News | Respiratory tract diseases

News

Cough medicine with anaphylaxis risk to be removed from UK market, MHRA announces

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it was withdrawing pholcodine-containing medicines from the UK market as a "precautionary measure", owing to the risk of anaphylaxis during general anaesthesia.…

Published: 14 March 2023

News

NICE alters guidance on COVID-19 treatments as manufacturer withdraws marketing authorisation application 

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence said the guidance has changed because Eli Lily is no longer seeking a marketing authorisation for baricitinib (Olumiant).…

Published: 21 February 2023

News

MHRA to review evidence of harm linked to pseudoephedrine-containing medicines

Exclusive: A spokesperson for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has told The Pharmaceutical Journal that it is "reviewing available evidence" to decide whether marketing authorisations for pseudoephedrine-containing medicines need to change.…

Published: 21 February 2023

News

More than 20,000 inhalers returned through postal inhaler recycling scheme

The scheme has saved an estimated 119.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions entering the atmosphere.…

Published: 25 January 2023

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

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In draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the three treatments were not cost effective.…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

News

Incentive schemes behind inhaler and edoxaban switching targets should be scrapped, say MPs

In a report on the future of general practice, MPs said it was clear the current target and incentive system "is not having the desired effect on outcomes".…

Published: 21 October 2022

News

Community pharmacies incentivised to refer frequent users of reliever inhalers to general practice

The new referral incentive will be part of the Pharmacy Quality Scheme for 2022/2023.…

Published: 12 October 2022

Feature

‘Pharmacists come into primary care to make a difference and prescribing is an important part of that toolkit’

Andy Christopherson, lead for prescribing and clinical pharmacy, East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership…

Published: 6 October 2022