Afsaneh Gray

Journalist

Afsaneh Gray is a freelance science journalist based in London

Closing the ethnicity gap in pharmacogenomics

An overwhelming reliance on data from people with white, European ancestry threatens to make pharmacogenomics a poor tool for patients from other backgrounds.…

Would UK approval of lecanemab be a game changer for people with Alzheimer’s disease?

Experts are divided over whether lecanemab is a cost-effective intervention for Alzheimer’s disease, raising concerns that the NHS is not ready for it.…

Depression and ‘the pill’: untangling the evidence

A closer look at the conflicting evidence around links between the oral contraceptive and mood changes, following calls for more research in this area.…

Monoclonal antibody treatment for ulcerative colitis twice as effective as placebo, study shows

Of patients with ulcerative colitis who received the monoclonal antibody mirikizumab, 24% were in remission at the end of the trial period, compared with 13% who received placebo.…

Statin alternative may be as effective in cutting risk of heart attack and stroke, shows research

Researchers say it was not known until now that bempedoic acid offered cardiovascular benefit, as well as lowering LDL-C.…

Community pharmacy delivers more than 5 million flu vaccinations for the first time

The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed it is considering expanding the National Flu Vaccination Service to secondary school-aged children in England.…

Metformin may reduce the risk of developing long COVID, research suggests

The diabetes drug reduced the incidence of long COVID compared with placebo, but experts have urged caution over the findings.…

Government scraps plans to raise qualifying age for free prescriptions to 66 years in England

The Department of Health and Social Care cited "cost of living pressures" as a reason for abolishing the proposals.…

Do long-term antibiotics for acne fuel antimicrobial resistance?

Some healthcare professionals believe that antibiotic use in young people with acne could be reduced with earlier, pharmacist-led interventions.…

The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19

As researchers around the globe drop everything to find a treatment for COVID-19, we look at the likely frontrunners for managing this deadly disease.…