these reports support our contention that Dechlorospirillum sp., in addition to its more commonly known role as a perchlorate and nitrate reducer, can be enriched in Fe(II)-oxidizing, gradient cultures and may be an important member of microbial communities involved in iron redox cycling at oxic–anoxic transition zones in sediments. It would Neratinib be premature to suggest that this bacterium is capable of chemolithoautotrophic growth, however, because we have no evidence that strain M1 can fix

CO2 or can harness the energy from Fe(II) oxidation for growth. One can speculate about other mechanisms that could provide explanations for the observed Fe(II)-oxidation-dependent growth in gradient cultures. One such possibility involves the formation of reactive species, for example, OH•, O2−, or H2O2, during the chemical oxidation of Fe(II) by O2 (King et al., 1995). Such reactive species might lead to a partial breakdown of complex organic matter, for example agarose or dissolved organic matter, into smaller molecules that can be degraded heterotrophically or utilized mixotrophically. If such a mechanism was operative, propagation of cells at zones of abiotic Fe(II) oxidation would also be expected. Although Fe(II)-oxidation-dependent growth of strain M1 was clear in our studies, further work is therefore necessary to determine whether

the increase in the growth yield at the Fe(II)/Fe(III) interface Cobimetinib concentration was linked to microbial energy conservation from Fe(II) oxidation or resulted from other mechanisms. This research was supported by National Science Foundation Biogeosciences Program Grant 0525069 to F.W.P. and E. Roden and by grant EXB04-0017-0111 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to J.S. The authors would like to thank David Emerson and Eric Roden for useful suggestions during the initial stages of the research and Burga Braun for her assistance in rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic characterization. Fig. S1. Replicate gradient-culture vials for three different treatments after 8 days of incubation. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“In this study, we show that integration host factor protein (IHF) is required for replication of pYGK plasmids in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.

Although these isolates appear similar to strain M1 and were also

Although these isolates appear similar to strain M1 and were also initially enriched

Belnacasan from gradient-culture systems, L70 and LD2 were isolated in Fe(III)-reducing, dilution series, whereas strain M1 was unable to reduce Fe(III) in the presence of either lactate or acetate. In addition, Geelhoed et al. (2009) reported that L70 and LD2 did not oxidize Fe(II) and suggest that these bacteria grew in Fe(II) gradient systems using Fe(III) hydroxide as a terminal electron acceptor. Regardless of slight differences in phylogeny and physiology, these reports support our contention that Dechlorospirillum sp., in addition to its more commonly known role as a perchlorate and nitrate reducer, can be enriched in Fe(II)-oxidizing, gradient cultures and may be an important member of microbial communities involved in iron redox cycling at oxic–anoxic transition zones in sediments. It would selleck be premature to suggest that this bacterium is capable of chemolithoautotrophic growth, however, because we have no evidence that strain M1 can fix

CO2 or can harness the energy from Fe(II) oxidation for growth. One can speculate about other mechanisms that could provide explanations for the observed Fe(II)-oxidation-dependent growth in gradient cultures. One such possibility involves the formation of reactive species, for example, OH•, O2−, or H2O2, during the chemical oxidation of Fe(II) by O2 (King et al., 1995). Such reactive species might lead to a partial breakdown of complex organic matter, for example agarose or dissolved organic matter, into smaller molecules that can be degraded heterotrophically or utilized mixotrophically. If such a mechanism was operative, propagation of cells at zones of abiotic Fe(II) oxidation would also be expected. Although Fe(II)-oxidation-dependent growth of strain M1 was clear in our studies, further work is therefore necessary to determine whether

the increase in the growth yield at the Fe(II)/Fe(III) interface PIK3C2G was linked to microbial energy conservation from Fe(II) oxidation or resulted from other mechanisms. This research was supported by National Science Foundation Biogeosciences Program Grant 0525069 to F.W.P. and E. Roden and by grant EXB04-0017-0111 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to J.S. The authors would like to thank David Emerson and Eric Roden for useful suggestions during the initial stages of the research and Burga Braun for her assistance in rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic characterization. Fig. S1. Replicate gradient-culture vials for three different treatments after 8 days of incubation. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“In this study, we show that integration host factor protein (IHF) is required for replication of pYGK plasmids in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.

