News | Addiction and substance misuse

News

UK’s first safe drug consumption room approved to open in Glasgow

The facility will allow people to use drugs in a sterile environment under medical supervision, and access other related services.…

Published: 27 September 2023

News

E-cigarettes associated with greatest chance of smoking cessation, suggests Cochrane review

The review revealed that 10–19% of people were likely to quit smoking using an e-cigarette, 12–16% using varenicline and 10–18% using cytisine.…

Published: 14 September 2023

Feature

Filling the gap in smoking cessation therapies: a race to a smoke-free 2030

Nicotine replacement therapy is currently the only pharmacological treatment available in the UK to help tobacco smokers quit, but this is set to change.…

Published: 14 September 2023

News

RPS backs call to legalise safe consumption facilities for drug users

Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said that providing consumption facilities for drug users would “provide an opportunity for health professionals to engage in treatment and prevention”.…

Published: 6 September 2023

News

RPS says codeine linctus should be made a prescription-only medicine, in response to MHRA consultation

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society says reclassification will make it easier to monitor codeine linctus use, because it will be recorded in GP systems.…

Published: 17 August 2023

News

MHRA consults on reclassifying codeine linctus as a prescription-only medicine

The Commission on Human Medicines previously said that codeine linctus is being used as an ingredient of 'purple drank', an illegal recreational drink that has been popularised through social media and music.…

Published: 18 July 2023

News

Smoking cessation drug led to almost a third of smokers quitting during phase III trial

Participants taking cytisinicline in the ORCA-2 study had a higher abstinence rate from smoking than those assigned to placebo.…

Published: 13 July 2023

Opinion

Community pharmacies have an essential role in sustaining the elimination of hepatitis C in England

Pharmacies can provide easy access to hepatitis C testing for people who inject drugs, helping to control infection rates and allow the elimination of the virus in England by 2025.…

Published: 7 June 2023

Feature

Psychedelic drugs: the new frontier for mental health

This episode of The PJ Pod seeks to uncover the truth behind the hype over the use of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health conditions.…

Published: 18 May 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