PJ, 18 July 2015, Vol 295, No 7871

The incentive is now there for GPs to employ clinical pharmacists

GP surgeries in England must work together to bid for new funding that would enable clinical pharmacists to join their teams.…

Tracking down the optimum dose of exercise

Prescribing physical activity could soon become as routine as prescribing drugs, and at least as beneficial.…

NICE’s assessment process is stifling pharmaceutical innovation

The way new medicines are assessed should be reformed to provide patients with the best treatments and stimulate research and innovation in the UK.…

RPS publishes updated version of MEP guide for pharmacists

Medicines, Ethics and Practice 39 includes guidance to reflect latest changes to legislation and standards.…

New edition of Medicines, Ethics and Practice guide

The 39th edition of ‘Medicines, Ethics and Practice — the professional guide for pharmacists’ has been published and distributed with the 18 July 2015 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal to all RPS members, Fellows, associates, pharmaceutical scientist members and associate pr…

Genetic validation of drug targets improves chance of success

Researchers suggest that harnessing genetic evidence during drug development can double a drug’s chance of being approved.…

Use of antibiotics in young children may disrupt gut microbiome

Antibiotics given to mice at similar doses and frequencies to those given to children caused changes in composition, diversity and maturation of the gut microbiome.…

St John’s Wort has similar side effect profile to fluoxetine

Research into toxicity associated with St John’s Wort shows that the profile of adverse drug reactions is similar to that of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.…

People with learning disabilities need a ‘bill of rights’ to protect them from medicines misuse

Protection for people with learning disabilities against harm from medicines misuse should be enshrined in law, argues David Branford, immediate past chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.…

Prescription charge system needs reform

Prescription charges, at £8.20 per item, are at an all-time high and will continue to increase unless there is reform. In his budget speech, the Chancellor George Osborne did not address the issue of rising prescription charges in England. The current system of payment and exemptions sho…