PJ, 4 October 2014, Vol 293, No 7830

On parade with Marmite

Marmite contains a high concentration of thiamine. Roger Poole explains why soldiers in World War I had to eat it — like it or not.…

Smartphone camera could monitor glaucoma

A new sensor, implanted into the eye, may help glaucoma sufferers monitor their condition in a better way.…

Pharmacists are advised to store Buscopan and baclofen separately to avoid errors

Several occurrences of patients being given the wrong medicine has led to a recommendation that Buscopan (hyoscine butylbromide) and baclofen be stored separately. …

Evidence base does not always work in retail environment

I read with interest Anthony Cox’s piece on evidence-based medicine (EBM) in over-the-counter (OTC) products (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:176). As a community pharmacist with a strong support for EBM, I enjoyed the enthusiasm and desire to strive for this approach with OTC product…

Science is intrinsic to pharmacy

At the recent Royal Pharmaceutical Society conference, Scotland’s chief pharmaceutical officer Bill Scott suggested that the focus of the pharmacy degree should not be on science. But science is integral to the pharmacist’s role, argues Jonathan Tugbobo…

Combining a GLP-1 receptor agonist plus insulin proves more effective than other diabetes therapies

An alternative to insulin achieved robust glucose control for diabetes with no increased risk of hypoglycaemia or weight gain, conclude the authors of a systematic review of therapies.…

Off-label macular degeneration therapy has similar safety to costly licensed drug, study finds

Bevacizumab is similarly safe to use for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as the more expensive ranibizumab, but has a risk of causing gastrointestinal disorders, a Cochrane review has found.…

Memory slips associated with dementia risk

A new study adds weight to the hypothesis that subjective memory compliants are common and predict future cognitive impairment.…

Statin use in hospital for haemorrhagic stroke linked to improved survival

A retrospective cohort study suggests that statin use among patients with intracerebral haemorrhage improves survival.…