CP, February 2017, Vol 9, No 2

Women may mistake menopause symptoms for side effects of tamoxifen

The International Breast Cancer Intervention Study found that tamoxifen reduces the risk of breast cancer by over 30% in high-risk women, but a third of participants discontinued treatment before the recommended five years were up.…

SSRI could relieve aromatase inhibitor side effects

Adherence to aromatase inhibitor therapy by women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer is often poor because of the occurrence of musculoskeletal side effects.…

Flu vaccination during late pregnancy not associated with autism risk

Research indicates maternal infections and fever during pregnancy might be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).…

Countering points made in biosimilars piece

The insight article by Alan Cassels ‘Why biosimilars should be interchangeable with biologics’ ( Clinical Pharmacist 2017;9:2) provides a great opportunity to clarify some key points. I would like to counter some of the points made in Cassels’ piece — criticisms h…

Asthma patients deserve better care

The 2016 Asthma UK annual asthma survey has produced some shocking findings. There are 5.4 million people in the UK diagnosed with asthma, but we found that two-thirds were not receiving the basic care that they need in order to stay well. This is worrying in the context that the majority of t…

Why Australia decided to make all codeine products prescription only

The recent decision in Australia to make codeine-containing medications prescription only from 2018 ( The Pharmaceutical Journal online, 23 December 2016) was reported to have been met with disappointment from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. As part of a pattern of increas…

Increased duration of OTC painkiller use increases risk of hearing loss

Researchers say their findings suggest that a “significant proportion” of hearing loss is owed to paracetamol or NSAID-related ototoxicity.…

The challenges of managing diabetes at mealtimes

Mealtimes pose many challenges for people living with diabetes, especially those who require a fast-acting insulin treatment to cover the post-meal glucose surge. Deciding when to eat, what to eat and how much to eat in advance is something that we expect patients to do three times a day, seve…

Targeted treatment shows promise for severe spinal muscular atrophy

Antisense drug nusinersen was well tolerated in trial of 20 babies with SMA, with majority showing improved muscle skills and function after treatment.…

Update on the FIP pictogram project to improve health literacy

I would like to provide readers with an update of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) pictogram project. FIP attempts to bring a high level of recognition to health literacy. The Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section (MEPS) of FIP undertook a major project in 2004 to develop cl…