11 December 2008 - As the value of the UK slimming supplement market tops £55 million (1), research from MarkMonitor – the global leader in enterprise brand protection – demonstrates the extent to which prescription slimming pills and illegal diet drugs can be bought online without a prescription and the potential consequences to the lives of Britain’s young women – and increasingly, men.

The risks faced by users of these medications can include palpitations, miscarriage, kidney failure, heart attack, psychotic episodes and even death which is why it was so important that this type of medication should only be taken under prescription.

The illicit supply of appetite suppressants is helping to fuel a slimming obsession and those seeking a quick fix to weight problems – even slim women in pursuit of a ‘size 0’ figure – are turning to drugs available online that are either illegal in the UK without a prescription, or in some cases not intended for human consumption, therefore potentially putting their bodies and even their lives at risk.

Leading UK healthcare experts recognised for potentially revolutionary innovations to transform patient care in the next decade and beyond

Thursday 4 December 2008. (London). Despite the credit crunch, leading doctors and scientists proved that healthcare innovation is alive and well in the UK, as the Medical Futures Innovation Awards were presented to innovators for a breathtaking showcase of potentially revolutionary innovations that could transform patient healthcare in the next decade and beyond.

The awards ceremony took place on the grounds of Honorary Artillery Company in central London, in front of a distinguished audience of 800 top business leaders, medical and scientific experts, and policy makers.

Partnership extends PRA bioanalytical services in North America

2 December 2008, Raleigh, N.C. — PRA International, a leading Clinical Research Organization (CRO), announced today a collaborative agreement with Frontage Laboratories Inc. This partnership enables PRA Early Development Services’ US Clinical Pharmacology Center (PRA EDS US CPC) to now offer a full complement of analytical lab testing services to its existing Phase I – IV clinical trial services in North America. 

PRA’s state-of-the-art, 80-bed Lenexa clinical facility near Kansas City, Missouri, runs a multitude of Phase I and Phase IIa studies each year, with a particular focus on first in human studies and other complex PK studies. By meaningfully broadening its bioanalytical service portfolio, PRA now offers Pharma and Biotech sponsors and other CROs the ability to align the clinical and laboratory processes, thus saving time by avoiding unnecessary clinical trial delays. It already operates a comparable full-service offering in Europe.

Dentist Network, a niche social network dedicated to the dental profession has been launched this month. The site provides related content for dental practitioners, and users are encouraged to interact by providing and uploading their own video and picture content, along with polls, blogs and forums.

Dentist Network (http://www.dentist-networks.com) has begun positively with keen interest from dentistry students using the site as a resource to study and learn from fully trained professionals. Added success has been established with a partnership between Dentist Network and the International Association of Dental Students; giving IADS members the chance to network over their common profession.