PJ, September 2021, Vol 307, No 7953

Opioid prescribing for patients waiting for hip and knee surgery increased by 40% during pandemic

A surge in opioid prescribing for pre-operative pain has been attributed to longer wait times for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

COVID-19 booster jabs to be offered from late September 2021, says health secretary

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are used as a booster, irrespective of which product was used for the first and second vaccinations.…

Tocilizumab or sarilumab are equally suitable for treatment of COVID-19, new advice says

The advice comes as the government warns of shortages of tocilizumab.…

Monoclonal antibody treatment service to begin for hospitalised COVID-19 patients in October 2021

Exclusive: Patients in hospital in England with COVID-19, and later in the community, could start receiving neutralising monoclonal antibodies as a treatment for the disease by early October 2021.…

Lack of diversity among senior NHS pharmacists, data show

Exclusive: Data has revealed that of 41 senior pharmacy staff employed by NHS England and Improvement at Band 8a and above, 30 are of white ethnicity.…

GPs must take on more responsibility for paediatric prescribing from hospitals

The importance of safe paediatric prescribing must not be overlooked as healthcare systems evolve.…

Fewer than 700 community pharmacies sign up to provide hepatitis C testing

Exclusive: Data from NHS England have revealed that 662 pharmacies have registered to deliver the Hepatitis C Antibody Testing Service in its first year.…

NHS patients will be first in Europe to receive mutation-targeting lung cancer treatment

The tumour-agnostic drug sotorasib has been approved for the treatment of patients in England with non-small cell lung cancer.…

Pharmacists working in hospitals and general practice may face mandatory COVID-19 vaccination

The government has opened a consultation on making COVID-19 and flu vaccinations compulsory for frontline staff in general practice and hospitals, unless they are medically exempt.…

Expert panel issues ‘weak’ recommendation for use of medical cannabis for chronic pain

A BMJ rapid recommendation for medical cannabis to be used in the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic pain in adults and children has been labelled 'weak', owing to a close balance of harms and benefits.…