Medicines use review

Pharmacist review of asthma patients is cost-effective, Italian study finds

A study conducted in Italy has found that a medicines use review (MUR) for asthma, with a protocol adapted from the UK, had a beneficial effect on patients’ asthma control and was cost effective compared with usual care.…

A quick intervention recommendation by community pharmacists for patients using inhalers

Many pharmacists are probably busy reviewing inhaler use and technique as part of their medicines use reviews and new medicine service processes for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The long-acting beta-2 agonist formoterol is a common ingredient in step-u…

Pharmacy indemnity insurance firm appoints chief operating officer after director steps down

John Murphy, the director of the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA), which provides professional indemnity insurance to pharmacists, has retired. The move has triggered a restructure in the body including the appointment of Tom Kirkbride as the PDA’s chief operating officer. Th…

Murray review calls for redesign of MURs and practical steps to establish national minor ailments scheme

Medicines use reviews (MURs) should be redesigned to include ongoing monitoring and regular patient follow-up, giving community pharmacists a much greater role in the management of patients with long-term conditions, according to a long-awaited review of community pharmacy services.…

The people behind the biggest pharmacy stories of 2016

In our review of 2016, The Pharmaceutical Journal highlights the people behind the biggest pharmacy stories of the past 12 months. These are men and women who we considered to be the most strongly connected with the news stories that had the biggest impact on our readers.…

Volume of prescriptions dispensed up 1.7% while number of pharmacies remains steady

The number of prescriptions dispensed in England by community pharmacies increased by 1.7% in 2015–2016, while the number of pharmacies stayed relatively steady, figures from NHS Digital show.…

Parkinson’s disease-specific medicines use review

Members of Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s London North West Local Practice Forum (LNW LPF) are working with charity Parkinson’s UK to develop a new service for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The overall aim is to develop a PD-specific medicines use review by designing and …

Using repeat dispensing systems to reduce medicines waste

The new guidance published on management of repeat medication requests by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, which negotiates the community pharmacy contract in England, and Pharmacy Voice, the trade association of community pharmacies in England, offers a plausible solutio…

GPhC warns pharmacy owners to deliver safe services regardless of funding cuts

The British pharmacy regulator has stressed that pharmacy owners must continue to ensure they have enough qualified staff to provide safe services, despite funding cuts that are due to be implemented from 1 December 2016.…

Community pharmacy care delivered at no net cost to public purse in 2015

Twelve services provided by community pharmacy in England delivered £3bn in net value during 2015, concludes a report commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.…