Drugs

Contribuições da ergonomia cultural para a representação gráfica em advertências de medicamentos

by Charles Leite

Dissertation master's degree defended at the Graduate Program in Design at the Federal University of Pernambuco in August 2008.

Esta pesquisa trata do design das bulas de medicamentos, evidenciando os problemas decorrentes da inexistência de... more Esta pesquisa trata do design das bulas de medicamentos, evidenciando os problemas decorrentes da inexistência de normalização brasileira para promover o uso da representação gráfica de advertências nesses textos instrucionais. Aborda estudos relacionados à efetividade e eficiência de sistemas de informação, destacando as abordagens da semiótica e da ergonomia cultural e informacional. Utiliza como método a análise do contexto, com um estudo analítico sobre advertências selecionadas de trinta bulas de fármacos, seguido de entrevista conduzida com os gestores públicos envolvidos na regulação das empresas farmacêuticas e de dois experimentos com usuários realizados na cidade de Recife, em Pernambuco: um visando identificar como eles interagem com as bulas e outro testando a sua compreensão acerca de ilustrações padronizadas nos Estados Unidos e na África do Sul. Os resultados mostram a necessidade de reformulações na apresentação e representação gráficas das bulas, potencializando-lhes o papel comunicacional, para garantir o consumo de medicamento com segurança por seus usuários. A conclusão reúne parâmetros e recomendações para a representação gráfica das advertências em bulas de medicamentos no Brasil.

High potency is fastest growing segment

by Amrit Karmarkar

Ingredients South Asia
5 (15) 2012

High potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) is fastest growing segment of pharmaceutical industry. Many... more High potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) is fastest growing segment of pharmaceutical industry. Many new companies are entering into this market segment. HPAPIs require different regulations, handling, containment as well as manufacturing facilities. Apart from that plant design and machineries required are also of different types than that of conventional manufacturing of dosage forms. This review focuses on HPAPIs current market, classifications, regulatory aspects, manufacturing and handling issues.

'Getting mad wi'it': risk-seeking by young women'

by Susan Batchelor

in K. Hannah-Moffat and P. O’Malley (eds) Gendered Risks, pp. 205–28. London: Glasshouse Press.

This chapter draws upon data from a recent Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded project exploring young... more This chapter draws upon data from a recent Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded project exploring young women’s violent behaviour. Challenging conceptions of risk that focus solely on women’s risk avoidance, the data point to the positive contribution risk-seeking behaviour can have in terms of young women’s sense of self and self-efficacy. As Lyng’s (1990) notion of ‘edgework’ acknowledges, voluntary risk taking can be used to achieve a semblance of control in a life that is experienced as out of control. However, an important criticism of early versions of this work is that it yielded conceptual models rooted in the experience of men (Miller 1991) and thereby failed to recognise the gendered nature of the edgework experience (Lois 2001). Through the use of direct quotations, the chapter will show that while young women are initially drawn to risk-seeking behaviour as a result of the shared adrenaline ‘rush’ or ‘buzz’ they experience, as their ‘risk pathways’ progress they increasingly come to rely on edgework as a means to block out powerful emotions. The data also show that, unlike men, who tend to retrospectively redefine their edgework experiences as an expression of exhilaration and omnipotence (Lyng 1990), young women are more likely to look upon their behaviour as irrational and therefore feel guilty about what they have done.

Drugs from letters OTC (over the counter) and dermatological treatment of soldiers

by Piotr Brzezinski

Brzeziński Piotr

Lekarz Wojskowy. 2009; 87:302

The politics of place(ment): problematising the provision of hepatitis C treatment within opiate substitution clinics

by Jamee Newland

Authors: Rance, J., Newland, J., Hopwood, M., & Treloar, C.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic is a significant public health challenge in Australia. Current initiatives to... more The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic is a significant public health challenge in Australia. Current initiatives to expand access to HCV treatment focus on opiate substitution therapy (OST) settings where the prevalence of hepatitis C among clients is high. In Australia, the provision of OST for many clients is via large clinics, with an estimated median of 150 clients per service. Conceptually informed by the work of Michel Foucault, our analysis of the proposed integrated treatment model focuses on the critical but overlooked question of organisational culture and power operating within OST. We argue that the specific context of OST not merely reflects but actively participates in the political economy of social exclusion via which the socio-spatial segregation and stigmatisation of the service user as ‘drug user’ is enacted. This paper analyses data collected from two samples during 2008/9: OST clients living in New South Wales, Australia and a range of OST health professionals working in Australian settings. In total, 27 interviews were conducted with current OST clients; 19 by phone and 8 face-to-face. One focus group and 16 telephone interviews were conducted with OST health professionals. Our analysis of key themes emerging from the interview data suggests that the successful introduction of HCV treatment within the OST clinic is not a given. We are concerned that particular areas of tension, if not explicit contradiction, have been overlooked in current research and debates informing the proposed combination treatment model. We question the appropriateness of co-locating a notoriously arduous, exacting treatment (HCV) within the highly surveillant and regulatory environment of OST. While applauding the intention to improve access to HCV care and treatment for people who inject drugs we caution against a treatment model that risks further entrenching (socio-spatial) stigmatisation amongst those already experiencing significant marginalisation.

