Tribute to Alan AirleyAlan’s colleagues (including many pharmacists) and friends were deeply saddened to hear of his death after a long illness. Alan’s dedication and passion was to his family and the profession. He graduated from the University of Manch ester, completing the Pharmaceutical Chemist (PhC) course in 1…
Ditch the pharmacist registration examGraham Phillips made some interesting points in his letter ‘Is the registration exam failing trainees?’ ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2015;295:213). Perhaps we should go further and question why there is a need for a registration exam. Is there eviden…
Hospitals outperforming primary care on antibiotic stewardship, says Public Health England When it comes to implementing toolkits for antimicrobial stewardship, hospitals are doing better than primary care, according to research by Public Health England.…
Antioxidant shows promise in preventing hearing loss caused by aminoglycoside antibiotics Researchers are calling for a clinical trial to determine the protective effects of N-acetylcysteine in reducing the risk of deafness in patients taking aminoglycoside antibiotics for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.…
Deaths: Alan AirleyOn 11 September 2015, Alan Airley MRPharmS, aged 79, of Whitefield, Manchester. Mr Airley registered with the Society in 1959. …
Dexamethasone improves septic arthritis in children Taking dexamethasone with antibiotic treatment was found to enhance recovery in children diagnosed with septic arthritis.…
McKesson announces more takeover plans The US pharmaceutical giant behind the proposed acquisition of 281 Sainsbury’s pharmacies has announced more takeover plans for the UK and the Irish Republic.…
Calendar packs can aid adherenceAll medicines that are taken regularly (e.g. for blood pressure) should have the days of the week printed on the blister pack to aid adherence. Unfortunately I find it increasingly difficult to find such packaging. If these were more readily available it may reduce the number of patients needing and…
Disparity between pass rates for community and hospital trainees is cause for concern, says pharmacy regulator The continuing difference in pass rates between hospital and community trainees for the pharmacy registration assessment has been described as a “cause for concern” by the professional regulator.…
FDA strengthens fracture warnings for canagliflozin The US medicines safety watchdog has strengthened its warnings about the risk of bone fractures for type 2 diabetes patients who take canagliflozin.…
