What we need is public health education, not finger pointingAlthough I do not disagree with Anthony Cox’s views on selling only evidence-based over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:176), his views are those of an academic working in a university and not from a pharmacist standing at a medical counter facing a sales …
OTC domperidone will be missedThe antiemetic domperidone’s reclassification shows the importance of pharmacovigilance, but the loss of such a useful over-the-counter medicine ought to have been better communicated to community pharmacies.…
Dentine hypersensitivity The causes and treatments for a condition that affects six out of ten people at any time.…
Evidence base does not always work in retail environmentI read with interest Anthony Cox’s piece on evidence-based medicine (EBM) in over-the-counter (OTC) products (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:176). As a community pharmacist with a strong support for EBM, I enjoyed the enthusiasm and desire to strive for this approach with OTC product…
OTC medicines: a breakdown Sales of over-the-counter medicines totalled £2.45bn in 2013, up by £52.3m compared with the previous year.…
Over-the-counter treatments for athlete’s foot This fungal skin infection is estimated to affect more than 15% of the world’s population. Make sure your pharmacy team knows how to advise patients in managing this common condition.…
Acne vulgaris Acne affects eight out of ten teenagers and can persist into later life. Pharmacists have a wide range of treatments to offer patients.…
How treatment is labelled affects migraine pain scores, study findsGiving patients positive information about their treatment for acute migraine contributes to a successful outcome, whether the patient is given active drug or placebo, a US study has shown ( Science Translational Medicine ; 8 January 2013).…
Vitamin D status of pregnant women linked to muscle strength of offspringA woman’s vitamin D status during pregnancy could be positively associated with the muscle strength of her offspring, according to a study by Southampton researchers published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2014;99:330).…
Use and efficacy of herbal medicines: Part 2 — clinical effectivenessIn this second part of a two-part article, the authors examine the efficacy and clinical effectiveness of, and evidence for, the use of herbal medicines…