Medical conditions

Ebola trials fast-tracked in Africa

Experimental drugs for Ebola are to be fast-tracked in clinical trials being set up in West African states that are fighting the epidemic. …

OTC domperidone will be missed

The antiemetic domperidone’s reclassification shows the importance of pharmacovigilance, but the loss of such a useful over-the-counter medicine ought to have been better communicated to community pharmacies.…

TLR5 and gut micro-organisms involved in influenza vaccine response, research suggests

Researchers identify a correlation between toll-like receptor 5 expression shortly after vaccination and the subsequent magnitude of the antibody response.…

UK pharmacists asked to volunteer in Ebola outbreak

UK pharmacists have been urged to volunteer in the fight against Ebola in West Africa in an open letter from four of the most senior figures in UK healthcare. …

Patients taking warfarin should self-monitor their coagulation status, says NICE

NICE recommends two point-of-care coagulometers for use by patients – Roche Diagnostic’s CoaguChek XS system and Alere’s INRatio2 PT/INR monitor.…

UK considers adding boys to HPV vaccination programme

Public health authorities are considering whether boys should receive the HPV vaccine.…

Public health nurses to supply medicines in emergencies, agency proposes

Some 300 nurses employed by Public Health England may be authorised to supply and administer vaccines and other medicines during outbreaks of infectious diseases. …

Nepal adopts inactivated polio vaccine

Nepal is to become the country to incorporate inactivated polio vaccine into routine childhood vaccination programmes with the support of GAVI.…

E-cigarettes unhelpful for cancer patients, study suggests

Study casts doubt on the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking.…

Patients more likely to stick to using generic rather than brand-name statins, US study suggests

The use of generic statins generally led to better health outcomes for patients than those using brand-name drugs, a study showed – because the lower cost of the generic version usually meant better adherence. …