Another first for Trimega who has become the first company to have been awarded the International Standard accreditation ISO17025 for its fatty acid ethyl ester (also know as FAEE) hair alcohol test.  As the first company to commercialise this test, this achievement is another milestone for the company who has conducted the largest amount of Hair Alcohol Testing in the world, and as a result now has a growing reference database.

A study carried out by universities have found that opiate substitution treatment (methadone) reduced the frequency of drug use.  The study is due for publishing online on the 17th July.

Drinkaware’s chief executive Chris Sorek speaks on the emergency budget (2010) which involves a 20% increase in VAT:  “Supply and price are not the only factors that influence binge drinking. Consumer’s demand for alcohol and our culture’s acceptability of drunkenness are key issues to be dealt with.

“Alcohol misuse costs the NHS in England £2.7bn per year and the financial, social, physical and emotional impact of alcohol misuse is felt by everyone in society. We need to tackle the problem head-on and through a coordinated effort.”

Four new appointments to the ACMD have been announced today by the Minister of Crime Prevention, James Brokenshire, to include:

• Dr Roger Brimblecombe, pharmacologist and a former holder of a number of senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry
• Professor Raymond Hill, neuropharmacologist and a former holder of senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry, current president of the British Pharmacological Society and a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics
• Mr Graham Parsons, Pharmacist with Special Interest (Substance Misuse), NHS Plymouth
• Dr Jason Aldiss, veterinary scientist, specialising in public health including veterinary medicines

Click here for full press release from the Home Office.

Danish researchers have carried out a study showing that women who drink during pregnancy may be damaging the future fertility of their sons.  A third of the 350 young men studied, had lower sperm levels whose mothers had drunk more than four drinks a week during pregnancy compared with teetotallers.  The researchers told a fertility conference that these men may have a harder time getting their partner pregnant.

Current advice is to avoid alcohol during pregnancy.