PJ, 25 July/1 August 2015, Vol 295, No 7872/3

Attacking cancer: are therapeutic vaccines on the verge of fulfilling their potential?

Researchers are investigating whether priming the immune system with therapeutic vaccines can prompt the body’s own defences to spring into action against cancer.…

New home for prescribing framework

All healthcare professionals who prescribe must follow a common set of principles, and the pharmacy profession is an appropriate steward for a prescribing framework.…

Pharmacy is the place to target hard-to-reach patients for seasonal flu vaccination

Success of reaching patients in first national plan will require pharmacy teams to explain the benefits of vaccination.…

Nurse practitioners in pharmacies: a potential solution to the NHS crisis

A pharmacy walk-in service run by nurse practitioners in the United States could be adopted in the UK to ease the burden on the overstretched NHS.…

Metformin does not improve pregnancy outcomes in obese women

Researchers conducted a randomised controlled trial of metformin in pregnant obese women, but the drug did not reduce the birthweight of offspring or pregnancy complications.…

Calls to accelerate uptake of Healthy Living Pharmacy status

Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s England board wants faster adoption to boost pharmacy’s public health contribution, but warns that commissioning barriers must be removed first.…

Fascinating insight into the pharmaceutical industry

‘From farms to pharma: a troubleshooter looks back’, by Ron Stark.…

Benzodiazepines should not be given to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

A systematic review and meta-analysis has concluded that benzodiazepines are ineffective in post traumatic stress disorder and that the risks “tend to outweigh” potential short-term benefits. …

Black patients with Alzheimer’s disease more likely to have mixed pathology

Alzheimer’s disease is not well-studied in black patients and researchers say that specific treatment strategies may be needed.…

Pharmacy students demand changes to registration assessment

The British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association has called for changes to be made in how future pharmacists are assessed, after trainees and tutors complained about the June 2015 registration assessment.…