News | Neurological conditions

A day in the life of a multiple sclerosis pharmacist

As a specialist in multiple sclerosis, Brina Bharkhada is a crucial part of the multidisciplinary team managing patients at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.…

Non-drug therapies better than drugs for symptoms of depression in dementia

A review has found that several non-drug interventions were more effective than usual care in the treatment of depression in people with dementia.…

Government will ‘prioritise’ extending valproate registry to cover all antiepileptic drugs

The Department of Health and Social Care said that it will prioritise extending the valproate registry to include all women prescribed an antiepileptic drug.…

Headache: a visual guide

Headache is among the most common neurological reasons for A&E attendance, but most cases can be treated in primary care. This infographic provides a visual overview of the main types of headache.…

Cannabis on the NHS: a missed opportunity? (audio)

It may have disappeared from newspaper front pages, but medical cannabis is still causing controversy.…

Pharmacy needs to do much better on valproate

Even after licensing changes, pregnant women are still being prescribed sodium valproate, meaning that foetuses are being needlessly exposed to the risks of birth defects and developmental damage. Community pharmacy needs to take the lead in preventing this.…

Pharmacist-led atrial fibrillation case finding programme prevents an estimated 90 strokes

A pharmacist-led programme to identify patients with atrial fibrillation may have prevented up to 90 AF-related strokes across 23 clinical commissioning group areas, NHS England has said.…

One in ten hospital trusts have been asked to approve unlicensed cannabis-based medicinal prescriptions

Around 10% of hospital trusts have received requests for prescriptions of unlicensed cannabis-based medical products.…

Siponimod now recommended for patients with secondary progressive MS

Updated draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended siponimod for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.…

Cannabis-based Epidyolex approved for NHS use in Scotland

Epidyolex, a cannabidiol medicine for severe epilepsy in children, has been approved for use on the NHS in Scotland.…