3 Hz; low pass, 100 Hz), and sampled at 200 Hz To filter out the

3 Hz; low pass, 100 Hz), and sampled at 200 Hz. To filter out the low-frequency artefacts, EEG signals were digitally processed through a high-pass filter (1.0 Hz) with spike2 software (version 5.11; Cambridge Electronic Devices, Cambridge, UK). EEG recordings were manually scored in 4-s epochs for wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep, which were distinguished

as follows: wakefulness – low-amplitude desynchronized EEG activity and high-amplitude EMG activity; non-rapid eye movement sleep – high-amplitude δ-wave (1–4 Hz) EEG activity and low-amplitude or absent EMG activity; and rapid eye movement sleep – regular θ-wave (5–9 Hz) EEG activity and decreased or absent EMG activity. Dabrafenib order We calculated EEG power spectra by using fast Fourier transformation Torin 1 solubility dmso (FFT) with the following parameters: frequency range, 1–50 Hz; FFT block size 256; Hanning window resolution, 0.5 Hz. Two or three days after the start of EEG/EMG recording, a microdialysis probe (CMA 7, 1-mm membrane; CMA/Microdialysis) was implanted in the posterior hypothalamus. The stereotaxic coordinates of the probe tip (relative to bregma) were: anterior, −2.14 to −3.07; lateral, +0.5; and vertical, −5.4 (Paxinos & Franklin, 2004). The probe was connected

to a sample collection system, and continuous perfusion (1 μL/min) with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (147 mm NaCl, 3 mm KCl, 1.2 mm CaCl2, 1 mm MgCl2) was then started. Sample collection was started 1 day after probe implantation, with 30-min intervals, for five consecutive days. After the experiment, the mice were killed

by decapitation, and the brains were removed and sectioned with a cryostat in the coronal plane according to the stereotaxic atlas (Paxinos & Franklin, 2004) to verify the probe position. The probe location was selected for several methodological and anatomical reasons. The TMN sends projections to all brain areas without Elongation factor 2 kinase anatomically distinct subgroups (Ericson et al., 1987), and this region of the posterior hypothalamus contains a very dense network of histaminergic fibres. Histamine recovery in vitro with the CMA 7-1 probe from the standard solutions was 10–12% (data not shown), which motivated the use of a terminal-rich area for study of long-term release. Therefore, to enable reliable and reproducible detection of histamine with our experimental setup, the TMN region with the adjacent supramamillary region was chosen as the preferential site for the microdialysis. Each cage was equipped with a CAMZWMBLAH2N video camera (Velleman, Gavere, Belgium) combined with an infrared light source. The video stream was captured and recorded continuously with GeoVision surveillance software (GeoVision, Taiwan) from 5 days before surgery until the end of the experiment. The recorded video data were converted and prepared for tracking with virtualdub 1.9.2 (www.virtualdub.

Pharmacists were asked to document their opinions regarding the p

Pharmacists were asked to document their opinions regarding the pharmacist’s role in medical emergencies and to respond to statements associated with two hypothetical medical emergency situations: an anaphylaxis and an asthma attack. Key findings  Forty-five pharmacists responded to the survey (29.8%). In response to a hypothetical situation involving an asthma attack, 41 pharmacists (91.1%) agreed that they would assist the asthmatic person to administer salbutamol through a spacer, click here with 28 pharmacists (62.2%) confident in treating an asthma attack in the pharmacy. In comparison, only 21 pharmacists (21/38; 55.3%) agreed to administer an adrenaline auto-injector (Epi-Pen) for a child experiencing an anaphylaxis,

with nine respondents (9/38; 23.7%) indicating BAY 73-4506 mouse that they would ask the mother for directions in

