Medical conditions

Maternal vaccination: rationale, recommendations and role of pharmacists 

Pharmacists can support expectant mothers by knowing the recommended vaccinations for pregnant women, the rationale for their use and promoting maternal vaccination at every opportunity.…

Community pharmacies have administered more than 8,000 RSV vaccines in east of England

Exclusive: NHS England has said that 8,187 respiratory syncytial virus vaccinations have been delivered between October and November 2024 across 37 community pharmacies in Essex and Suffolk.…

RPS raises concerns after draft HIV guidance recommends unregulated website for purchasing PrEP

The guidance suggests options to patients who are unable or unwilling to access PrEP on the NHS and calls for community pharmacies to “support greater equity” in accessing the drug.…

British public divided on whether NHS should offer weight-loss jabs, survey results show

The findings of the Ipsos 'Public attitudes toward weight-loss injections' poll show that 37% of British adults surveyed support weight-loss injections being offered on the NHS, while 32% said they were opposed.…

Around 360,000 patients at risk of being ‘trapped’ on antipsychotics, researchers warn

The British Journal of General Practice's cross-sectional study highlights that between 360,000 and 390,000 patients in the UK could be being prescribed long-term antipsychotics "without regular psychiatric review”.…

GPs back proposal to scrap community pharmacy blood pressure checks

The motion aimed to address community pharmacies’ unfair expectation to seek funding from schemes such as blood pressure checks “due to underfunding of their core national contract”.…

First UK-wide joint asthma guideline recommends combination treatment for new diagnoses

The guideline recommends that all asthma patients over the age of 12 should be prescribed low dosages of inhaled corticosteroids and formoterol to address inflammation and symptoms.…

Community pharmacies administered more than half of all COVID-19 vaccines to people from ethnic minorities, data show

According to the Company Chemists’ Association, data from the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme show that more vaccinations should be commissioned from pharmacies to increase vaccine uptake, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.…

Adrenal insufficiency: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management

Patients with adrenal insufficiency are at risk of life-threatening adrenal crises. It is vital that pharmacists know how to treat this rare condition appropriately.…

NHS England seeks views on centralising flu vaccine procurement

NHS England says it wants to hear evidence of the benefits and challenges of a centralised procurement model in order to improve the effectiveness of the delivery of the flu vaccination programme.…