Medicines regulation and law

PJ view: Changes to hub-and-spoke legislation are too late for a community pharmacy sector in crisis

From 1 January 2025, all community pharmacies will be able to outsource dispensing to a third party but the “significant impact” it will have on the challenges facing the sector have been overstated by the government.…

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to be able to supply naloxone without a prescription

The expanded access to take-home naloxone follows two government consultations carried out in 2021 and 2024, respectively.…

MHRA announces development of tool for public to report websites selling fake medicines

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the new checking tool will allow it to investigate and take enforcement action against unsafe websites.…

Pharmacy regulator considers giving up legal authority to conduct covert investigations of pharmacists

The General Pharmaceutical Council has not used its covert surveillance powers since being granted them in 2018.…

Chief pharmacist role should be mandatory, says RPS

The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists has also raised concerns about the wellbeing of chief pharmacists, who it said face risk of burnout, in response to a consultation on draft standards for the role of chief pharmacists.…

Fourteen nitazenes made Class A controlled drugs

The Home Office has made 15 new synthetic opioids Class A drugs “to prevent drug related deaths in the UK”.…

MHRA approvals miss targets by more than 100 days, data show

In January 2024, it took an average of 333 days for a regulatory decision to be made for a medicine under the national route for marketing authorisations, versus a statutory timescale of 210 days.…

Pharmacy2U purchase of LloydsDirect given go ahead by competition regulator

The Competition and Markets Authority announced it was investigating the acquisition in December 2023.…

UK regulator recommends new safety measures for medicines containing pseudoephedrine

Safety information for all medicines containing pseudoephedrine will be updated to make clear the risk of rare, but serious, side effects.…

Codeine linctus to be reclassified as a prescription-only medicine

While codeine linctus is effective for long-term dry cough, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said “misuse and abuse can have major health consequences”.…