Childhood antibiotic exposure linked with development of juvenile idiopathic arthritis Researchers have analysed health records of children in the UK and concluded that antibiotics may play a role in the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.…
Glitazone drugs could play a role in prevention of Parkinson’s disease Patients who take glitazone drugs to manage their diabetes may have some protection from developing Parkinson’s disease, suggests new research.…
First PCSK9 inhibitors approved in Europe and United States The US Food and Drug Administration has approved alirocumab (Praluent), days after evolocumab (Repatha) became the first PCSK9 inhibitor to be approved in the world.…
Call for national scheme for pharmacies to supply emergency medicines A national service that reimburses pharmacists for providing emergency supplies of prescription medicines would boost patient care, research suggests.…
How trainee pharmacist independent prescribers can work with their supervisors In order to qualify as an independent prescriber, pharmacists must be supervised by a designated medical practitioner. Sasa Jankovic explains how aspiring prescribers can help their supervisors understand their role.…
Members alienated from voting in RPS electionsRecent letters (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2015;294:20) have expressed concern over voter turnout in Royal Pharmaceutical Society pharmacy board elections. I wrote in 2013 ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2013;291:12) suggesting that many members feel alienated from the e…
More people should be taking statins for primary prevention, US study suggests US guidelines that set the threshold for starting statin therapy at a lower level than the threshold recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in England are cost effective, say researchers.…
Hospitals failing to pass on information about patients’ new drugs on discharge A third of hospital trusts admit that they fail to pass on information about new medicines to GPs or carers when patients are discharged, according to an inquiry by Healthwatch England…
Pre-registration pharmacist June exam pass rate falls to 74% A total of 2,077 pre-registration trainee pharmacists out of 2,811 passed their June 2015 registration assessment, a pass rate of 74%, the General Pharmaceutical Council has announced.…
Commercial ties may fuel unnecessary osteoporosis treatment The rising numbers of people taking up the recommendations of calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent and treat osteoporosis may be doing themselves more harm than good, according to an analysis in the BMJ.…
