A round-up of today's health news stories in brief
Swine flu jab programme extended to all
FROM THIS week, the swine flu vaccine will be available to all. The HSE is advising anyone who has not yet been vaccinated, including those in the “target groups” who have yet to be vaccinated, to come to a HSE clinic before March 31st.
The HSE will offer vaccines to large companies and organisations to give to staff through occupational health facilities. GPs with remaining stocks may also offer to vaccinate their patients. To date, 800,000 people have been vaccinated.
New medical title out
A NEW fortnightly medical publication will launch its first issue on Thursday.
The first edition of the Medical Independent will be sent to the Republic’s 5,500 doctors free of charge and will feature news, professional developments covering ethical and legal issues, and a lifestyle section.
Green Cross Publishing, which already publishes a couple of medical titles, has hired six people to work on the new publication, including four journalists.
Joint publisher with Graham Cooke, Maura Henderson said: “We saw a gap for a third medical newspaper, in spite of the current economic cycle. We had worked on Medicine Weekly and we wanted to get back into publishing for doctors.”
Weight-loss drug pulled over heart risk
PATIENTS WHO were prescribed the weight-loss drug Reductil, which has been withdrawn from the Irish market, have been advised to stop using it immediately and return unused stocks to their pharmacists, writes Paul Cullen.
Reductil and other drugs containing sibutramine are no longer authorised for use here after medical trials linked them to an increased risk of heart attack or strokes in patients with cardiovascular disease.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says its decision also applies to patients without a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease because obesity is a risk factor for the disease.
In announcing that Ireland would follow the recommendation of the EMA, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) also noted that the weight loss achieved with Reductil was in any case no more than “modest”.
Dr Joan Gilvarry, IMB director of safety monitoring, said patients currently taking Reductil should stop immediately and consult their doctor for advice on alternative weight-loss measures.
Preliminary data from the trial, known as Scout, showed 11.4 per cent of patients who took the drug died or had a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest compared with 10 per cent for patients who took a placebo.
Abbott Laboratories, which manufactures the drug, continues to sell it outside of Europe.
Smokers to be halved in UK
THE BRITISH government says it will halve the number of smokers from 21 per cent to 10 per cent of the population by 2020.
Measures being considered include removing branding from packets and banning cigarette vending machines.