PJ January 2021, Vol 306, No 7945

Government backs UK-wide pharmacy codeword for domestic abuse safe spaces

The ‘Ask for ANI’ scheme will enable people who are experiencing domestic abuse to speak to a trained pharmacist.…

Some antiepileptic drugs are safer than others for use during pregnancy, MHRA review concludes

Two antiepileptic drugs, lamotrigine and levetiracetam, are safer to take in pregnancy than others, a safety review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has found.…

Critically ill COVID-19 patients unlikely to benefit from convalescent plasma, early results from UK trial show

Results from the REMAP-CAP trial have suggested there is a very low probability that convalescent plasma reduces the number of days in intensive care or death in patients who are severely ill with COVID-19.…

Case-based learning: shingles

This article outlines how to recognise the signs and symptoms of shingles — a painful, blister-filled rash caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus — its causes and risk factors, and the role of pharmacists in managing treatment and preventing spread.…

Taking the P: why the founder of P-values would be turning in his grave

How P-values are used today has gradually morphed further and further from their intended use and scientists are now questioning the prominence they are given when interpreting clinical trial data.…

Abandoning print is a retrograde step

The announcement of a new and improved website for The Pharmaceutical Journal must be welcomed (Pharm J 2020;305[7944]:394), but the total abandonment of a print version is a highly damaging and retrograde step for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the profession. Before I am accused of a Luddite…

Gillian Leng: ‘COVID-19 has been a strain, but also an opportunity’

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s new chief executive, Gillian Leng, took the helm in April 2020. She speaks to us about what lessons the organisation has taken away from the past year.…

Haematopoietic stem cell transplant in children

This article outlines the pharmacist’s role during haematopoietic stem cell transplant in children and uses Great Ormond Street Hospital as an example to explore the patient journey and actions of the multidisciplinary team, specifically highlighting those of the pharmacist.…