Pharmacy News

Women with a history of smoking may be at particular risk of hip fracture when using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) long-term, according to a BMJ study. more →

A total of 434 pharmacy contractors requested a total of 5,623 prescription payment checks from the NHS Business Services Authority, due to possible errors caused by the computerised pricing system over the past three years. more →

Tighter controls are needed over the online advertising of prescription drugs, researchers have concluded, after finding poor safety and side effects information on a number of websites selling statins to the public. more →

Patients whose systolic blood pressure differs by 10mmHg or more between each arm are at increased risk of peripheral vascular disease and death, UK research suggests. more →

Four trustees have joined the board of the charity Pharmacist Support. more →

Hospital pharmacists wishing to refer patients for community pharmacy services can make use of a new referral form developed by NHS Employers, the PSNC and the RPS. more →

New resources to help pharmacists manage patients with persistent pain have been developed by UCL School of Pharmacy and the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association. more →

Ulipristal 5mg can control bleeding in patients with uterine fibroids, according to two studies published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. more →

Dual treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer with lapatinib plus trastuzumab improves pathological complete response compared with monotherapy with either drug, according to data published online in The Lancet. more →

Nine serious incidents have been reported with England’s pilot NHS 111 telephone service, it has emerged. more →

The MHRA has issued a Medical Device Alert because Coloplast is recalling catheter valves due to a sterility issue. These devices are normally supplied sterile. more →

Systems are needed to allow drugs to be tracked from the manufacturer all the way to the patient, to help in the battle against counterfeit medicines in the UK supply chain, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. more →

Women with a history of smoking may be at particular risk of hip fracture when using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) long-term, according to a BMJ study published online (31 January 2012). more →

Following the successful launch of the inaugural Health Education Foundation bursary in 2011, applications are now open for the 2012 bursary. more →

Teenagers in Kent can download an iPhone application that tells them where they can access free condoms and local sexual health services. more →

Amendments to the controversial Health and Social Care Bill are due to be tabled by ministers this week, in a bid to prevent another revolt by cross-party peers against the proposed NHS reforms. more →

Community pharmacies in Scotland are joining the "FAST" campaign to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of stroke. more →

Proposals for the widespread adoption of genomic technologies in the NHS were delivered to the Government last week by the Human Genomics Strategy Group. more →

The MHRA has hit out against Lancet editor Richard Horton, after he wrote two articles accusing the agency of failing to ensure the safety of medical devices. more →

Renewed calls have been made to suspend 100-hour pharmacy applications until proposed changes to market entry arrangements in England have been finalised. more →

The Government has today launched a new campaign to help people spot the warning signs of bowel cancer. more →

MPs are concerned that NHS trusts are "salami-slicing" budgets to meet Government spending targets, instead of focusing on the longer term and redesigning services to save money. more →

Large multiples are increasingly providing outpatient dispensary services to NHS hospitals, in what is becoming a growing market for private providers. more →

Cegedim Rx has released PMR system improvements to support Nexphase customers in implementing the New Medicines Service. more →

Issues surrounding prescribing for children will among the focus areas in the "Children’s and young people’s outcomes strategy", due to be unveiled later this year by the Department of Health. more →

Two colecalciferol products that are imported from Germany in substantial quantities for the treatment of vitamin D and calcium deficiencies should be given a UK licence, according to community pharmacist Ash Soni. more →

The ever-growing demand for low-cost artemisinin could be met using a new synthetic process, according to an article published in the international edition of Angewandte Chemie. more →

Butterbur products are linked with liver toxicity and should be removed from the market, the MHRA has announced. more →

The Department of Health has published 66 public health indicators that local authorities should use to assess improvements under the reformed public health service in England. more →

Serious concerns about the quality of pharmaceutical needs assessments (PNAs) have been raised in response to the Department of Health’s proposals to change the market entry test for pharmacies in England. more →

The PDA Union is seeking formal recognition as a trade union that can collectively represent members who work for Alliance Boots. more →

Gaviscon Advance Aniseed Suspension, 500ml bottles, PL 00063/0108. Batch number/ expiry: 1. 032076, Exp 01/11/2012 (1800 bottles affected), 2. 032077, Exp 01/11/2012 (2388 bottles affected). more →

Drug manufacturers are calling for the legal separation of pharmacy wholesaling and dispensing functions, to help stabilise the UK medicine supply chain. more →

