Medication safety

Common antibiotic taken with a diuretic linked to sudden death

Spironolactone, a diuretic used to treat heart failure whose side effects include hyperkalaemia (raised blood potassium levels), is associated with an increased risk of sudden death when combined with the antibiotic trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole.…

Study highlights safety concerns over morphine use after tonsillectomy

New research suggests that morphine should not be used for post-operative pain in children, as it may be unsafe in some children.…

Medicines regulator warns over unlicensed blood plasma product

An unlicensed medicine sold via European websites and which claims to treat HIV, cancer and autism, contains blood plasma never intended for human use.…

No-blame culture should be fostered in pharmacy

Even though the requirement to name a community pharmacy in patient safety reports has been postponed, the sector must do more to improve the reporting of dispensing errors.…

Use of NSAIDs associated with surgery complication

Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients undergoing surgery may be associated with anastomotic leak at the surgical junction, research confirms.…

Is it time to rethink the place of oral diclofenac?

In light of the withdrawal of diclofenac from OTC sale in UK pharmacies over concerns about cardiovascular safety, it may be time to reconsider the role of the drug altogether.…

Audit highlights problem of patients taking NSAIDs without gastroprotection

Many patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not co-prescribed gastroprotective agents, an audit of community pharmacies in England has found.…

Plans to name pharmacies in patient safety incident reports postponed

NHS England has postponed plans for community pharmacists to name their pharmacy when they report patient safety incidents until after the law is changed to decriminalise dispensing errors.…

Developing studies to test drug safety as a research fellow

In her role as principal research fellow at the Drug Safety Research Unit, Deborah Layton uses principles of pharmacoepidemiology to develop studies to help assess the safety of drugs.…