News | Addiction and substance misuse

News

Smoking cessation pill Champix returns to market four years after withdrawal over carcinogen

Manufacturer Pfizer said it had “taken steps to address the presence of nitrosamines in Champix, including lowering the levels to meet regulatory requirements”.…

Published: 1 July 2025

News

UK government says it does not support safe drug consumption rooms

Speaking at a House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry into the Glasgow safe drug consumption facility, the minister for policing and crime prevention said the Westminster government would “not be amending the Misuse of Drugs Act”.…

Published: 10 June 2025

Feature

Take-home naloxone: could community pharmacies be the answer to tackling drug deaths?

Legislation to widen access to the opioid antidote naloxone came into force in December 2024. Experts say the community pharmacy network could use these changes to make sure this life-saving medicine reaches those who need it.…

Published: 28 May 2025

News

UK’s first safer drug consumption facility accessed more than 2,500 times in first four months, data show

Between January and April 2025, service data from The Thistle facility in Glasgow reported nearly 2,000 injecting episodes and 30 medical emergencies.…

Published: 9 May 2025

News

Repeat prescription opioids most commonly linked to patient harm and deaths, study results show

Researchers found that between January 2019 and December 2023, opioid analgesics made up 76% of the medications mentioned in coroners’ prevention of future deaths reports.…

Published: 6 May 2025

News

Coroner writes to ICB following death of patient who took too many of their prescribed drugs

The ‘Prevention of future deaths’ report, published on 16 April 2025, was issued following the death of patient who was waiting for mental health support.…

Published: 24 April 2025

News

Government ends programme to tackle drug deaths and drug-related offending

Between January 2021 and June 2024, Project ADDER benefited nearly 5,000 people in drug treatment and led to more than 39,000 arrest for drug offences.…

Published: 23 April 2025

News

Multiple doses of naloxone needed to reverse drug overdoses, pharmacists warned

In response to the spike in cases of drug-related harm, such as near-fatal overdoses, the Scottish Drugs Forum has released information on the signs of an overdose and how pharmacists can reduce risk.…

Published: 18 March 2025

News

SIGN rejects opioids and medicinal cannabis for chronic pain in draft guidance

Draft guidance on management of chronic pain included medicinal cannabis for the first time, not recommending it on the basis of limited clinical evidence and consistent evidence of adverse effects.…

Published: 25 February 2025

News

Pharmacists advised to boycott stop smoking service over ‘inadequate’ funding

Community Pharmacy South Yorkshire has said remuneration fees for supplying varenicline, as part of a new stop smoking service level agreement, do not “fairly compensate” for pharmacists' time and clinical expertise.…

Published: 20 February 2025