UK's RPSGB report calls for better Rx safety

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has published a report calling for action on medicines safety and launched a new award which  recognizes significant achievement in improving drug safety in the UK.  The report, The Contribution of Pharmacy to Making Britain a Safer Place  to Take Medicines, calls for a five to 10 year action plan to be drawn  up by pharmacists and other key health care providers to improve  prescription drug safety.

Nick Barber, one of the report authors and an RPSGB council member,  said: "medicines can offer great benefits, saving lives and improving  patients' ability to live full and active lives." Prof Barber added that  "we need to recognize that they can also have risks. If they are not  taken correctly, their effectiveness can be hampered or they can be  potentially harmful."

Patient safety is a concern for the National Health Service, with an  estimated cost for treating preventable harm from the adverse effects of  pharmaceutical products of GBP750.0 million ($1.07 billion) per year in  England alone.