News | COVID-19

Opinion

Pharmacy can narrow health inequalities — here’s how

Two advanced specialist community pharmacists share how they have engaged with patients in an area of high deprivation.…

Published: 5 June 2023

News

NICE COVID-19 management guidelines are leaving hospitals ‘in limbo’

Conditional recommendations for COVID-19 treatments has created a “gap between guideline recommendations and current practice”, according to an expert.…

Published: 10 May 2023

News

Community pharmacies to dispense COVID-19 antivirals from May 2023

A notice on the NHS Business Services Authority website says pharmacy contractors will be able to obtain COVID-19 antivirals "at no cost".…

Published: 28 April 2023

News

NICE confirms recommendation for NHS use of three COVID-19 treatments

Final guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, sotrovimab and tocilizumab for COVID-19.…

Published: 29 March 2023

Feature

Infographic: the ethnicity awarding gap for the pharmacy degree during COVID-19

Changes to pharmacy degree assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped to narrow the awarding gap between white graduates and their ethnic minority counterparts, but work is ongoing to understand why.…

Published: 23 March 2023

News

Government advisers recommend further COVID-19 vaccine boosters for vulnerable patients

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that a spring booster should be offered to adults aged over 75 years, people living in care homes for older adults, and anyone aged five years and over who is immunosuppressed.…

Published: 7 March 2023

News

Give prescribers access to non-drug alternatives to antidepressants and opioids, says NHS

In a new framework, NHS England recommends alternative treatment options, such as psychotherapy, health coaching and pain or sleep clinics, are commissioned locally.…

Published: 2 March 2023

News

NICE alters guidance on COVID-19 treatments as manufacturer withdraws marketing authorisation application

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence said the guidance has changed because Eli Lily is no longer seeking a marketing authorisation for baricitinib (Olumiant).…

Published: 21 February 2023

Opinion

How COVID-19 affected pharmacy supply of antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections

Learnings from a community pharmacy patient group direction service for the management of suspected urinary tract infections, which identified prescribing patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Published: 20 February 2023

News

NHS loses £16m in COVID-19 loans after ‘significant number’ of pharmacy closures

An urgent uplift to advance payments was meant to "support pharmacies with their cashflow pressures", but hundreds have closed.…

Published: 2 February 2023