E-cigarettes to be classed as ‘medicines’ in bid to tighten regulation – The Guardian

Posted June 12th, 2013 in licensing, medicines, news, smoking by sally

“Electronic cigarettes are to be classed as ‘medicines’ under new proposals to tighten up the regulation of nicotine-containing products.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Woman loses baby after acne drug wrongly prescribed – BBC News

Posted June 11th, 2013 in damages, medicines, negligence, news, pregnancy by tracey

“A hospital has paid an undisclosed amount after a pregnant woman was given acne drugs that caused her unborn baby severe abnormalities.”

Full story

BBC News, 11th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Paranoid woman begs court to let her abort baby she gave up pills to protect – The Independent

Posted May 21st, 2013 in abortion, medicines, mental health, news by sally

“A pregnant woman suffering from ‘severe’ mental health problems has made an impassioned plea to a High Court judge, asking that she be granted an abortion.”

Full story

The Independent, 20th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

To fight or not to fight: pharmaceutical patent settlements – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers

Posted May 3rd, 2013 in agreements, competition, medicines, news, patents by tracey

“On 19 April 2013, the OFT announced that it had issued a Statement of Objections following its investigation into patent litigation settlement agreements (PLSAs) in the pharmaceutical sector.”

Full story

Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 3rd May 2013

Source: www.competitionbulletin.com

Man gave wife overdose to have ‘peace and quiet’ – The Guardian

Posted February 1st, 2013 in carers, drug offences, married persons, medicines, news, sentencing by tracey

“A man who acted as full-time carer to his wife for the five years of their marriage has been jailed for administering an overdose of prescription drugs to her to give himself a day of respite.”

Full story

The Guardian, 31st January 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law of Possession is it really under control? – One Inner Temple Lane

Posted September 17th, 2012 in firearms, medicines, news by sally

“Being in possession of a prohibited firearm is a serious issue as is being in possession of a prohibited article, whether it be a weapon or a drug. The law has quite rightly been very strict regarding this area of law, and the leading authorities have always sought to restrict the defences.”

Full story

One Inner Temple Lane, 3rd September 2012

Source: www.1itl.com

NHS trusts ‘breaking the law’ by denying access to treatment – The Guardian

Posted August 6th, 2012 in budgets, doctors, hospitals, medical treatment, medicines, news, whistleblowers by sally

“The head of the government’s drugs rationing body has claimed that a number of NHS trusts are ‘breaking the law’ by denying patients access to approved treatments and drugs to save money.”

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd August 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Drug driving law will hit medicine users – The Independent

Posted July 30th, 2012 in drug abuse, medicines, news, road traffic offences by sally

“Motorists using prescribed painkillers such as morphine and codeine could be charged with ‘drug driving’ under a new law designed to keep dangerous hard drug users off British roads, doctors and campaigners have warned.”

Full story

The Independent, 29th July 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Botox prescriptions over phone or internet to be banned – BBC News

Posted July 10th, 2012 in cosmetic surgery, doctors, medical treatment, medicines, news, nurses by sally

“Doctors will be banned from prescribing anti-ageing drugs like Botox on the phone or internet if they have not seen their patients face to face, the BBC has learned.”

Full story

BBC News, 9th July 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Doctors could be struck off for refusing to give unmarried women contraceptives – Daily Telegraph

“Doctors who refuse to give contraceptives to unmarried women or carry out sex change operations face being struck off under new guidelines.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 23rd May 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Pharmaceutical firm wins battle for compensation following the lifting of injunction – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 10th, 2012 in compensation, medicines, news, patents by sally

“A pharmaceutical company has won its battle for compensation despite the fact that it was seeking to sell medicine in the UK that was manufactured in breach of Canadian patent law.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 10th May 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Curbs planned on motorists who abuse prescription drugs – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 10th, 2012 in drug abuse, medicines, news, road traffic offences, sentencing by sally

“Motorists who get behind the wheel while impaired by prescribed drugs will face prosecution under new laws to be unveiled by ministers next month.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 10th April 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Gedeon Richter plc v Bayer Schering Pharma AG – WLR Daily

Posted March 12th, 2012 in law reports, medicines, patents by sally

Gedeon Richter plc v Bayer Schering Pharma AG [2012] EWCA Civ 235; [2012] WLR (D) 66

“On an application for the revocation of a registered patent on the ground of obviousness it was sufficient for the judge hearing the case to take an objective view whether a skilled formulator would take the trouble to obtain copies of papers published by inventors or review their contents to ascertain whether the patent in question related to an invention which was novel. The judge was not obliged to consider what view a notional team that included a medicinal chemist, pharmacologists and biochemists would take as to the issue of obviousness or whether something would have been ‘obvious to try’.”

WLR Daily, 7th March 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Drug guidelines suggest lighter sentences for ‘social dealers’ – The Guardian

Posted January 24th, 2012 in drug offences, drug trafficking, medicines, news, sentencing by sally

“Recreational drug users who naively buy small quantities to share with their friends could avoid jail under sentencing guidelines for drug offences published on Tuesday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th January 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government will propose patent law changes to avoid infringements during pharma testing – OUT-LAW.com

Posted December 5th, 2011 in medicines, news, patents by sally

“The Government is likely to change patent laws because some pharmaceutical companies are at risk of breaking patent law when carrying out clinical testing, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has said.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 5th December 2011

Source: www.out-law.com

Nurse held over hospital deaths is cleared to work despite drug theft – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 15th, 2011 in criminal damage, disciplinary procedures, medicines, news, nurses, theft by tracey

“A nurse who was accused of tampering with saline at a hospital can return to work despite admitting stealing opiate-based drugs, a regulatory body ruled yesterday.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th September 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Fake Viagra importer from Northampton jailed – BBC News

Posted September 12th, 2011 in counterfeiting, customs and excise, medicines, news by tracey

“An importer of fake Viagra pills into Britain from India and China has been jailed for a year. Victor Cheke, 42, from Northampton, pleaded guilty in July to possessing counterfeit medicinal products to sell and importing fake, unlicensed drugs.”

Full story

BBC News, 9th September 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH v Merckle GmbH – WLR Daily

Posted May 17th, 2011 in advertising, consumer protection, EC law, internet, law reports, medicines by sally

MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH v Merckle GmbH (Case C-316/09); [2011] WLR (D) 159

“The dissemination on a website by a pharmaceutical undertaking of information relating to medicinal products available on medical prescription only, which consisted in the reproduction of the packaging, and in the literal and complete reproduction of the package leaflet or summary of the product’s characteristics, was not contrary to article 88(1)(a) of Parliament and Council Directive 2001/83/EC, as amended, prohibiting advertising to the general public of medicinal products available on medical prescription only. The dissemination of such information which had been rewritten by the manufacturer and which could only be explained by an advertising purpose was prohibited.”

WLR Daily, 5th May 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Please note that once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Teenager uses Human Rights Act to sue health authority over vital growth drugs – The Guardian

Posted April 4th, 2011 in human rights, judicial review, medicines, news by sally

“A 15-year-old boy who suffers from a rare medical condition that means he cannot eat protein is to make legal history by becoming the first child to sue his local health authority under the Human Rights Act.”

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Herbal medicine to be regulated, says Andrew Lansley – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 17th, 2011 in complementary medicine, medicines, news by sally

“The EU directive, due to take full effect in April, makes it illegal for practitioners to supply unlicensed herbal medicines. But Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, said in a written ministerial statement that they would be allowed to continue if they registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 16th February 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk