Julia Robinson

Clinical and Science Editor

Julia Robinson is our Senior Data Journalist

Migraine and epilepsy drugs promoted to under-18s as weight-loss aids on TikTok

Exclusive: Social media platform removes posts after investigation by The Pharmaceutical Journal reveals that prescription-only drugs are being recommended to teenagers wanting to lose weight.…

‘They’re dangerous… but I already bought them’ — teenagers exposed to prescription weight-loss drugs on TikTok

An investigation has revealed that social media posts promoting the use of diet pills are visible to users as young as 16 years old, prompting healthcare experts to warn of the potential harms.…

More than half of pharmacists have been asked about medicines that patients had seen on social media, finds survey

Exclusive: In a survey of nearly 1,600 pharmacists, 910 said a patient had asked them about medicines or products they had seen on social media.…

Temporary community pharmacy closures ‘relatively infrequent’, says chief pharmaceutical officer

Exclusive: In his first pharmacy press interview in role, David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer for England, said there was a need to "understand the drivers" of temporary closures.…

Oral HRT accepted for use across Scotland while availability remains limited in England

Bijuve has been been approved for use across Scotland, but it is only available in some local formularies in England, owing to backlogs caused by COVID-19.…

UK medicines regulator to review evidence linking cough medicine with anaphylaxis risk

Exclusive: A review of the link between the cough remedy pholcodine and the risk of serious allergic reactions to neuromuscular blocking agents is being carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.…

Patients in most deprived areas are 50% more likely to be prescribed dependency-forming drugs, finds NHS report

In 2021/2022, 1.80 million patients were prescribed dependency-forming medicines, such as opioids and gabapentinoids, in England's most deprived areas, 1.66 times more than the 1.09 million in the least deprived areas.…

Pharmacy IV anti-cancer therapy services approaching ‘crisis point’, survey finds

Exclusive: A report based on a survey of pharmacy intravenous systemic anti-cancer therapy services has concluded "urgent action" is needed to address ongoing issues with treatment delays and workforce.…

Some patients switched to edoxaban without being properly informed, pharmacists say

Exclusive: Primary care pharmacists have revealed that patients are being switched to edoxaban without being informed or when it is not clinically appropriate.…

The serotonin theory of depression: how the media got it all wrong

A new evidence review into the causes of depression may not have been revolutionary, but, having generated so much attention in the newspapers, there are concerns it may cause significant numbers of patients to stop taking their treatment.…