Irregularities around the use of a Tesco Clubcard have led to a pharmacist being suspended from the Register for one month, by order of the fitness-to-practise committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council. more →

Cetuximab, bevacizumab and panitumumab should not be made available on the NHS in England and Wales for treating metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed after first-line chemotherapy, according to final guidance. more →

A pharmacist who touched inappropriately a female patient during a consultation has received a warning as to his conduct from the fitness-to-practise committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council. more →

A pharmacist who accepted a police caution for being in possession of cocaine has been warned by the fitness-to-practise committee of the GPhC not to allow himself to be put in such a position again. more →

Anaphylaxis remains an adverse event that occurs very rarely in children after immunisation, according to prospective surveillance carried out in the UK and Ireland. more →

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are associated with a dose-dependent increase in falls risk among elderly people with dementia, a new study concludes. more →

Free trade of medicines between EU states should be made illegal in order to protect the UK medicines supply chain, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has proposed. more →

The European Medicines Agency has launched a safety review of multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod, following the unexplained death of a patient soon after starting treatment. more →

Talks are still under way to try and resolve problems with the payment model designed for the new medicine service, the PSNC has confirmed. more →

Taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during late pregnancy doubles the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn, researchers claim. more →

Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) appear to reduce the severity of dysmenorrhoea, according to a study published online in Human Reproduction. more →

The General Pharmaceutical Council is calling for changes to the Pharmacy Order 2010, to give it more flexibility over setting the details of regulatory processes. more →

Health secretary Andrew Lansley has reiterated the Government’s commitment to end England’s medicines postcode lottery. more →

Patients with type 2 diabetes in Scotland can benefit from the availability of two more drugs within the NHS, after the latest round of decision-making by the Scottish Medicines Consortium. more →

Doubts have been cast on evidence linking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with an increased risk of breast cancer, claim the authors of a new study. more →

Proposed changes to medicines laws might not make the system "fit for purpose", the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has warned. more →

Pharmacy organisations are against plans to remove an exemption to the Medicines Act which allows pharmacies to trade small quantities of medicines without the need for a wholesale dealer’s licence. more →

A digital health product designed to monitor medicines adherence is expected to launch in September 2012. more →

Health secretary Andrew Lansley has vowed to look into an alleged incident in which a community pharmacy refused to issue a blind patient with a monitored dosage system unless the patient paid an additional fee. more →

Lapatinib is less effective than trastuzumab, and should not be used as a single anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) treatment for the neoadjuvant management of breast cancer, suggests a new study. more →

Revalidation will not involve regular, fixed-point tests aimed at rooting out poor performers, but will be designed to promote professional development and enhance performance, the GPhC has said. more →

The new clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) must be held accountable for how they are performing, but they also need "some amount of discretion" to allow for innovation, say MPs. more →

The British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (BAPW) has called on pharmacy and manufacturers to support third-party monitoring and reporting of branded medicine supplies. more →

Providing a seamless care pathway for patients who transfer from hospital to the community is the topic of new guidance. more →

Saxagliptin is among five drugs to have been accepted for use within NHS Wales in the latest round of appraisals by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group. more →

Scientists have challenged the makers of Tamiflu, Britain's first line of defence against emerging flu strains, to prove its effectiveness. more →

Pharmacy suffered a "disproportionately high" number of thefts last year, according to a new survey. more →

A man has been prosecuted after continuing to practise pharmacy while suspended from the Register, and will be brought back before the regulator’s fitness to practise committee. more →

Nilotinib has been recommended for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. more →

Asenapine, a new atypical antipsychotic for moderate to severe manic episodes associated with bipolar 1 disorder, will launch in the UK this week. more →

Addition of bevacizumab to standard therapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel improves progression-free survival for women with ovarian cancer who have high-risk disease. more →

Priorities that were outlined by the Pharmacy and Public Health Forum last October 2011 have been confirmed by the group, along with three others. more →

Evidence-based guidance to help prescribers choose antiepileptic drugs for patients with HIV/AIDS has been published by the American Academy of Neurology and the International League Against Epilepsy. more →

Dabigatran increases the risk of heart attacks and acute coronary syndrome compared with standard anticoagulant therapy or placebo, a recent study suggests. more →

Pharmacists need to develop a better understanding of basic differences between types of pain to determine right drug choice for their patients, according to Richard Langford, president of the British Pain Society. more →

