Risk of unintentional overdose higher for long-acting opioids Patients taking long-acting opioids are more than twice as likely to overdose unintentionally than patients taking short-acting opioids, study finds.…
NHS is paying too much for drugs to the detriment of other services, analysis suggests The NHS is paying too much for new drugs and this is not in the best interests of patients overall, an analysis by health economists has found.…
Eltoprazine could tackle dyskinesia side effect in Parkinson’s disease, study suggests Researchers have evaluated the use of eltoprazine, a selective partial agonist at the 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors, for its ability to counteract dyskinesias.…
Infliximab biosimilars to launch in the UK as innovator product reaches patent expiryNapp Pharmaceuticals and Hospira will both launch biosimilars of Janssen Biologic’s Remicade in the UK after its patent expires on 24 February 2015.…
Pharmaceuticals in the environment: a growing problem Drugs taken by humans and animals find their way into rivers, lakes and even drinking water, and can have devastating effects on the environment.…
Inhaled corticosteroids: managing side effects Inhaled corticosteroids are commonly prescribed but need careful management to minimise the risk of side effects.…
Hydroxyzine safety measures loom after heart risk review The European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has confirmed that hydroxyzine is associated with a “small but definite risk” of serious heart rhythm anomalies.…
Pharmacists handed guide to changes in drug driving rules Guide from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society covers advice for patients and details drugs affected by new legislation.…
Tizanidine interactions Careful titration of the skeletal muscle relaxant tizanidine is required to avoid dose-related hypotension, and its serum levels can be increased by drugs that inhibit CYP1A2.…
Providing medicines information for community, hospital and the pharmaceutical industry Medicines information pharmacists provide a specialist service across community and hospital pharmacy, as well as within the pharmaceutical industry. What does the role involve and what skills do you need to do it?…
