PJ, March 2016, Vol 296, No 7887

Deaths: Neil Doggett

On 20 December 2015, Neil Doggett FRPharmS, aged 70, of Kington, Powys. Dr Doggett registered with the Society in 1968. He was  appointed as a lecturer in applied pharmacology at the Welsh school of pharmacy in 1971 and went on to be awarded a PhD in 1972 by the University of Aston for his thes…

Nivolumab recommended for advanced kidney cancer by European Medicines Agency

Nivolumab has been recommended for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma in adults by the European Medicines Agency.…

Misleading advertising from Pfizer

We were bemused by Pfizer’s recent advertising campaign splashed across London Underground’s Westminster Tube station. Pfizer has covered the station – prime advertising real estate for influencing MPs on their way to Parliament – with an advertisement about what it takes to …

The future of pharmacy will not be defined by cuts, says Burt

Alistair Burt, minister of state for community and social care, says that while the proposed 6% cuts to community pharmacy funding are unlikely to be reversed, they do not signal the end of community pharmacy “as we know it”.…

Errors in ‘hub-and-spoke’ dispensing could see risk of liability at both ends of the network, conference hears

Changing the law to allow independent pharmacies to use a ‘hub-and-spoke’ model of dispensing will be more complex than the government anticipates, as there are question marks around liability, according to David Reissner, a partner at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys.…

Worsening migraines in women using HRT indicate increased risk of stroke

Worsening migraines in users of hormone replacement therapy is associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke, according to a new study.…

MPs debate ‘perverse’ community pharmacy proposals

Government plans to slash £170m from the community pharmacy budget in England in October 2016 are uneconomic and short sighted because patients will turn to over-stretched GP services and hospital casualty departments to fill the gap in care, according to MPs.…

The man who discovered ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is one of the world’s best selling anti-inflammatory painkillers. Its pioneer, Stewart Adams, now 92 years old, tells Julia Robinson about how and why his discovery came to fruition.…

Reminder letters sent to GP practices cut antibiotic prescribing by 3.3%

GPs who prescribe the most antibiotics reduce the amount they prescribe by avoiding unnecessary prescriptions if they are sent feedback benchmarking their prescribing levels against those of their peers, a study has found.…

Petition set up to target prime minister over pharmacy cuts, as PSNC warns against strikes

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) will be launching a petition for pharmacy contractors in an attempt to combat the government’s proposed 6% cuts to the community pharmacy contractual framework, chair Ian Strachan told delegates at the Sigma conference in Jamaica on 16 February 2016.…