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14th January 2009
Providing prescription drugs over the counter 'will not help patients'.

Plans to provide certain prescription drugs over the counter will not help patients, who still need proper consultations, most doctors believe.

Ministers want to increase the number of medications given out by pharmacists to bolster their role and reduce GPs' workloads. Last month they announced plans of a pilot to offer the contraceptive pill without prescription. But the results of a new survey on proposals to make two common drugs available at chemists suggest that the majority of doctors are opposed to the changes. Most felt that patients still needed proper check-ups before they were given the medications, because they could misdiagnose their symptoms or because these could mask a more serious disease.

Almost six in 10, 57 per cent, said that they doubted that the changes would ease the pressure on family doctors. Most believe that patients will not benefit from the Government plans, only drugs companies. The study surveyed 251 healthcare professionals, of whom GPs made up the largest group, all readers of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB), a publication of the British Medical Journal. More than half 58.2 per cent, felt that offering an antibiotic over the counter could increase resistance to the drug.

Almost six in 10, 58 per cent, also said that there was little evidence that a cholesterol-lowering drug, simvastatin, which is now available over the counter was in a high enough dose to help patients.

Dr Ike Iheanacho, editor of DTB, said: "Doctors are confused, they do not see the clamour for these drugs to be made available over the counter coming from patients and they wonder who they will benefit. "Five years ago any drugs which were made over the counter were uncontroversial, had been used for many years and had no safety concerns."But there is now a concerted push to broaden the kind of drugs that are over the counter, and this is very worrying for doctors."

Source: Daily Telegraph. January 14th, 2009

8th December 2008
Over-the-counter Viagra bid ends

Around 35 million men have taken the anti-impotence drug Viagra globally since its launch a decade ago. The manufacturers, Pfizer, had wanted to make 50mg tablets available over-the-counter. It said the move would help those men too embarrassed to seek help from their doctor. By offering Viagra via a pharmacy, it would offer them another option and could also help prevent men buying over the internet and potentially taking fake, and even dangerous, pills.
However, Pfizer have now withdrawn the application for Viagra to be available without a prescription. Pfizer took the decision after concerns were raised by European regulators that related problems such as heart disease could be missed.

Full story: BBC News

30th June 2008
Sexually transmitted infections have doubled in under a decade in people over 45 as they are no respecters of age.

Sexually transmitted infections have doubled in under a decade in people over 45 and are now rising faster than in the young, research suggests.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) study said internet dating and erectile dysfunction drugs were partly to blame.

Men were most likely to be affected, with increases in herpes, syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts.

Full story: BBC News

30th April 2008
Title How long should intercourse last.

The authors surveyed Canadian and American sex therapists views on how long they felt it was normal for intercourse to last. They found that the average sex therapist believes that intercourse that lasts 3 to 13 minutes is normal.

Corty EW, Guardiani JM.
Canadian and American sex therapists' perceptions of normal and abnormal ejaculatory latencies: how long should intercourse last?
J Sex Med. 2008 May;5(5):1251-6.

blackwell-synergy.com

30th April 2008
Sexual problems in European adults.

A survey of 1500 Europeans aged 40-80 found that 69% of men and 56% of women reported having sexual intercourse during the past year. The most common male sexual problems, i.e. early ejaculation (20%) and erectile dysfunction (18%), were more common in the UK than in other European countries. The most common female sexual problems, i.e. a lack of sexual interest (34%) and a lack of pleasure in sex (25%), were also more common in the UK than in other European countries. Only 26% of men and 17% of women had discussed their sexual problems with a doctor.

Moreira ED, Glasser DB, Nicolosi A, Duarte FG, Gingell C; GSSAB Investigators' Group.

Sexual problems and help-seeking behaviour in adults in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
BJU Int. 2008 Apr;101(8):1005-11.

blackwell-synergy.com