Medicines regulation and law

Recognising adverse events and using the Yellow Card system

An overview of how to identify, manage and report adverse events.…

Yellow Card reporting in East London NHS Foundation Trust

The Yellow Card scheme is a system for reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from medicines or adverse incidents with medical devices in the UK, ensuring that these products are safe for both healthcare professionals and patients​1–3​. Reporting these issues helps the MHRA to identify new sa…

House of Commons passes amendment allowing pharmacists to opt out of assisted dying process

The amendment means that pharmacy staff would be under no obligation to supply substances to be used in assisted dying.…

Change is needed in the NHS: the case for investing in dedicated system-wide teams to deliver

The NHS is one of the largest organisations of its kind in the world. It is estimated to be the sixth largest employer globally with access to substantial resources, but faces multiple long-term, structural challenges as demand for services increases continuously.   The need for ch…

Assisted dying exemption amendment for pharmacists to be debated in Parliament

Kim Leadbeater MP, who introduced the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, has proposed the amendment, which will be discussed at the Bill's report stage.…

Hub-and-spoke dispensing expansion set to begin in October 2025

Hub-and-spoke dispensing between different legal entities will be permitted from 1 October 2025 under draft amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.…

Regulators issue warning over prescription-only weight-loss drug advertisements

An enforcement notice has warned that prohibitions include non paid-for content on social media, sponsored searches on search engines and influencer marketing.…

Online pharmacies more than twice as likely to fail regulatory standards, finds analysis

Exclusive: An analysis conducted by The Pharmaceutical Journal has found that between April 2024 and January 2025, 10% of distance-selling pharmacies failed General Pharmaceutical Council inspections compared with 5% of high street pharmacies.…

The big online pharmacy clampdown

Distance-selling pharmacies continue to fail inspections at a higher rate than their bricks-and-mortar counterparts. Will the General Pharmaceutical Council’s latest guidance successfully clamp down on rogue operators, or is more action needed?…

Genetic testing could prevent three-quarters of avoidable side effects of some medicines, study suggests

Researchers found that patients experiencing adverse drug reactions to treatments for psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular problems could benefit the most from personalised prescribing with pharmacogenomics.…