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Interactions of ethanol with glutethimide and phenobarbitone in man were examined by means of psychomotor tests and measurement of ethanol and glutethimide in body fluids. Blood ethanol was about 11 % higher overall when glutethimide and ethanol were given than in controls given ethanol alone, and 30% higher at 105 and 135 min. When phenobarbitone and ethanol were given there was a slight but significant reduction in blood ethanol. In the presence of ethanol there was a fall in plasma and urinary glutethimide. Changes in blood ethanol were reflected by changes in reaction time tests. Changes in plasma glutethimide were reflected by changes in tracking efficiency and finger tapping speed. These studies illustrate the need to assess drug concentrations in other interaction studies with ethanol and depressant drugs.

DR SMITH: Like most general practitioners, my parmers and I are visited by the representatives of drug firms once or twice each week. They are invariably pleasant people, and although we insist that they make an appointment it would seem a littlerudeto refuse to see them altogether. There are, however, many of them (one for every eight general practitioners), and we really don't have the knowledge to argue with them. In view of their impact on prescribing, are we sensible to continue seeing them? DR BINNS: The pharmaceutical industry thinks of promotion as the final step in the process of drug development, and believes that it is illogical to deify research but denigrate promotion.