PJ, October 2021, Vol 307, No 7954

We need genuine evidence on inclisiran, not hyperbole

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author’s. If you would like to submit a letter to The Pharmaceutical Journal, please click here. In July 2017, The Pharmaceutical Journal published an opinion article, 'The cholesterol and calorie hypotheses are both dead — it is …

Health secretary considers adopting ‘Pharmacy First’ service for England

Sajid Javid said he was “asking my department to work with the NHS and look at a ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme for England, so pharmacists can provide treatment for specific conditions, such as sore throats, without patients having to go to their GP".…

Diabetes in hospital: could more specialist pharmacists reduce high error rates?

Error rates for insulin and diabetes medicines among hospital inpatients remain unacceptably high, yet there is a severe lack of specialist diabetes pharmacists across the NHS.…

Two-thirds of hospital trusts do not employ a specialist diabetes pharmacist

Exclusive: Out of 93 hospital trusts that responded to a Freedom of Information request, only 31 trusts said they employ a specialist diabetes pharmacist.…

Pharmacies administer record numbers of flu vaccines despite supply issues

Since the start of the 2021/2022 flu vaccination programme, community pharmacies in England have administered at least 1.8 million flu vaccines, up on the 1.4 million administered during the same time period in 2020.…

Tribute: John Kirby (1931–2021)

My father John was the son of a pharmacist and, on qualifying in 1957, joined the small retail chain of John Keall Ltd in St John’s Wood, London. John Keall was a founder of the National Pharmaceutical Union — now known as the National Pharmacy Association — a past president of the Royal Pharm…

Pharmacy contractors claim nearly £270m in costs related to COVID-19

Exclusive: The NHS Business Services Authority has received financial claims from 9,974 pharmacies, totalling almost £270m, for costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Pharmacy is the ‘logical place’ to provide naloxone kits, says Community Pharmacy Wales

Responding to the Department of Health and Social Care's consultation on improving naloxone access across the UK, Community Pharmacy Wales emphasised the accessibility of community pharmacy.…

Almost three-quarters of community pharmacists report an increase in abuse by patients during 2021, finds survey

Exclusive: Of the 400 people working in community pharmacy who responded to The Pharmaceutical Journal's 2021 salary survey, 295 said they had experienced an increase in abuse during the past year.…

Aim for the pain: reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in otitis media

Pharmacists are well placed to lead the reduction of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for children with middle ear infection.…