For SHPHK members' information, the president has received a letter from Pharmaceutical Service, Department of Health which clarifies the current view of the Registration Committee of the Pharmacy of Poisons Board regarding sibutramine. Pertinent quotes from the letter follow:

The Registration Committee of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board has reviewed the available data on the safety of subutramine. In view of the fact that the final results of a large study on the safety of the drug, known as the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcome Trail or SCOUT, are yet to be published, the Committee has decided that this drug should continue to be available until more data is available for a comprehensive appraisal of the safety of the drug. In reaching this decision, the Committee has also taken note that the recommendation of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency to suspend the registration of medicines containing sibutramine in the European Union is yet to be adopted by the EU, and that the Food and Drug Administration of the United States, the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia and the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore have decided to allow sibutramine to remain available.

The Committee continues to monitoring the situation and will let you know if any regulatory action will be taken.

As mentioned in my previous letter, medicines containing sibutramine should not be used in patients with a history of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias or stroke. Your members are therefore reminded to exercise extra caution when dispensing this drug to your clients.

【香港電台即時新聞】針對去年連串藥物事故，瑪麗醫院引入新配藥機器，試行在私家病房，配合確認病人身份的二維條碼系統，協助分派藥物。

香港醫院藥劑師學會認為，新系統能確保藥物衞生，亦可減低派錯藥風險。如果效果理想，可望推展至其他醫院採用。

【香港電台即時新聞】歐盟建議停止售賣減肥藥「諾美亭」，指該藥含可導致心跳加速和血壓上升的成份「西布曲明」。

香港醫院藥劑師學會教育總監崔俊明表示，「西布曲明」有助減肥，但同時有可能引致高血壓及中風，需要醫生處方。他說，若市民服藥後3個月後，體重沒有下降5%，建議停用。

崔俊明表示，市民在藥房購買含有「西布曲明」的藥物存有漏洞，因為藥房有三分一時間沒有藥劑師駐場，擔心藥房職員在沒有專業知識的情況下，將藥物出售，建議將漏洞堵塞。

The following message is brought to you courtesy of the Editorial Team for Poisoning Watch from CHP.

Dear Members of the SHPHK,

The Department of Health is delighted to inform you that the December issue of Poisoning Watch has been launched recently & is now available on-line at CHP website. The theme for this issue is Mercury Poisoning. Common ways of Mercury exposure are discussed together with advice on reducing exposure is provided.

"Poisoning Watch" is an e-bulletin produced by the Department of Health for members of the public aiming to raise the public awareness of poisoning incidents and to advise them on pre-cautionary measures. 

To access, please log on to: 

English version: http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/Vol_2_Iss_2_20091217_Eng.pdf

Chinese version: http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/Vol_2_Iss_2_20091217_Chi.pdf

We hope you would enjoy reading the newsletter and find it informative and interesting. For enquiries and comments, please send your e-mails to toxicovigilance@dh.gov.hk

Thank you for your kind attention. We wish you a Merry Christmas & Healthy Year 2010!

Warm regards,

Editorial Team
Poisoning Watch
Non-communicable Disease Division
Surveillance & Epidemiology Branch
Centre for Health Protection
Department of Health
18/F Wu Chung House
213 Queen's Road East
Wan Chai
Hong Kong SAR

The training program is an intensive, five-day course (1 February 2010 – 5 February 2010) focusing on the skills needed to effectively treat tobacco dependence. Training will be conducted by experts from Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, DH and TWGHs. The training fee for the programme is HK$15,000.

Detail: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AaWBh93rnRXTZGY5bXZ6eGNfMzhjczRtc3dmNA&hl=en

Program: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AaWBh93rnRXTZGY5bXZ6eGNfMzYzOHB0NjVkZA&hl=en

Registration Form: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AaWBh93rnRXTZGY5bXZ6eGNfMzdmcGQ3Ymtmag&hl=en

【香港電台即時新聞】政府訂購的法國製人類豬流感疫苗「 panenza 」，將於本星期運抵香港，香港醫院藥劑師學會說，疫苗是由雞蛋繁殖，藥廠的臨床數據顯示， 18 至 59 歲的接種者， 9 成 3 有抗體反應，即是注射有效。

至於 60 歲以上的長者，就有 8 成 3 以上會出現抗體反應。而 3 至 17 歲人士，則有 9 成 4 以上出現有關情況。

學會說，接種疫苗人士常見的副作用，包括頭痛、肌肉痛、心口痛或紅腫，一般 1 至 3 日後反應會消失， 6 個月至 23 個月的幼童，常見副作用則包括胃口差、發燒、心口痛及不安。

學會建議，對雞蛋、新黴素或甲醛有嚴重反應者，應避免接種這種疫苗。

EPiC is an e-news channel between the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), the Pharmaceutical Society of Hong Kong (PSHK), the Practising Pharmacists Association of Hong Kong (PPAHK) and the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong (SHPHK) to keep pharmacist members up-to-date with the latest information on communicable disease and surveillance in Hong Kong. EPiC is released every Friday, featuring the latest news, publication, and statistics on communicable diseases by the CHP.

Information from this e-mail and the CHP website may be freely redistributed as long as this is not for commercial use, and the source is acknowledged.

For any enquiry, please contact Fanny Ho, Research Officer, E-mail: epic(at)dh.gov.hk, Tel: 2125 2244, Fax: 2711 0927.

Human Swine Influenza

http://www.chp.gov.hk/view_content.asp?lang=en&info_id=16615

Press release

http://www.chp.gov.hk/media.asp?lang=en&pid=14&id=116

Publication

• Communicable Diseases Watch (Volume 6, Number 25 - Weeks 48-49)
  Last update: 10 December 2009
  http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/cdw_v6_25.pdf
• Swine and Seasonal Flu Monitor (Volume 1, Number 12 - Week 49)
  Last update: 10 December 2009
  http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/ssfm_10_12_09.pdf

Weekly Sentinel Surveillance Reports - Week 49

• General Out-patient Clinics/Private Doctors
  Last update: 10 December 2009
  http://www.chp.gov.hk/data.asp?lang=en&cat=2&dns_sumID=361&id=292&pid=44&ppid=26
• Residential Care Homes for the Elderly
  Last update: 9 December 2009
  http://www.chp.gov.hk/sentinel_centre.asp?lang=en&id=320&pid=44&ppid=26
• Child Care Centres
  Last update: 9 December 2009
  http://www.chp.gov.hk/childcentre.asp?lang=en&id=289&pid=44&ppid=26
• Chinese Medicine Practitioners
  Last update: 9 December 2009
  http://www.chp.gov.hk/sentinel_sur.asp?lang=en&id=419&pid=44&ppid=26

For more information, please visit the CHP website: http://www.chp.gov.hk/.

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will be held on 26th November, 2009 (Thur) at 6:30pm at SHP Drug Education Resources Center, 13/F Kingsfield Center, 18 Shell Street, North Point, Hong Kong.

The agenda is to adopt an amendment on criteria of Associate Membership under para.4 of the Memorandum of SHPHK to include other healthcare professionals.

Your presence at the EGM is highly appreciated. If you are unable to attend the EGM, please cast your vote by returning the proxy form to SHPHK on or before 20th November, 2009.

Thank you for your attention.

(Originally posted on 2009-10-20)

Click here to view the October 2009 edition of SHPHK Connection. (File size: 2.49Mb; The link is a Flash document and will open in a new window.)