Dosage forms

Superior shelf-life of Emerade

Last summer, I went into anaphylactic shock after being stung by a wasp. When I had recovered, my GP said I should carry an adrenaline auto-injector pen with me and we chose the Emerade brand rather than Epipen because, in addition to having a higher and more realistic dosage (500Î¼g) i…

Asthma patients deserve better care

The 2016 Asthma UK annual asthma survey has produced some shocking findings. There are 5.4 million people in the UK diagnosed with asthma, but we found that two-thirds were not receiving the basic care that they need in order to stay well. This is worrying in the context that the majority of t…

New inhaler standards endorsed by RPS

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has endorsed a new set of inhaler standards developed by the UK Inhaler Group (UKIG) — a coalition of not-for-profit organisations and professional societies with a common interest in promoting the correct use of inhaled therapies. The standards have…

EMA recommends approval for oral rheumatoid arthritis drug

The European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended that baricitinib (Olumiant; Eli Lilly), an oral therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is granted a marketing authorisation in the EU.…

Better therapy persistence seen with separate antihypertensives than single fixed-dose combinations

Patients who take antihypertensive treatment as separate pills are more likely to continue the therapy than those who take it as a single fixed-dose combination, a study shows.…

Patients need training to use inhalers properly, study finds

Ellipta inhaler device comes out on top in GSK-sponsored research comparing several types of inhaler devices and their misuse among COPD and asthma patients.…

Dangers with inappropriate use of long-acting beta agonists

Caution is required when prescribing or dispensing long-acting beta agonists to manage airways diseases, such as asthma.…

NICE recommends first asthma treatment to target eosinophils

Mepolizumab has been recommended as an add-on injectable treatment for severe refractory eosinophilic asthma in adults.…

FDA approves treatment for postmenopausal sexual dysfunction

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved dehydroepiandrosterone for the treatment of vulvovaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women.…