Updates have been made to the guideline on the diagnosis and management of epilepsy from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. more →

Routine use of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events is not warranted, a new study has confirmed. more →

Community pharmacists would have responsibility for storing lethal drugs used in assisted suicide if the law is changed to make the practice legal in the UK, it has been recommended. more →

Two-thirds of smokers in the UK, approximately six million people, will try and quit the habit in January, but half of them will fail within a week, new research suggests. more →

Community pharmacists could be paid more for their public health role, including supporting medicines management and offering healthy lifestyle advice, according to new recommendations from the NHS Future Forum. more →

Opportunistic public health interventions are a good idea in principle, but must be carried out with care and tact so that patients are not deterred from visiting pharmacies, representatives of the profession have warned. more →

Using monitoring systems to reduce inappropriate prescribing is one of few interventions that has been shown to reduce prescription drug misuse, according to an article in The Lancet. more →

NHS trusts have been advised to check the registration status of all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians after more than 1,000 people were removed from the professional Register on 1 January 2012. more →

New drinking guidelines should be introduced in England advising people to have at least two alcohol-free days a week, MPs have recommended. more →

The UK has the fifth highest proportion of adults who smoke or are obese in a comparison of 13 developed countries across the world. more →

Unite, the parent trade union of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, has officially rejected the latest Government proposals on NHS pension reforms. more →

A third of patients fail to take prescriptions to their pharmacy following a GP visit, according to a survey published last week. more →

A four-year programme that is intended to ensure the safety of herbal medicines has been announced by the European Medicines Agency. more →

Guidelines to help prescribers choose antiepileptic drugs for patients with HIV or AIDs have been published by the American Academy of Neurology and the International League Against Epilepsy. more →

Community pharmacists in Northern Ireland have won a High Court victory over the Government in a dispute over plans to cut pharmacy funding. more →

A pharmacist who stole medicines from his employer for his personal consumption has been removed from the Register by order of the Fitness-to-Practise Committee of the GPhC. more →

The School of Pharmacy, University of London, officially merged with University College London on 1 January 2012 to become the UCL School of Pharmacy. more →

Levels of antidepressant and anti-anxiety drug prescribing in England have risen by 26 per cent since the beginning of the economic downturn, according to latest figures. more →

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has launched a new campaign called 'Hands-only CPR' in a bid to encourage more people to give the life-saving treatment. more →

Nevirapine can safely be given to infants from birth up to six months of age to protect against mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 via breastfeeding, according to a study published online in The Lancet. more →

Community pharmacist Lila Thakerar, who has run her own pharmacy in Harrow, Middlesex, for 19 years, has been awarded an MBE for services to the community in the New Year honours list for 2012. more →

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has teamed up with the British National Formulary in an agreement to produce the Medicines Formulary for the London 2012 event. more →

Patients will soon be given the chance to register with a GP practice of their choice, in a pilot which, if successful, could be rolled out across England. more →

A pharmacist convicted of false accounting and theft has had his name removed from the Register by order of the Fitness to Practise committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council. more →

A number of Controlled Drugs irregularities have led to the suspension of a pharmacist from the Register by order of the Fitness to Practise Committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council. more →

A one-month suspension from the Register has been handed by the Fitness-to-Practise Committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council to a pharmacist who drove while disqualified. more →

A pharmacist who had sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl has been erased from the Register by order of the Fitness-To-Practise committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council. more →

More NHS resources need to be shifted into community-based services, early intervention and self-care, according to Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation. more →

Patients should be given full access to their medical records within the next three years, the NHS Future Forum is to announce, according to a report in The Times. more →

Plans to launch a free whistleblowing helpline on 1 January 2012 have been announced by health secretary Andrew Lansley. more →

Hypertension patients treated with chlortalidone-based therapy have a reduced rate of cardiovascular-related death more than 20 years later, according to a study published online in JAMA. more →

A proposed amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill — which would have protected pharmacists against prosecution for genuine mistakes — has been withdrawn following parliamentary debate. more →

Pharmacy Voice has joined in the debate about how to sustain England’s high streets by calling on the Government to introduce a time limit for implementing redevelopment ideas put forward by the local community. more →

A retrospective study of patients with epilepsy suggests a combination of lamotrigine and valproate is better at reducing seizures than 32 other frequently-used combinations of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). more →

