13 December 2007

Osteporosis-Linked Medicines Use Review Initiative Offers Encouraging Findings On The Provision Of Healthcare Services In Community Pharmacy

Following its launch in June 2007, UniChem Professional Services and Servier Laboratories have presented findings from a recently concluded pharmacy training initiative, which was conducted with 23 pharmacies across two PCT areas, to assess the impact that education can have on community pharmacists involved in managing patients with osteoporosis.

The initiative was funded by Servier Laboratories and developed in close partnership with UniChem Professional Services. It facilitated and supported the provision of osteoporosis-linked Medicine Use Reviews conducted during the six-month period. It provided the pre-selected pharmacies across Dorset PCT and Bournemouth and Poole PCT, with weekly updates, relevant advice and one-to-one mentoring to help pharmacists to manage their osteoporosis-linked MUR targets.

The project commenced in June with two training events co-ordinated by UniChem Professional Services and Servier, and a target was set for the pharmacies involved in the project to conduct a total of 200 osteoporosis-linked MURs across the two PCT areas within the six-month period. At the conclusion of the project, UniChem Professional Services and Servier were pleased to report that this challenging target had been achieved within the agreed timeframe, with some pharmacies in particular demonstrating a fantastic level of engagement in the initiative and exceeding their individual targets set.

Richard Balcon, NHS Services Manager, UniChem Professional Services, comments: “When it comes to MURs, it’s clear that there are still issues for some community pharmacists and the target we set on a very specific condition-related MUR was a challenge. However we have been delighted by the efforts employed by a number of the pharmacies involved in the project, who have taken a variety of steps to incentivise and encourage their teams to engage in the process and meet the MUR targets set for them.”

Chief Executive Officer of Servier, Dr Frédéric Girard, commented: “Servier is delighted to be involved in this scheme and is pleased with the success of the project so far, which is educating and assisting healthcare professionals in the successful management of osteoporosis. Servier is committed to patient care and work with healthcare professionals through educational projects such as this to enhance and reward professional development, ultimately for the benefit of the patient.”

Julia Booth, Lead Pharmacist at Dorset PCT comments: “The feedback received from pharmacists involved in the osteoporosis MUR initiative has been very positive. Training on a specific therapeutic area has given the pharmacists confidence recruiting patients for MURs. However it is important to remember that an MUR is a holistic review and the emphasis must be placed equally on all medicines that the patient is taking. There is still a lot of work to be done in terms of working more collaboratively with GPs on MURs.”

For more information please contact:
Sanam Conway, Communications Executive: 0208 974 4045
Kellie Reed, Medical & Corporate Affairs Department, Servier Laboratories: 01753 666407