Immune system diseases

EMA recommends measures to help patients use adrenaline auto-injectors correctly

The European Medicines Agency is recommending a raft of new measures to help educate patients and carers on the proper use of adrenaline auto-injectors.…

Trauma to joints can increase risk of psoriatic arthritis

Patients with psoriasis who experience trauma to the joints or bones are up to 50% more likely to go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, finds new research.…

Hayfever symptoms

8 June 2015: Royal Pharmaceutical Society spokesperson Elen Jones wrote an article in the Western Mail in Wales about hayfever and how people can visit a pharmacy to seek treatment for their symptoms. Jones said: “Pharmacists are the experts on effects of medicines on people, so speak to…

Patients with systemic sclerosis have higher levels of inflammatory gut bacteria

Patients with the autoimmune disorder systemic sclerosis have a unique microbiome pattern in their gut, suggests research presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.…

Increase of ragweed pollen predicted across Europe

Results of a modelling study suggest that ragweed pollen loads in Europe are likely to increase four-fold by 2050, as a result of climate change and transitions in land use.…

Anaesthetists campaign for pholcodine cough medicines to become prescription-only products

Anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand are campaigning for pholcodine-containing cough medicines to become prescription-only products.…

Penicillin allergy rates may be wildly overestimated

A study finds 94% of participants wrongly believed they were allergic to penicillin.…

NICE calls on pharmacists to check patients’ drug allergy status

Pharmacists should routinely check a patient’s drug allergy status before they dispense a prescription, says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.…

Are reported drug allergies in children always properly diagnosed?

Abstract Aim To assess the prevalance of parent-reported drug allergy and determine whether the reported allergy had a confirmed diagnosis Design Examination of drug charts over a one-month period, followed by interview …

Which hayfever medicine is the best?

It's that time of year when the pollen count is high and even those who have never suffered from hayfever find themselves feeling a little under the weather.…