Pregabalin prescribing increases by almost 25% since restrictions imposed Exclusive: Almost 670,000 patients in England were prescribed pregabalin when it was first reclassified in 2018/2019, compared with more than 820,000 patients in 2023/2024.…
Potency warning labels for topical steroids to be introduced following reports of adverse reactions The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received 267 Yellow Card reports of withdrawal reactions from topical steroids in two years.…
Government introduces ‘emergency ban’ on overseas prescriptions for puberty blockers The new arrangements, which apply to gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, follow the Cass Review recommendation that inappropriate overseas prescribing of hormone supplies should be prevented.…
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.…
