Scottish Parliament votes against assisted dying bill amid concerns over pharmacist protections The bill was rejected by 69 votes to 57, after several MSPs cited concerns about the lack of safeguards for healthcare professionals who do not wish to participate in assisted dying.…
RPS calls for mandatory 2D barcodes on medicines packs Since the UK left the EU in 2020, the Falsified Medicines Directive has not applied, meaning manufacturers have not been required to list certain information on medicines packaging.…
Aspirin added to list of medicines that cannot be exported from UK or hoarded The list contains medicines that have evidence or risk of critical shortages, which could adversely impact UK patients.…
NICE medicines thresholds: what’s changing and where is the money coming from? An insight into medicines spending and what changes can be expected from new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness thresholds.…
Scottish assisted dying amendment means pharmacists would be able to opt out The amendment was put forward during a debate on stage two of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill by Brian Whittle MSP, following representations by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.…
Changes to competition law could help pharmacy involvement in neighbourhood health services A report commissioned by Community Pharmacy England said that the GP and community pharmacy contracts are constructed in a way that disincentivises collaboration.…
Government opens consultation on giving pharmacists greater dispensing flexibilities A consultation document has outlined proposals that could enable pharmacists to substitute out-of-stock medicine with an alternative in urgent situations.…
Dale and Appelbe’s Pharmacy and Medicines Law: covering ‘essential ground in the most highly regulated areas of healthcare’ As the 13th edition of Dale and Appelbe’s Pharmacy and Medicines Law is printed for the final time before moving online, its authors Chris Langley and David Reissner reveal what has changed in this latest edition and reiterate its significance for anyone working in pharmacy.…
What does the assisted dying legislation mean for pharmacy? The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill still has a long way to go before becoming law and pharmacy organisations have unresolved questions about what it might mean for pharmacy practice.…
Everything you need to know about NICE’s decisions on ‘game-changing’ Alzheimer’s drugs In August and October 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued a decision not to recommend two new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease that experts had previously welcomed for their disease-modifying effects. We explain the reasons behind their decisions.…
