GPhC writes to pharmacy teams after methotrexate dispensed with instruction to take once daily An email sent by Roz Gittins, chief pharmacy officer at the GPhC, advised pharmacy teams to supply methotrexate in line with a drug safety update published by the MHRA in September 2020.…
Levetiracetam information updated to include studies that suggest no link to autism The updated summary of product characteristics for the anti-epileptic medicine now includes two observational studies.…
Weight-loss drugs: is social media promotion to teenagers still a problem? Following an investigation conducted by The Pharmaceutical Journal in 2022, which revealed that weight-loss drugs were being promoted to teenagers on TikTok, we look at whether anything has changed.…
Barcode errors ‘potentially fatal’, warns patient safety commissioner Exclusive: All four UK chief pharmaceutical officers also wrote an open letter to pharmaceutical companies earlier this year urging them to continue 2D barcodes on medicine packs, despite it no longer being mandatory following Brexit.…
How safe are GLP-1s? As the use of weight-loss drugs continues to increase, there has been a rise in documented side effects. But what are the serious and unwanted effects of these drugs, and is Yellow Card reporting capturing enough information?…
Rapid review finds no clear link between autism and paracetamol in pregnancy Seven of the nine reviews concerning maternal paracetamol use during pregnancy warned against inferring a causal link, researchers found.…
‘Balanced’ guidance on isotretinoin welcomed as MHRA launches survey The Commission on Human Medicines-endorsed updates to isotretinoin guidance encourages patients to ask about mental health or sexual dysfunction side effects associated with the drug in follow-up consultations.…
PJ view: The government’s approach to illegal street drugs should focus on treatment and prevention While the first drug-checking service has now been approved in Scotland, where the only safe drug consumption room is located, the government has reiterated that there are no plans to expand these across the UK.…
Vigilance needed for posaconazole product mis-selection A new safety concern has emerged in UK pharmacy practice following launch of the gastro-resistant posaconazole powder for oral suspension (Noxafil 300 mg gastro-resistant powder and solvent for oral suspension; Merck Sharp and Dohme). This product, now licensed for paediatric patients from the age o…
First street drug-checking service approved in Scotland Users of the service — to open at the site where ‘The Thistle’ drug consumption room is located — will be able to submit drugs for testing and receive harm-reduction advice alongside the results.…