NHS funding of £4.1bn for pharmaceutical and dental services and eye care and to support joint working between health and social care has been announced by health secretary Andrew Lansley. more →

Britons have been advised to practice hand hygiene measures after norovirus, known as the 'winter vomiting bug', forced a number of hospitals across the country to close wards to new admissions. more →

Britons who are heading to countries where malaria is prevalent over the festive period have been reminded to take anti-malaria tablets. more →

One fifth of patients with tuberculosis are failing to complete their six-month course of antibiotics, according to latest annual figures from the Health Protection Agency. more →

Somatropin-containing medicines have been deemed safe to use in their approved indications and dosage, following a review by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. more →

Penicillin dosing guidelines for children need to be reviewed to reflect the increase in children's average weight over the past few decades, an article in the British Medical Journal suggests. more →

Up to 24,000 people with diabetes die each year from causes that could have been avoided, experts say. more →

People who are hospitalised with flu may benefit from taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, new research suggests. more →

A test that detects DNA from the human papillomavirus (HPV) is better than smear tests alone for preventing cervical cancer in over-30s, a study suggests. more →

Pharmacists have been involved in creating a new website offering children’s medicines advice to parents. more →

Dexamethasone has been rejected for use in Scotland for the treatment of patients with macular oedema. more →

Public consultation on the reintroduction of some prescription charges in Northern Ireland may begin early in the new year, according to the country’s health minister Edwin Poots. more →

Tocilizumab has been recommended for use in the NHS in England and Wales for the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. more →

Pharmacy Voice is calling on the Government to strengthen the Sustainable Communities Act (2007), as an official report warns that high streets have reached crisis point. more →

58.4 per cent of patients with lung cancer in England and Wales and 63.9 per cent in Scotland received an anti-cancer treatment in 2010, compared to 54 per cent and 64.1 per cent respectively in 2008, say new Government figures. more →

More than a third (36 per cent) of postmenopausal women with oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer stop taking their drugs early because of the side-effects, a study has found. more →

A village pharmacist from Fife is competing in the race for the UK singles chart Christmas number one after releasing a comedy charity song and music video. more →

UK Adults most at risk of influenza and pneumococcal disease are almost twice as likely to protect their home and belongings than their health, reveals a new survey. more →

A service providing free emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) to women in advance of the festive period has been overwhelmed with demand, and can no longer guarantee supply of the drug before Christmas. more →

Revised proposals for changing NHS pensions have been condemned by the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists. more →

Pharmacy students at the University of Brighton are being set a series of tasks similar to those seen on BBC television show "The Apprentice", as part of a new way of learning. more →

Pharmacists supplying fentanyl patches should remind patients to avoid exposure of the patch to heat, which can increase the rate of release of the drug, the RPS has advised. more →

The wide-ranging burden created by the responsible pharmacist Regulations has been confirmed by research findings. more →

Patients taking part in medical research have a new representative body in the form of the Health Research Authority, launched by the Government at the start of the month. more →

Pharmaceutical industry representatives have welcomed a European court ruling that is expected to offer greater patent protection for medicines. more →

Production for a number of drugs that are produced in the US-based manufacturing site Ben Venue are under review following a precautionary recall last month of the Ben Venue cancer drugs Busilvex (busulfan) and Velcade (bortezomib). more →

A consultation on incorporating an EU Directive on pharmacovigilance into UK law has been launched by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. more →

A major project to modernise information services relating to drug prescribing and dispensing volumes, trends and cost analyses is under way. more →

Public recognition of what community pharmacists have to offer is still low, and does not reflect the reality, according to NPA chief executive Mike Holden. more →

A locum pharmacist has received a four-month suspension by the GPhC Fitness-to-Practise committee for making false applications for payment for services provided to Superdrug. more →

A pharmacist who accepted a police caution for theft has been erased from the Register by order of the Fitness-to-Practise Committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council. more →

An extended course of thromboprophylaxis with apixaban does not give better results than a shorter course with enoxaparin, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. more →

Rilpivirine, a new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, has been launched in the UK for the management of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naive patients. more →

Early data from the south east of England demonstrate the value of targeting medicines use reviews at patients taking non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. more →

AstraZeneca has signed what is being described as a landmark agreement with the Medical Research Council for sharing investigative drug compounds, a move that could become a new model for medicines research. more →

NHS chief pharmacists should be responsible for managing all homecare medicine services within their trusts, according to a review published by the Department of Health last week. more →

