News | Infectious diseases

News

Shortage of cold and flu medicines increases pressure on pharmacies

Community pharmacists are claiming the current medicine supply system is broken, as price concessions reach record levels.…

Published: 5 January 2023

News

Pharmacy vaccination advice scheme sees more than 800 patients choose to be vaccinated against COVID-19

Pharmacies in Tower Hamlets, East London, provided more than 1,800 consultations on COVID-19 vaccination, with 831 people then deciding to get vaccinated.…

Published: 4 January 2023

Opinion

Studies of public opinion bring the dangers of laxity to light

A pick of the academic papers from the past month from Parastou Donyai, chief scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.…

Published: 4 January 2023

News

Serious shortage protocols issued for three penicillin oral solutions

Under the protocols, pharmacists are able to supply alternative strengths or tablets with immediate effect.…

Published: 15 December 2022

News

Competition regulator investigates ‘real concerns’ over antibiotic overpricing

The Competition and Markets Authority is looking into the pricing of antibiotics as cases of Strep A infection rise.…

Published: 15 December 2022

News

GP leader calls for pharmacists to be able to substitute antibiotics where there are shortages

Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said that pharmacists need to be able to dispense a different formulation of an antibiotic or an alternative if it is not available.…

Published: 12 December 2022

News

Sotrovimab no longer recommended as first-line treatment for COVID-19 patients

Only nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir is now recommended as the first-line treatment for non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19, while sotrovimab may be considered "by exception".…

Published: 1 December 2022

News

National Institute for Health and Care Research to fund new phase of platform trial to assess treatments for severe flu

The 'Randomised, embedded, multi-factorial, adaptive platform trial for community-acquired pneumonia' was also designed to assess several treatments during a respiratory pandemic, such as COVID-19.…

Published: 29 November 2022

News

Antibiotic prescribing target hit one year early in England

The 'English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance' report showed that total antibiotic consumption in England declined by 15.1% between 2017 and 2021.…

Published: 21 November 2022

News

NICE rejects molnupiravir, remdesivir and Evusheld as routine COVID-19 treatments

In draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the three treatments were not cost effective.…

Published: 16 November 2022