PJ, 6/13 December 2014, Vol 293, No 7839/40

RPS antimicrobial resistance event prompts parliamentary debate

Politicians in Scotland are set to debate the next steps to take in order to tackle rising antimicrobial resistance.…

Lundbeck’s chief executive resigns after code of ethics breach

Ulf Wiinberg has resigned as chief executive of the Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck after breaching the company’s code of ethics.…

Assessing suspected food poisoning cases in the UK

With more than 20,000 patients hospitalised in the UK each year because of food poisoning, quick assessment is essential.…

Medicines regulator amends conflict of interest rules to ensure suitability of experts

The European Medicines Agency has amended its policy on handling declarations of interest to ensure pharmaceutical experts are not unduly excluded.…

Provision of pharmacy services in England has increased, statistics show

The number of medicines use reviews and new medicine service interventions has risen steadily in England’s community pharmacies.…

Cochrane researchers call for better ways of studying medicines adherence

Methods to improve patients’ adherence to medicines are generally unproven and there is an urgent need to develop more effective approaches, say researchers.…

EllaOne to be available without prescription

EllaOne (ulipristal acetate), an emergency contraceptive, is to be made available without a prescription from community pharmacies throughout the European Union.…

The tide is turning in favour of e-cigarettes

I recently attended the E-cigarette Summit at the Royal Society in London on 13 November 2014, which aimed to offer the opportunity for debate around the use of e-cigarettes. I am a locum pharmacist and stop smoking adviser, and in my role I come across many patients who are smokers. For smoke…

GPhC reviews fitness-to-practise guidelines

Pharmacists who are dishonest with patients when care goes wrong could be removed from the professional register, the General Pharmaceutical Council has proposed.…

Government-backed plan supports greater role for pharmacy in management of high blood pressure

Community pharmacists should be commissioned to provide services that improve the management of people with high blood pressure or those who are at risk.…