News | Addiction and substance misuse

News

Uruguay delays plans to sell cannabis in pharmacies

Marijuana will not be sold in pharmacies in Uruguay until March 2015, the National Drugs Board (JND) has announced.…

Published: 4 December 2014

News

Community pharmacists could screen at-risk groups for liver disease

According to The Lancet’s commission, community pharmacists could play a key role in helping to improve liver disease services in primary care, say hepatology specialists.…

Published: 27 November 2014

News

NHS England issues naloxone warning

Inappropriate use of naloxone can cause patients severe distress and can be fatal, says NHS England in a Patient Safety Alert.…

Published: 25 November 2014

Opinion

Smoking cessation – the Nazi method

Not renowned for its public health measures, Nazi Germany led the first anti-smoking campaign in modern history and was the most powerful anti-smoking movement in the world during the 1930s and early 1940s.…

Published: 25 November 2014

News

Role for memantine in treating binge-eating disorder

Research findings support a role for memantine as a potential pharmacological treatment for binge-eating disorder.…

Published: 18 November 2014

News

Increased access to naloxone could cut global deaths from opioid overdose, says WHO

The World Health Organization has issued new guidelines to expand access to naloxone in an effort to reduce the number of deaths caused by overdoses of opioids.…

Published: 17 November 2014

News

Over one million smokers admitted to hospitals in England in 2010/2011

It is the first time researchers have put a figure on the prevalence of inpatients who are smokers in hospitals in England.…

Published: 13 November 2014

News

UK drug advisory council warns against limiting duration of methadone therapy

Government drug advisers have rejected a proposal by government ministers to impose a time limit on prescribing methadone to heroin addicts.…

Published: 13 November 2014

Feature

Q&A: Pharmacy over-the-counter products help consumers take responsibility for their own health

Gopa Mitra, outgoing director of health policy and public affairs at the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents manufacturers of non-prescription medicines and food supplements, explains that self-selection of pharmacy medicines will not affect patient safety, and consi…

Published: 12 November 2014

News

Pharmacy COPD-screening could save the NHS £264m

Community pharmacies can help identify undiagnosed cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at an early stage, which could result in savings of around £264m per year, a pilot study suggests.…

Published: 10 November 2014