Pharmacy organisations have welcomed a proposed amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill that aims to bring about the decriminalisation of dispensing errors. more →

Making sure NHS formularies reflect national recommendations on new drugs and giving drug companies access to anonymised patient data are part of a new Government strategy for driving life sciences in the UK. more →

Pfizer is cutting the discount available to pharmacists on its patent-protected medicines by one per cent in an overhaul of its drugs discount scheme, the company has announced. more →

Public trust in the life sciences sector could be damaged if Government proposals to share NHS patient data with researchers are not communicated with care, the RPS has warned. more →

Self-monitoring and self-management of oral anticoagulation therapy is a safe option for certain patients, according to a study published online in The Lancet. more →

Tenofovir (Viread) has been accepted for use within NHS Wales for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in adults with decompensated liver disease. more →

Criticism has been levelled at the Care Quality Commission for apparently putting its registration responsibilities ahead of its duty to inspect hospital trusts and social care providers. more →

Bail has been denied to the man charged with contaminating packs of Nurofen Plus earlier this year. more →

The number of NHS pharmacist posts in Scotland increased by two per cent between September 2010 and September 2011, according to NHS Scotland workforce data published last week. more →

Pharmacists have been called on by the All-Party Pharmacy Group to submit written evidence to its inquiry into medicines shortages. more →

Smoking cessation services offered by community pharmacists in Scotland are not being put to full use, according to the results of an independent review commissioned by the Scottish Government. more →

Ranibizumab should not be made available on the NHS in England and Wales for the treatment of diabetic macular oedema, according to final guidance from NICE. more →

Peter Noyce has been appointed co-chairman of the board of the Modernising Pharmacy Careers programme, a position he will share with England’s chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge. more →

Decriminalisation of single dispensing errors has come a step closer with the tabling of an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill, which is currently at the committee stage in the House of Lords. more →

Vision and clear direction are considered the most important qualities of an employer by nearly a third of pharmacists, according to the results of a workforce survey. more →

Making better use of pharmacy will be key to improving the NHS’s financial standing, chief executive of the PSNC Sue Sharpe has said. more →

An error is included under the indications and dosage information for modafinil that are printed in the British National Formulary 62 (section 4.4, pp250–251). more →

Best practice guidance published earlier this year to deal with medicine supply problems, has been “very successful” in minimising the impact of shortages, according to health minister Simon Burns. more →

Loopholes in the regulation of cross-border prescriptions are causing pharmacies on the border with Wales to lose out, according to Joanne McMurray, member of the Shropshire local pharmaceutical committee. more →

A new drug called apixaban (brand name Eliquis) has been approved for use on the NHS to prevent life-threatening blood clots in patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery. more →

Pharmacy openings under the 100-hour exemption to control-of-entry rules have almost doubled in recent years, according to statistics released by the NHS Information Centre. more →

Gardasil will be used in the national human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme from next year instead of Cervarix, the Department of Health has announced. more →

Prenatal exposure to paracetamol could be associated with an increased risk of wheezing among young children, research suggests. more →

All manufacturers of paediatric paracetamol suspensions in the UK have applied for approval for new packaging to reflect recent changes to dose ranges, the MHRA has confirmed. more →

Following on from the launch of the New Medicines Service (NMS) in England, Cegedim Rx has taken a staged approach to supporting pharmacies, based on helping to identify patients that could be eligible for the service. more →

A prescription pricing system that uses data from the patient medication record system to produce an invoice for the NHS Business Services Authority has been proposed, in a bid to deliver more accurate pricing. more →

Two of the main time-wasting activities that community pharmacists are obliged to perform are chasing medicines when manufacturers and wholesalers are not prepared or are unable to supply, and chasing prescribers. more →

McNeil Products' head of pharmacy, David Mitchell, and Professor David Taylor from the London School of Pharmacy are the latest speakers to sign up for Pharmacy Magazine's self care conference, to be held on February 9th. more →

People who regularly take slightly too much paracetamol over a period of time to relieve pain could be at a higher risk of dying than those who take a one-off overdose of the drug, a study has revealed. more →

Early data on the New Medicine Service has been strong enough for PSNC to declare the launch a success. more →

People in the UK are now living six years longer, on average, after a cancer diagnosis than 40 years ago, according to latest research from the charity Macmillan Cancer Support. more →

