Anti-infective agents

Government recommends Paxlovid as first-line treatment for eligible COVID-19 patients

New guidance advises that patients who test positive for COVID-19 following their admission to hospital should be offered Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir) first.…

Pharmacist antibiotic use doubles after sore throat testing requirement is removed

Data from the Welsh community pharmacy Sore Throat Test and Treat (STTT) service show that antibiotic prescribing increased from 27% to 63% during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Community pharmacies to supply antiviral treatments to high-risk COVID-19 patients

Scottish community pharmacies will be able to dispense the antiviral molnupiravir to patients at high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.…

COVID-19 antiviral trial recruits more than 350 patients as community treatment is rolled out

As soon as they test positive for COVID-19, eligible patients are being encouraged to sign up to the PANORAMIC study, which is investigating the effects of molnupiravir.…

Antivirals for COVID-19: five questions that must be answered

The UK government has secured 730,000 doses of two new oral antivirals that it hopes will help to stop COVID-19 in its tracks and keep vulnerable people out of hospital this winter.…

Clostridioides difficile infection: management

A summary of the updates to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance related to the management of Clostridioides difficile infection and the implications for pharmacy practice across primary and secondary care.…

Delaying antibiotics is safe and effective in respiratory tract infection, analysis concludes

Researchers found no difference in symptom severity when comparing patients who received delayed antibiotics with those who received them immediately or not at all.…

‘Magic blankets’: a new classification of drugs that could help tackle future pandemics

In new pandemics, we won't have time to find 'magic bullets' — we need to build an armoury of broad-spectrum therapeutics that combat a range of pathogens.…

First antimicrobial drugs purchased via new ‘subscription’ payment model

The first antimicrobial drugs have been purchased via the UK’s new ‘subscription-type’ payment model.…

Azithromycin has no benefit for patients with severe COVID-19, RECOVERY trial data suggest

The antibiotic azithromycin has no meaningful clinical benefit for patients who are hospitalised with severe COVID-19, a preliminary analysis of data from the Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy trial has found.…