Immunology

Serology testing for COVID-19 is the way forward, but we could face a long wait

While news of imminent serology testing is incredibly encouraging, we must be pragmatic about how quickly it can be made available to the general public.…

The race to stop COVID-19

As a new strain of coronavirus threatens public health systems across the globe, researchers are racing to develop a vaccine.…

Working as a pharmacist on the groundbreaking new CAR-T therapy

Clinical pharmacist Jackie Chappell shares her experiences of working with CAR-T therapy, a new cell-engineering treatment for cancer.…

MMR: Winning the battle for hearts and minds

Community pharmacy is in a prime position to help refute damaging anti-vaccination myths and, as a direct result, could save lives.…

Appointment availability is behind huge number of missed measles vaccinations, PHE expert says

A senior epidemiologist at Public Health England has said that concerns about vaccinations are unlikely to be behind figures from international children’s charity UNICEF, which show that half a million children in the UK have not received their first vaccination against measles.…

Keeping the record straight on the availability of gene therapy for common variable immunodeficiency

A letter from Bill Gerber, published in The Pharmaceutical Journal in December 2017, which assessed gene therapy Strimvelis (indicated for a rare form of severe combined immunodeficiency [SCID]), is misleading and risks sowing confusion among patients living with common variable immunodeficiency (CV…

Pharma can lead the way toward cures for common variable immunodeficiency

In November 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended Strimvelis (GlaxoSmithKline), a gene therapy for a form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Although the therapy is priced at €594,000, NICE expects value for the money[1] ,[2] …

Researchers find way to overcome Zika vaccine–Dengue virus conundrum

Researchers have developed a vaccine that provides protection against the Zika virus in mice without increasing susceptibility to Dengue virus infection.…

How to identify symptoms of coeliac disease in community pharmacy and primary care

It is estimated that in the UK there are more than half a million people with clinically undiagnosed coeliac disease, caused by an adverse immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Pharmacists and healthcare professionals can play a key role in identifying indivi…

Researchers find metal impurities in vaccines, but European regulator challenges study

Lead, stainless steel, iron particles and other inorganic material have been found in a sample of vaccines manufactured in France and Italy, according to a study.…