CP, June 2019, Vol 11, No 6

Managing osteoporosis in older people

How to understand bone health in the context of the older person, including risk assessment, prevention and the management of osteoporosis in patients likely to have multiple comorbidities.…

We need a more rational approach to opioid prescribing

The rates of opioid misuse and related deaths may be lower in the UK than in the United States, but healthcare professionals should remain vigilant when caring for patients with chronic pain.…

Pharmacokinetic considerations and challenges in oral anticancer drug therapy

A review of the pros and cons of oral anticancer drug therapy, as well as the pharmacokinetic barriers and potential solutions to oral chemotherapy in the home.…

Concern over new flushing guidance for small volume intravenous infusions

In November 2018, I raised concerns about incomplete and underdosed intravenous (IV) infusions in Clinical Pharmacist [1] . On this occasion, I am writing to raise concern over the National Infusion and Vascular Access Society’s (NIVAS’s) new guidance on this topic, whi…

Pharmacy staff should be aware of drug misusers’ methods of extracting opioids from OTC products

Misuse of codeine can cause serious harm. There are restrictions around use of the medicine, but people still find ways to misuse it and pharmacists should be aware of their methods. Here, we report a case of a patient extracting codeine from over-the-counter (OTC) products to highlight the role pha…

Gentamicin not appropriate as first-line treatment for gonorrhoea, researchers say

Gentamicin is no more effective overall than ceftriaxone as a first-line treatment for gonorrhoea but could be a useful alternative for some patients, researchers have said.…

Oral contraceptives protective against ligament injury in young women

Oral contraceptive pills may be protective against anterior cruciate ligament tears in women, particularly in 15–19 year olds, a study has shown.…

Cannabis composition alters effects of drug on the brain

Researchers have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show how cannabidiol counteracts some of the harmful effects of cannabis on the brain.…

Daily naproxen does not stall pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s in older adults

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are unlikely to prevent Alzheimer’s disease in people at risk of developing the condition, study authors have concluded.…

Antibiotics overused in emergency departments for suspected UTI

Over 60% of patients treated for a urinary tract infection lack evidence of the infection, a study carried out in a Birmingham emergency department has found.…