a situation where they were unsure how to administer it. There were comments questioning whether indemnity insurance covers pharmacists for medicine administration, and 12 pharmacists (12/38; 31.6%) indicated that if they were unsure about insurance cover they would ask the mother to administer the adrenaline. Conclusion  Pharmacists’ responses to administering medications in hypothetical medical emergencies were variable. The cause of this variation is multi-factorial and likely to include familiarity with the medication, its safety profile and uncertainty about the pharmacist’s role and responsibilities in these situations. Further clarification, training and guidelines are needed in order to address this. “
“Many products claiming to promote weight loss are Farnesyltransferase freely available to purchase

over the counter and are used by a substantial proportion of the population in many countries, who are often seeking rapid weight loss without long-term lifestyle changes. While there are multiple outlets for these products, surveys in England and Australia have found that at least 70% of community pharmacies stock these products and they are also available through internet pharmacies. Since the products are formulated as tablets and capsules, consumers may regard them as medicines, particularly when sold from a pharmacy. Manufacturers often make extravagant claims for their products, suggesting they suppress appetite, increase metabolism, block absorption of fat or carbohydrates and/or bring about diuresis, but there is little robust evidence of efficacy. Most products contain a variety of herbal ingredients and are not without adverse effects. Since very few of the hundreds of products sold in pharmacies are licensed medicines, they are not subject to the controls required for over-the-counter medicines, in terms of efficacy, safety, quality or provision of a standardised patient information leaflet. Pharmacists themselves perceive these products to be unsafe, but have little knowledge about them, other than that supplied by manufacturers.

Pharmacists were asked to document their opinions regarding the p

Pharmacists were asked to document their opinions regarding the pharmacist’s role in medical emergencies and to respond to statements associated with two hypothetical medical emergency situations: an anaphylaxis and an asthma attack. Key findings  Forty-five pharmacists responded to the survey (29.8%). In response to a hypothetical situation involving an asthma attack, 41 pharmacists (91.1%) agreed that they would assist the asthmatic person to administer salbutamol through a spacer, www.selleckchem.com/products/GDC-0980-RG7422.html with 28 pharmacists (62.2%) confident in treating an asthma attack in the pharmacy. In comparison, only 21 pharmacists (21/38; 55.3%) agreed to administer an adrenaline auto-injector (Epi-Pen) for a child experiencing an anaphylaxis,

with nine respondents (9/38; 23.7%) indicating learn more that they would ask the mother for directions in

a situation where they were unsure how to administer it. There were comments questioning whether indemnity insurance covers pharmacists for medicine administration, and 12 pharmacists (12/38; 31.6%) indicated that if they were unsure about insurance cover they would ask the mother to administer the adrenaline. Conclusion  Pharmacists’ responses to administering medications in hypothetical medical emergencies were variable. The cause of this variation is multi-factorial and likely to include familiarity with the medication, its safety profile and uncertainty about the pharmacist’s role and responsibilities in these situations. Further clarification, training and guidelines are needed in order to address this. “
“Many products claiming to promote weight loss are Lck freely available to purchase

over the counter and are used by a substantial proportion of the population in many countries, who are often seeking rapid weight loss without long-term lifestyle changes. While there are multiple outlets for these products, surveys in England and Australia have found that at least 70% of community pharmacies stock these products and they are also available through internet pharmacies. Since the products are formulated as tablets and capsules, consumers may regard them as medicines, particularly when sold from a pharmacy. Manufacturers often make extravagant claims for their products, suggesting they suppress appetite, increase metabolism, block absorption of fat or carbohydrates and/or bring about diuresis, but there is little robust evidence of efficacy. Most products contain a variety of herbal ingredients and are not without adverse effects. Since very few of the hundreds of products sold in pharmacies are licensed medicines, they are not subject to the controls required for over-the-counter medicines, in terms of efficacy, safety, quality or provision of a standardised patient information leaflet. Pharmacists themselves perceive these products to be unsafe, but have little knowledge about them, other than that supplied by manufacturers.