CP, July 2016, Vol 8, No 7

Chronic spontaneous urticaria: clinical features, diagnosis and management

Defined as the non-inducible recurrence of wheals, angioedema or both for six weeks or more, chronic spontaneous urticaria is a difficult to diagnose and debilitating skin condition. Pharmacists should be aware of the clinical features in order to identify and manage this condition effectively.…

Why antidepressants are still the best treatment for depression

Despite criticism about antidepressants in the media and rising calls for non-drug therapies for depression, evidence indicates that drugs are still the most effective treatment.…

Antiphospholipid syndrome: pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment

How antiphospholipid syndrome, also known as Hughes syndrome, is diagnosed and the appropriate therapeutic options for its management.…

Pharmacy at home: service for frail older patients demonstrates medicines risk reduction and admission avoidance

The Exeter Cluster Pharmacy team is part of an integrated community health and social care service, providing domiciliary medicines optimisation to around 145,000 people.…

Liraglutide reduces risk of cardiovascular death in type 2 diabetes

Risk of cardiovascular death was reduced by 22% among patients who received liraglutide compared with placebo.…

Primary care naloxone and opioid co-prescribing reduces emergency visits

Study shows that co-prescribing naloxone in primary care to patients taking opioids for pain reduces emergency department visits by 47% within six months.…

Cranberry juice reduces recurrent UTIs by 39%

Daily servings of cranberry juice could prevent clinical UTIs and reduce antibiotic use…

Risk of melanoma in men taking erectile dysfunction drugs driven by sun exposure

Study of men taking phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors found an increased risk of melanoma driven by sun exposure.…

Concerns around buying emergency hormonal contraception online

The practice of online prescribing and buying medicines on the internet is expanding and it can play a positive role in providing care for our ever growing population. However, concerns have been raised at the news that some women are buying emergency hormonal contraceptive (EHC) pills from overseas…

Antidiabetic drug could combat cancer drug resistance

Adding an antidiabetic drug to treatment with antiangiogenic multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors resulted in a reduction in tumour growth.…