Medical conditions

How pharmacists in Nigeria are helping to manage the Ebola outbreak

With a total of 90 representatives from Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon at this year’s FIP congress in Thailand, Ebola was a recurrent theme.…

New antibiotic for hospital-acquired pneumonia now available in Europe

The antibiotic telavancin (Vibativ) has been made available in Europe for the treatment of adults who have contracted pneumonia in hospital, including ventilator associated pneumonia, caused by meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.…

Report finds ‘dramatic’ reduction in the number of childhood deaths between 1990 and 2013

The number of deaths among children under five years of age fell by 49% worldwide between 1990 and 2013, according to Unicef, the World Health Organization and the World Bank.…

Chokeberries aid chemotherapy, suggests study

Chokeberry supplementation could be part of cancer therapy strategies.…

Genetics plays a role in drug-induced pancreatitis

New research identifies a genetic variant that confers increased susceptibility to drug-induced pancreatitis.…

Researchers highlight Ral inhibitors as possible anti-cancer agents

US researchers have identified a potentially novel therapeutic against cancer.…

New melanoma treatment approved by NICE

The National Institute for Health and care Excellence has issued draft guidance recommending that dabrafenib should be available on the NHS for the treatment of melanoma that has spread or can’t be completely removed by surgery in patients with a BRAF gene mutation. …

Electronic nose to sniff the whiff of C diff

An electronic detection tool may be able to identify what strain of bacteria Clostridium difficile is present in faeces.…

Still feeling the Vioxx pain

Ten years after Vioxx was abruptly withdrawn from the market, its story is still affecting society’s perception of the drug regulatory system and the safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.…

Antipsychotics and forensics: my week in mental health pharmacy

In a week-long mental health placement at Nottingham Healthcare Trust, pharmacy student Catherine Leggett had the opportunity to visit a mother and baby ward and a low security forensic ward…