BMJ  2006;333:318 (12 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7563.318

News

In brief

Patient safety chiefs go on extended leave: Sue Osborn and Susan Williams, joint chief executives of the National Patient Safety Agency for England and Wales, are taking "extended leave." The agency was criticised by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee early in July (BMJ 2006;333: 59, 8 Jul[Free Full Text]).

Miscarriage drug doubles cancer risk: Women over the age of 40 whose mothers were given diethylstilbestrol to prevent miscarriage have almost twice the risk of breast cancer that other women their age have. The drug has long been implicated in the development of rare vaginal and cervical cancers in the daughters of women who took it while pregnant (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 2006;15: 1509-14[Abstract/Free Full Text]).

Trusts' spending on different diseases varies widely: Primary care trusts in England spent a total of £7bn (10.4bn; $13.4bn) in 2004-5 on mental health services—twice as much as was spent on cancer care, a report from the health policy think tank the King's Fund shows. But the report points to "stark variations" in trusts' spending in specific disease areas, even after allowing for differences in the health needs of the local population. See www.kingsfund.org.uk/resources/briefings.

Specialists accept drug companies' gifts: A survey of Australian specialists published in the Internal Medicine Journal has found that nearly all were offered, and accepted, gifts of food and office items from drug companies. Of the 823 respondents 15% asked for gifts from drug companies (doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2006.01 151.x).

Second human case of bird flu in Thailand: The World Health Organization has confirmed Thailand's second human case in three weeks of H5N1 bird flu, in a 27 year old man in a central province. Indonesian authorities have confirmed the country's 43rd death from bird flu, making it the country hardest hit by the disease. Vietnam has had 42 deaths.

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BMJ 2006 333: 59. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]