Drug withdrawal delays are causing avoidable deaths, investigation finds The average time it has taken for a drug to be withdrawn following deaths attributable to it has remained constant at four years since the middle of the last century.…
A decade of smoking cessation in Europe The continent with the worst smoking habit is gradually giving it up. A range of anti-smoking policies and new cessation products has led to reduced rates of smoking in most countries, which will eventually impact on smoking-related deaths.…
New antibiotics for skin infections get seal of approval from European Medicines Agency Three new antibiotics to treat serious skin infections have been recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency.…
No-blame culture should be fostered in pharmacyEven 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.…
EMA recommends suspending licences for 700 drugs over flawed analyses by GVK BiosciencesThe European Medicines Agency is recommending that the marketing authorisation be suspended for more than 700 generic products tested by GVK Biosciences.…
What is causing the delay to decriminalising dispensing errors?Well hooray and alleluia! A ray of common sense pierces the clouds of officialdom. Now community pharmacists will not have to “dob themselves in” to the authorities until legal defences are put in place to counter the strict liability offence that arises when a dispensing error is made. …
EMA recommends approval of liraglutide as weight loss drugThe European Medicines Agency is recommending that the prescription-only injectable drug liraglutide (Saxenda) should be granted a marketing authorisation as a weight loss product.…
Searching social networks to detect adverse reactions Regulators and pharmaceutical companies are monitoring social media posts for potential adverse drug reaction signals.…
Treating mental health disorders in children and adolescents ‘Clinical handbook of psychotropic drugs for children and adolescents 3rd edition’ by Elbe D, Bezchlibnyk-Butler K Z, Virani A S , Procyshyn R M.…
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.…