PJ, 28 February 2015, Vol 294, No 7851

UK data confirm protective effect of statins against liver cancer

A study using data from the UK has observed a protective effect of statins against liver cancer, an effect previously seen in countries with high rates of the disease.…

Changes to dispensing errors legislation must strike the right balance

The proposed changes to the laws on dispensing errors are a step in the right direction but more needs to be done to remove the threat of prosecution from pharmacists.…

Supplying medicines to refugees: a logistical nightmare

During conflicts, humanitarian bodies not only face the obvious security risks of reaching people in need, they also have to deal with the growing bureaucracy involved in getting medicines to them.…

Atypical antipsychotics: overrated and overprescribed

Atypical antipsychotics are being overprescribed and used inappropriately in many countries. It is time to reduce the practice of prescribing atypical drugs to treat a wide variety of mental distress.…

Working environment of pharmacists can create ‘moral distress’

A literature review has found that pharmacists operate within a highly-regulated environment that creates the potential for moral distress to occur.…

Wider use of ranibizumab would cut incidence of blindness in diabetic macular oedema

An economic modelling study published in Ophthalmology suggests that wider use of ranibizumab could help prevent sight loss in thousands of US adults with diabetic eye disease.…

WHO announces new policy guidelines on injection safety

The World Health Organization wants to see universal adoption of syringes that can only be used once, to address the global problem of unsafe injections.…

Reduction in antipsychotic use by dementia patients must continue, says Cameron

The government wants to see a “significant” reduction in inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to people with dementia in England in the next five years.…

Decriminalisation proposals don’t go far enough

I was pleased to read the news story ‘Pharmacists will no longer face prosecution for honest dispensing errors under UK proposals’ (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2015;294:200). However, these proposals do not go far enough and still unfairly position pharmacists between a ro…

Caution needed with different strengths of medicines

I would like to highlight a risk I have encountered with “specials” medicines. My newborn daughter was discharged from hospital with a bag of medicines, including furosemide liquid 5mg/5ml and spironolactone liquid 10mg/5ml. When my husband collected a follow up prescription from our loc…