News | Womens health

Letter

Zuranolone and the future of perinatal mental health treatment

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved zuranolone in August 2025 for the treatment of moderate or severe postnatal depression (PND) in adults following childbirth. Zuranolone is an oral synthetic version of allopregnanolone, a naturally occurring n…

Published: 10 September 2025

News

MHRA approves first new UTI antibiotic in 30 years

Gepotidacin (Blujepa; GSK) is approved for the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs in patients aged 12 years and over, who weigh at least 40kg.…

Published: 28 August 2025

News

First pharmacy in UK to pilot NHS contraceptive implant service

The contraceptive implant service is aimed to provide convenient and equal access to reversible contraception and drive down unintended pregnancies in Liverpool.…

Published: 28 August 2025

News

Health news round-up: AI, health inequalities and GLP-1 drugs

Senior clinical reporter Joanna Robertson shares some important developments in health news.…

Published: 15 August 2025

News

Rise in prescriptions incorrectly claimed under HRT pre-payment scheme

Sertraline was the most common medication claimed for via the HRT prescription prepayment certificate, despite not being on the list of included medicines.…

Published: 14 August 2025

Letter

Assessing the suitability of antidepressant use during perimenopause

Perimenopause typically occurs during the decade leading up to menopause (with the average age of menopause in the UK being 51 years) and is associated with a range of physical and mental health symptoms. These symptoms are primarily caused by fluctuating hormone levels but are frequently misdiagnos…

Published: 8 August 2025

News

Immunotherapy plus chemotherapy approved for endometrial cancer

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda: Merck Sharp and Dohme) could benefit 2,100 people with advanced womb cancer.…

Published: 7 August 2025

News

Some women stop breastfeeding following ‘overly cautious’ medication advice

Authors of a review on how medication use affects breastfeeding found that many cases of medication-related breastfeeding discontinuation may be avoidable.…

Published: 4 August 2025

News

MHRA ‘shares concerns’ over failure to meet epilepsy drug prescribing target

Exclusive: Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the MHRA, has echoed concerns about persistent sodium valproate prescribing raised by the Independent Fetal Anti-Convulsant Trust.…

Published: 30 July 2025

News

Stronger regulatory oversight needed for self-testing kits, review concludes

Authors of the cross-sectional review found that nearly three-quarters of over-the-counter testing kits “did not progress or close care pathways”.…

Published: 24 July 2025