PJ, August 2017, Vol 299, 7904

Identifying screen-dry eye in your customers with the Optrex Blink Test

See if your patients have signs of dry eye with the Optrex Blink Test — a valuable tool that pharmacists and pharmacy teams can use to screen customers right there in the community pharmacy.…

Direct-acting antivirals successfully treating hepatitis C, says Public Health England

Public Health England is urging the public to get tested for hepatitis C after its latest figures revealed a fall in deaths from the disease, which it attributed to the introduction of direct-acting antiviral therapy.…

A chance to help end homeopathy prescribing on the NHS

On 21 July 2017, NHS England announced plans to prevent GPs from prescribing homeopathic remedies ( The Pharmaceutical Journal online, 21 July 2017). NHS England’s consultation is part of a wider cost-saving exercise, but in relation to homeopathy alone NHS England estimates …

No evidence that stopping antibiotics early encourages antibiotic resistance, say experts

Evidence does not support the ‘deeply embedded’ link between stopping antibiotics early and resistance, says BMJ analysis.…

No antivirals for flu until further notice, Department of Health says

Department of Health announces halt to prescribing and supplying antivirals to treat influenza as data show that circulation of the virus has returned to baseline levels.…

Package of antimicrobial drugs reduces deaths in HIV-infected adults and children

REALITY trial, conducted by University College London, reduced death rates in HIV-infected adults and children by more than 25%.…

Boots apologises following morning after pill row

High street pharmacy chain Boots has released an apology after it was publicly criticised by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service for including a “sexist surcharge” on emergency hormonal contraception.…

‘Brutal’ impact on pharmacies likely from Category M reimbursement price cut

Category M reimbursement prices are to be reduced again, and “the impact on community pharmacy will be severe,” chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), Sue Sharpe, has warned.…

RPS has ‘serious concerns’ over proposals to remove some products from prescription

Royal Pharmaceutical Society rejects NHS England’s plans to restrict prescribing of clinically effective medicines by pharmacists and GPs.…

Q&A: Why pharmacists must prepare for precision medicine

Murray Aitken, co-author of a new report on system therapeutics, including precision medicines, explains to Julia Robinson the important role pharmacy will play in precision medicine.…