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This week, The Pharmaceutical Journal has been reflecting on the past year, considering how the pharmacy sector has grown and presenting the headline numbers from our coverage across pharmacy in 2025.
However, healthcare does not slow down as the year winds up, with pharmacists working amid doctors’ strikes and winter pressures this week.
Our news coverage hasn’t slowed down either: The Pharmaceutical Journal has reported on the supervision changes taking effect from January 2026, an improvement in November 2026 registration exam pass rates, pressures on community pharmacy cash flow and no links to autism for antiepileptic medicine Keppra (levetiracetam; UCB Pharma).
Read on for more health news you may have missed this week.
Orforglipron shows promise for weight maintenance in phase III trials
Daily weight-loss pill orforglipron (Emgality; Eli Lilly) could help patients who used an injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist keep the weight off, a new study has confirmed. Patients who reached a body weight plateau on Wegovy (semaglutide; Novo Nordic) put on just 0.9kg after one year on orforglipron, while those who had switched to orforglipron from tirzepatide (Mounjaro; Eli Lilly) maintained their previously achieved weight loss with an average difference of 5.0kg, manufacturer Eli Lilly announced on 18 December 2025.
Further reading
Don’t double-dose Rybelsus, MHRA warns; clarithromycin recall
Two formulations of Rybelsus (semaglutide; NovoNordisk) tablets on the market at the same time could cause a risk to patient safety, the Medicines and Healthcare Authority (MHRA) has warned. The items have different stated mg doses but are bioequivalent — therefore, lower strength tablets achieve the same drug exposure and clinical effect as the previous formulation. The MHRA has shared a comparison of each dose on its website and warned that taking more than one tablet per day would lead to overdose, which affects disease control and increases the risk of adverse events.
Another medication alert was issued this week for clarithromycin 500mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion. Hameln Pharma recalled several batches because a manufacturer of the raw material had its certification withdrawn owing to non-compliance with good manufacturing practice. Hospitals and other settings using the medication should stop supplying and administering the affected batches, quarantine all remaining stock and return it to their supplier immediately.
Further reading
Sexual health: new antibiotics for gonorrhoea; syphilis data; new mpox strain
Two new medications to treat gonorrhoea have been approved in the United States this month (11 and 12 December 2025): Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin; Innoviva Specialty Therapeutics) water-soluble granules for uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea in adults and children aged at least 12 years and weighing at least 35kg; and Blujepa (gepotidacin; GSK) oral tablets for uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea in patients 12 years and older who weigh at least 45kg.
“The availability of additional treatment options is of particular importance given the global rise in gonococcal drug resistance,” said Peter Kim, director of the anti-infectives division of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has this month (10 December 2025) released syphilis data for 2024, which saw the highest level of the disease recorded since the 1940s, an increase in testing among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, as well as a decrease in testing among heterosexual partners. In June 2025, the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV published the first UK guidelines on the use of doxyPEP for syphilis.
“Monitoring the uptake and impact of doxyPEP will be important to understand its contribution to syphilis prevention,” the UKHSA said.
The UKHSA has continued to urge mpox vaccination for those eligible, following the identification of a recombinant mpox strain through genomic testing of the virus in a person who had recently travelled to Asia.
Further reading
‘Assume flu-like symptoms means flu,’ says NHS England
Flu indicators are stabilising, with the virus circulating at medium levels, the UKHSA said in its latest report, published on 18 December 2025. Emergency department attendances for influenza-like-illness decreased in the past week; however, the number of influenza-confirmed acute respiratory infection incidents increased, as did GP consultations for influenza-like infections and positive GP swabs for respiratory syncytial virus.
Of influenza viruses subtyped at the UKHSA respiratory virus unit, the majority were A(H3N2).
Compared to this time in 2024, flu vaccine uptake is higher for pregnant women, children aged 2 and 3 years, as well as comparable for those aged 65 years and over and those aged under 65 years in clinical risk groups, the UKHSA added.
However, according to a NHS England primary care bulletin published on 18 December 2025, hospital flu cases are still at record levels for this time of year.
“The work GP practices and pharmacies are doing is more critical than ever”, it said, also stressing that flu vaccination stock remains available to order.
NHS England told prescribers: “Please assume that patients with flu-like symptoms have flu. High risk patients may benefit from Tamiflu (antiviral) and according to guidance should be prescribed for patients to help avoid complications from flu and admissions to hospital.
“Early prescribing with the start of symptoms is important.”
It also suggested that local infection prevention and control pathways be reviewed and face masks be promoted for appropriate patients and staff.
