News | Infectious diseases

News

Pharmacy First treatment options should be broadened to support antimicrobial stewardship, says CCA

The Company Chemists’ Association says widening treatment options for conditions under the Pharmacy First service would “ensure antibiotics are only provided when absolutely required”.…

Published: 19 December 2024

Feature

A bumpy road for pharmacy in 2024

From the launch of Pharmacy First and the promise of a new government, to ongoing struggles with medicines shortages, funding and workforce, there have been some highs and lows for pharmacy during 2024. Here, we look back at the biggest headlines of the year.…

Published: 13 December 2024

News

Access to PrEP from community pharmacies could be piloted from autumn 2025

Exclusive: The Welsh government said it would explore pharmacist involvement in a pilot scheme designed to improve access to pre-exposure prophylaxis in the community.…

Published: 10 December 2024

News

UK needs robust vaccine development sector to prepare for next pandemic, says House of Lords committee

A letter from the chair of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has called on the government to create a “peacetimes vaccines taskforce”.…

Published: 9 December 2024

News

RPS raises concerns after draft HIV guidance recommends unregulated website for purchasing PrEP

The guidance suggests options to patients who are unable or unwilling to access PrEP on the NHS and calls for community pharmacies to “support greater equity” in accessing the drug.…

Published: 2 December 2024

News

Community pharmacies administered more than half of all COVID-19 vaccines to people from ethnic minorities, data show

According to the Company Chemists’ Association, data from the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme show that more vaccinations should be commissioned from pharmacies to increase vaccine uptake, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.…

Published: 27 November 2024

News

NHS England seeks views on centralising flu vaccine procurement

NHS England says it wants to hear evidence of the benefits and challenges of a centralised procurement model in order to improve the effectiveness of the delivery of the flu vaccination programme.…

Published: 26 November 2024

News

Government confirms first case of ‘clade Ib’ mpox virus detected in the UK

The UK Health Security Agency says that despite this being the first confirmed case in the UK, “the risk for the general population is very low and remains so for this incident”.…

Published: 31 October 2024

News

UK’s first potential norovirus vaccine to be trialled by UK government partnership with Moderna

Data show that the norovirus is estimated to cause 3.7 million infections in the UK each year.…

Published: 23 October 2024

News

NICE rejects cabotegravir for PrEP in draft guidance

Draft guidance said the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment cabotegravir is not recommended because “it is not possible to determine the cost-effectiveness estimate ... without further analyses from the manufacturer”.…

Published: 30 September 2024