Drug Control, Human Rights, and the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health: A Reply to Saul Takahashi

by Simon Flacks

Good & Bad Medicine

by Peter Linenthal

A working draft of a paper describing the problems and potentials of the drug ephedra, both today and thousands of... more A working draft of a paper describing the problems and potentials of the drug ephedra, both today and thousands of years ago.

I look forward to your comments to help me improve this paper.

Altered States: An inquiry into the possible use of narcotics or alcohol to induce dreams in Pharaonic Egypt

by Kasia Szpakowska

Szpakowska, K. (2003), 'Altered States: An Inquiry into the Possible use of Drugs to Induce Dreams in Ancient Egypt', in Aayko K. Eyma and Chris J. Bennet (eds.), A Delta-man in Yebu (Occasional Volume of the Egyptologists' Electronic Forum, no.1; Boca Raton: Universal Publishers), 225-37.

I have often been asked whether the Egyptians used drugs to induce dreams. This paper aims to address that question... more I have often been asked whether the Egyptians used drugs to induce dreams. This paper aims to address that question primarily as it relates to dream reports recorded prior to Egypt’s Late Period. As I have noted elsewhere, the nature of references to dream reports changed substantially after that time, and deserve to be investigated separately. The current enquiry will explore the mystical nature of drunkenness, the relationship of the goddess Hathor to ecstatic dreams, and the known dream experiences. The first step in this inquiry is to consider what drugs could have been known and used during that time for other than medicinal purposes.

Alcohol and drugs as health-related behaviours

by Richard Hammersley

This is discussion paper for the ESRC's review of research policy

Patient-Reported Adverse Drug Reactions and Drug-Drug Interactions: A Cross-Sectional Study on Malaysian HIV/AIDS Patients

by Muneer G Babar

Med Princ Pract. 2011;20(3):265-70. Epub 2011 Mar 29.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the adverse drug reactions
(ADRs) reported by patients and to identify... more Objective: This study aimed to explore the adverse drug reactions
(ADRs) reported by patients and to identify drugdrug
interactions (DDIs) among human immunodeficiency
virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients.
Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study
was conducted at the Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic,
Hospital Sungai Buloh, an HIV/AIDS referral centre. The patients
were randomly selected and were encouraged to describe
ADRs caused specifically by any of the prescribed antiretroviral
drugs (ARDs) . Sociodemographic characteristics
were recorded from the patients’ medical records. In addition
data on antiretroviral treatment (ART), DDIs and other
conventional medication were also documented. Results: A
total of 325 randomly selected HIV/AIDS patients with a
mean age of 22.94 years participated in the study. The most
frequently prescribed ARDs were lamivudine (64.6%), zidovudine
(40.6%) and efavirenz (42.5%). Commonly reported
ADRs were fatigue (54.8%), allergic reactions (41.5%),
weight loss (41.5%), dry mouth (35.1%) and memory loss
(35.1%). Female (87.8%), non-complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users (87.3%) and participants below 50
years old (81.1%) were identified as having a higher prevalence
of ADRs compared to males (79.6%), CAM users (78.7%)
and participants aged 50 years or more (77.5%). Patient age
was found to be significantly associated (p = 0.048) with the
ADRs. In addition, a total of 44 cases of DDIs belonging to
category D were also found in this study. Conclusions: This
study enabled us to identify the most common ADRs and
DDIs associated with the use of ART. Safe and effective treatment
depends on the healthcare providers’ knowledge of
the same.

Barriers to Recovery: Stigma and Discrimination

by Julian Buchanan

Presented at the 2011 New Zealand Drug Policy Symposium 'Through the Maze"

The presentation explores our understanding of, and reactions to problematic drug use. Populist punitive discourse... more The presentation explores our understanding of, and reactions to problematic drug use. Populist punitive discourse perceives physiological and psychological dependence upon drugs as key drivers that perpetuate ongoing ‘addiction’ that threatens society. instead I explore the links between the war on drugs, the social construction of 'drugs' and the social barriers faced by problem drug users.

It is featured on YouTube if you prefer to see and hear the paper:


http://youtu.be/scoqktXn52Q