News Prescription items dispensed in the community in England top 1 billionThe number of prescription medicines dispensed in the community in England reached 1.1 billion in 2014 and costs rose to £8.9bn, an increase of 3% compared with 2013.…Published: 8 April 2015
News Study provides insight into why PPI users benefit from calcium supplements Researchers have identified a gene, Snx10, whose expression is required both in the bone and stomach to maintain normal gastric acidification and calcium absorption.…Published: 8 April 2015
News Mary Isobel Jordan diesOn 5 April 2015, Mary Isobel Jordan FRPharmS, aged 94, of 24 Millard Close, Hereford, Herefordshire HR2 7EW. Mrs Jordan registered with the Society in 1944 and then became a Fellow in 1992.…Published: 8 April 2015
News Call for European infrastructure to improve patient safety Hospital pharmacists should play a central role in increasing the governance of medicines and in reporting and learning from incidents, according to David Cousins, an expert in medication safety.…Published: 8 April 2015
News Pharmacy2U under fire over data selling practices Pharmacy2U has been accused of selling patient information, including names, addresses, dates of birth and the dates of patients’ last prescription.…Published: 7 April 2015
News Review of data casts doubt on use of paracetamol for back pain and osteoarthritis A meta-analysis published in The BMJ casts doubt on the use of paracetamol in spinal pain and osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.…Published: 7 April 2015
News US pharmacists association takes a stand against involvement in prisoner executionsPharmacists in the United States are being discouraged from taking part in executions of prisoners on the grounds that it goes against the ethos of the profession.…Published: 7 April 2015
News Advocating community pharmacy in Europe In his role at the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, Jamie Wilkinson spends his time promoting community pharmacy in a variety of ways. Here, he describes the travelling, presenting and networking associated with the job.…Published: 7 April 2015
News Gates Foundation aims to cut drug registration times by 50% in sub-Saharan Africa by 2018 Speeding up the time it takes to register drugs, vaccines and diagnostics in low and middle income countries is a key strategy for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.…Published: 7 April 2015
News Jury still out on risk of heart failure from glucose lowering drugs Clinicians have questioned trial data which indicate that glucose lowering drugs might increase the risk of heart failure.…Published: 2 April 2015