CP, June 2016, Vol 8, No 6

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: clinical phenotypes and implications for management

Phenotyping patients with chronic obsructive pulmonary disease allows their separation into distinct categories that differentiate their prognosis and response to treatment, producing clinically meaningful outcomes.…

How polypharmacy has become a medical burden worldwide

More patients than ever are taking a multitude of medicines and supplements, but this can cause more harm than good.…

Improving long-term adjuvant anti-oestrogenic therapy for breast cancer

Long-term (five years) adjuvant tamoxifen treatment for oestrogen receptor-positive, or ER-positive, breast cancer post-surgery is recognised as a major advance in healthcare. Clinical trials comparing standard and extended tamoxifen therapy found a major decrease in mortality occurred in the ten ye…

Reducing medication discrepancies in elderly patients

Older patients are more susceptible to harm from polypharmacy and transfer between care settings can result in medication discrepancies. To address this issue Birmingham South Central Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), in partnership with NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit, cond…

No guarantee of quality with unlicensed vitamin D products

Colin Michie’s article on the risks of vitamin D self supplementation makes many useful points, including the risks associated with excess vitamin D  ( Clinical Pharmacist, 2016;8:131). But there is one major issue that was not highlighted: the vast majority of vitam…

A downside to electronic prescribing

I write regarding your excellent review in the May edition of Clinical Pharmacist (2016;8:144). Although hospital e-prescribing will no doubt become the system of choice in the 21st century, I recently visited University Hospital Southampton to collect my wife who was waiting for her inpatient…

Early aspirin use after transient ischaemic attack cuts severe stroke risk by 90%

Large analysis of data shows taking aspirin within two weeks of transient ischaemic attack or stroke cuts risk of secondary stroke by over 90%.…

Umbilical cords longer in babies exposed to SSRIs

Data show babies born to women who used SSRIs also had lower Apgar scores and were more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care.…

Study shows how proton pump inhibitors damage blood vessel cells

New research into harmful effects of PPIs suggests that the drugs impair vascular cells.…

Ketamine metabolite relieves depression with fewer side effects

Study findings could inform the development of more effective and safe treatments for depression.…