PJ October 2026, Vol 317, No 8014

Scotland’s first drug-checking service postponed with no new opening date

Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership said “there are a number of operational and technical complexities to work through” before the site could open.…

Emergency contraception pharmacy service is reducing health inequality, says NHS England

A key objective of the pharmacy contraception service was to make it “as accessible as possible” in deprived areas of England, says Kirsty Armstrong, senior policy lead for clinical strategy for pharmacy at NHS England.…

How to solve the enduring pharmacy degree awarding gap

The awarding gap between white pharmacy students and students from ethnic minorities is a long-standing issue, but what sort of proposals are pharmacy leaders putting forward to address it?…

Community pharmacists can prescribe outside of existing Pharmacy First age limits, NHS England confirms

Kirsty Armstrong, senior policy lead for clinical strategy for pharmacy at NHS England, said that prescribers will be able to use their clinical judgement if a patient falls slightly outside eligibility age ranges for Pharmacy First treatments.…

Infertility and in vitro fertilisation medicines

IVF requires a carefully designed series of medications to regulate the menstrual cycle, stimulate egg production and support embryo implantation. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the medicines used, and evaluates the role of adjuvants and add-ons.…

Pharmacists could become AI ‘liability sinks’, warns Pharmacists’ Defence Association  

Mark DasGupta, director of professional development at the Pharmacists’ Defence Association, said that while regulation catches up with AI advances, pharmacists could be held liable for its use and outputs.…

Neighbourhood health centres: where does community pharmacy fit in?

Local pharmacy leaders say they have struggled to get involved in planning the first neighbourhood health centres, due to open in 2027, although some integrated care boards say they are working with pharmacy on their plans.…

Only one in three pharmacies allow prescription tracking in NHS App, Pharmacy Show told

Rahul Singal, chief pharmacy and medicines information officer at NHS England, said that adoption of the tracking feature, which was launched in May 2025, had "stalled".…

How we developed the BOPA digital SACT verification passport

The British Oncology Pharmacy Association Digital SACT Verification Passport is a collective achievement in cancer care training, but what can we expect from it in the future?…

Industry gifts and payments can influence prescribing, Cochrane review finds

The Cochrane review authors noted that food and drink, consultancy payments, and educational expenses were among offers associated with ‘inappropriate’ authorisations.…