Drug and therapeutics bulletin
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Estimates suggest that, at any one time, 12-33% of the population have back pain. About 5% of a GP's workload involves consultations for the condition, and around 32% of patients who first present with back pain consult again within 3 months. ⋯ Indeed, patients who have been off work with chronic back pain for 1-2 years are unlikely to return to any form of work in the foreseeable future, whatever treatment they receive. Here we discuss the place of non-drug management for patients with the condition.
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Widespread use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) has been a key strategy in tackling the H1N1 'swine flu' pandemic in the UK. Is the increasing disquiet about this policy justified?