Department of Health (England)

PrEP to be phased into routine commissioning during 2020/2021

Pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs will be routinely commissioned by local authorities in a phased approach during the 2020/2021 financial year, the government has said.…

First COVID-19 treatment to be made available for use in UK outside a clinical trial

Remdesivir will become the first COVID-19 treatment in the UK to be made available for use outside a clinical trial.…

Government allows bulk import and storage of medical cannabis

The government has announced that licensed medicines wholesalers will be able to hold reserve stocks of medical cannabis, effective immediately.…

Community pharmacy referral scheme is not a new concept

The community pharmacist consultation service has been lauded since it was announced in July 2019, but it is similar to schemes that have been tried in recent years.…

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee adds five medicines to list of shortages

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has added five medicine shortages to its list of notifactions from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, bringing the total to 21 medicines shortages in the UK.…

Hepatitis A and B vaccine added to export ban list

The hepatitis A and B vaccine has been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK.…

Simon Dukes: ‘The government won’t say how many pharmacies it wants to close’

The chief negotiator for community pharmacy in England on the new contract he agreed with ministers, and what it means for the future of community pharmacy.…

Emergency contraception and smoking cessation should be commissioned nationally, say pharmacy organisations

Pharmacy organisations are calling for a single national service specification for prevention services in community pharmacy, such as smoking cessation and the provision of emergency hormonal contraception.…

Wholesalers ‘hoarding’ medicines could face criminal charges, says government

Wholesale dealer licence holders could face criminal charges if they hoard certain medicines that have been placed under restrictions by the government, guidance published by the Department of Health and Social Care states.…

Some strengths of fluoxetine unavailable until December 2019

Manufacturing issues affecting the supply of the antidepressant fluoxetine mean that some strengths may not be available until December 2019, the Department of Health and Social Care has warned.…