People who cumulatively take slightly too much paracetamol over a week have a greater risk of death than people who take a single overdose, according to the authors of a study published today (23 November 2011). more →

Benefits from statin therapy increase over time and persist for at least five years after treatment is stopped, according to a study published online today in The Lancet. more →

NHS Darlington has become the first primary care trust in England to have created summary care records for all patients who have agreed to be part of the shared NHS records initiative. more →

MPs and peers have announced they are holding an inquiry into the continuing problems around the NHS medicines supply chain. more →

The UK Government, along with other European Union members, has signed up to the World Health Organisation’s latest antibiotic resistance five-year action plan. more →

All patients should have their kidney function tested before beginning treatment with the anticoagulant dabigatran, in order to reduce the risk of fatal bleeding, the European Medicines Agency has emphasised. more →

Pharmacists and GPs should manage patient needs and expectations relating to antibiotic prescribing in an attempt to tackle increasing antimicrobial resistance, according to an expert group that convened recently at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. more →

More than half of people who visit a GP with cold symptoms expect to be given antibiotics, a survey has revealed, prompting the Health Protection Agency to publish its “top ten tips” for understanding antibiotics. more →

More evidence is needed before the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation can recommend extending the seasonal influenza vaccination programme to include all healthy children under the age of 17 years. more →

Hospital pharmacists have voted in favour of industrial action over controversial NHS pension reform plans. more →

Health records should be made accessible to all organisations involved in a patient’s care, according to interim public health recommendations from the NHS Future Forum. more →

Former Numark managing director David Wood has joined Communications International Group as Director of Clinical Services. more →

Denosumab slows the spread of prostate cancer to bones in men at risk of disease progression, according to a Lancet study. more →

Pharmacy wholesalers are backing a campaign to establish a statutory obligation to protect the medicines supply chain and ensure patients receive their medicines within 24-hours of being dispensed. more →

The number of medicines taken by men is associated with increasingly severe erectile dysfunction, according to a study published online in the British Journal of Urology International. more →

Adding rivaroxaban to standard therapy for patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) reduces their risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction or stroke, according to a new study. more →

Low levels of oral contraceptives in the environment could be associated with increased rates of prostate cancer, according to a study published in BMJ Open. more →

Pharmaceutical scientists now have a much clearer idea about the level of detail they need to include when they are applying for a patent, following a ruling by the Supreme Court this month. more →

A complaint against Boots over advertisements for homoeopathic products that appeared in some of its stores has been upheld following an MHRA investigation. more →

A petition calling for Government to support the discovery and development of new antibiotics has resulted in the tabling of an Early Day Motion on the issue. more →

Alphega Pharmacy, the pan-European membership organisation for independent pharmacies, has announced a new partnership with pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor Sigma Pharmaceuticals. more →

Sainsbury’s and Healthcare at Home will provide outpatient dispensing services at South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from early next year, it was confirmed last week. more →

Early intensive therapy for type I diabetes can lower the risk of kidney disease, according to a study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. more →

A report highlighting pharmacists’ contribution to diabetes care has been published by the International Pharmaceutical Federation. more →

The threshold for being obese should be lowered for people of South Asian origin, researchers from the University of Leicester have said. more →

An updated strategy on how the UK should respond to an influenza pandemic has been published by the Department of Health. more →

The maximum dose of citalopram has been lowered to 40mg because of new data linking it with a dose-dependent increase in QT interval. more →

Colorectal cancer guidance covering the diagnosis and management of the condition has been published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. more →

Prison pharmacists can reduce risks involved with medicines prescribing in prisons and ensure the cost-effective use of drugs, according to guidance for prescribing in prisons published this week. more →

Eight in 10 pharmacists at Lloydspharmacy are not able to dispense prescription items due to supply issues, according to a survey by the multiple. more →

A pharmacist convicted of theft, fraud and making a false instrument has had his name removed from the Register by order of the Fitness to Practise Committee of the GPhC. more →

False accounting and acceptance of a police caution have led to a pharmacist being suspended from the Register for 12 months by order of the Fitness to Practise Committee of the GPhC. more →

"Choose Well", a nationwide video campaign, is supporting Ask Your Pharmacist week (7–11 November 2011) by highlighting the treatments and advice available in community pharmacies. more →

The All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group has pledged to commission three studies into the positive impact of non-medical prescribing on patient care.