Clamelle Chlamydia Service (POM to P) – Best OTC Pharmacy Training

Best OTC Pharmacy Training

Clear and effective training for a complex switch gave our Award for Best OTC Pharmacy Training to Actavis’ Clamelle Chlamydia Service.

A groundbreaking switch must be supported by top-class training for pharmacists and their staff. According to our Expert Judging Panel, Actavis delivered this for its Clamelle Chlamydia Service.
The company collected 47 points out of a maximum possible of 60, with two judges placing the training first and another putting it in second position. As a result, our Best OTC Pharmacy Training Award goes to Actavis’ Clamelle Chlamydia Service.
In August 2008, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency switched 500mg azithromycin tablets from prescription- only to pharmacy (POM-to-P) status for treating confirmed asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection.
Actavis introduced the P medicine under the brand name Clamelle. It is available to people aged 16 years and over who have tested positive for chlamydia and have no symptoms, as well as to their sexual partners.
The Clamelle Chlamydia Service comprises Clamelle 500mg azithromycin tablets and a private chlamydia testing service based on the Clamelle Chlamydia Test Kit. OTC bulletin understands that the UK is the first country in the world to give non-prescription status to the oral antibiotic azithromycin.
Actavis said the complexity of the service and the requirement for pharmacists to conduct a formal sexual-health consultation with the customer meant a comprehensive training programme was essential.
Working with Mediapharm, Actavis produced materials in different formats to suit various learning styles and skills, and distributed training packs to 11,500 community pharmacies, including chains such as Boots and Lloydspharmacy. Packs were delivered before the product hit the shelves.
Each pack contained pharmacist training, support-staff training, a key facts card, a patient- questionnaire pad, an NHS proforma pad, a notification-slip pad and consumer leaflets. Explaining why he gave Clamelle the maximum 10 points, David Wood said training for a highly-complex switch had been delivered clearly and effectively.
Wood was one of several judges who said the standard of entries was very high this year.

Extract taken from OTC Bulletin
Winners Supplement
March 2009