Corrinne Burns

Royal Pharmaceutical Society Correspondent

Corrinne Burns is Royal Pharmaceutical Society Correspondent at The Pharmaceutical Journal.

OTC medicines spend reduced for second year running

Office for National Statistics figures show that real-terms spending on over-the-counter medicines in 2024 was £7.6bn, down from £8.1bn in 2023.…

National formulary should be integrated into electronic prescribing, paediatric bodies say

A joint position statement recommended that British National Formulary for Children-based dosing should be used to calculate paediatric doses and set safety dose limits for electronic prescribing systems.…

Nasal decongestant spray use limited to five days

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that the new rules follow reports of rebound congestion related to prolonged use.…

Seven men sentenced after MHRA seizes 130,000 doses of unauthorised medicines

Enforcement action carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has led to seizure of more than 130,000 doses of unauthorised medicines.…

Apixaban linked to lower risk of recurrent blood clots compared with warfarin

Compared with warfarin, people in both frail and non-frail cohorts taking apixaban experienced an average of 12.1 fewer days of home time loss, a study found.…

Legislation to speed up clinical trials comes into force

The law change enables researchers to simultaneously apply for ethics and regulatory approval for new clinical trials of investigational medicinal products.…

Pharmacy bodies call for urgent action on menopause care

A consensus statement endorsed by the Royal College of Pharmacy has warned that “there remains significant unmet need” regarding clear, evidence-based guidance and advice on menopause.…

Regulator sets actions for safeguarding in pharmacy weight management services

The General Pharmaceutical Council says pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists must document risk assessments for all aspects of weight management services.…

Fluoroquinolone prescribing in Wales reduced by over one-third over 12 months

According to the All-Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre report, the most common fluoroquinolone prescribed in Wales was ciprofloxacin, followed by ofloxacin, as of March 2025.…

Paxlovid speeds COVID-19 recovery but does not reduce hospital admissions

Across two trials, more than 4,000 patients were randomised to receive usual care or Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir; Pfizer) within three or four days of symptom onset.…