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Health news round-up: tobacco and vapes bill, unlicensed emergency medicine and GLP-1s in pregnancy

Our weekly summary of the important developments in pharmacy and health news you may have missed.…

Ensuring patient safety: detecting altered images in online GLP-1 consultations

The demand for GLP-1 medicines, such as Wegovy (semaglutide; NovoNordisk) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide; Eli Lilly), continues to rise among patients seeking weight loss. While these treatments are clinically indicated for individuals with obesity or specific metabolic conditions, we are increasingly se…

Seven men sentenced after MHRA seizes 130,000 doses of unauthorised medicines

Enforcement action carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has led to seizure of more than 130,000 doses of unauthorised medicines.…

Apixaban linked to lower risk of recurrent blood clots compared with warfarin

Compared with warfarin, people in both frail and non-frail cohorts taking apixaban experienced an average of 12.1 fewer days of home time loss, a study found.…

Regulator sets actions for safeguarding in pharmacy weight management services

The General Pharmaceutical Council says pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists must document risk assessments for all aspects of weight management services.…

Fluoroquinolone prescribing in Wales reduced by over one-third over 12 months

According to the All-Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre report, the most common fluoroquinolone prescribed in Wales was ciprofloxacin, followed by ofloxacin, as of March 2025.…

Health news round-up: new cancer drugs, pharmacogenomics, and whether GLP-1s cause erectile dysfunction

Our weekly summary of the important developments in pharmacy and health news you may have missed.…

Paxlovid speeds COVID-19 recovery but does not reduce hospital admissions

Across two trials, more than 4,000 patients were randomised to receive usual care or Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir; Pfizer) within three or four days of symptom onset.…

Investigational anti-clotting drug reduced stroke risk by more than one-quarter, study finds

Researchers observed a 17% reduction in major cardiovascular events in patients who took asundexian compared with the placebo group.…

Gabapentinoids found to increase risk of drug toxicity

Researchers found that patients taking gabapentinoids with benzodiazepines were at double the risk of being hospitalised with drug poisoning, while combining the drug with opioids has a 30% increase in risk.…