UK pharmacy regulator concerned by plans for EU-wide professional registration The pharmacy regulator has expressed “grave concerns” about the introduction of the European Professional Card being introduced in January 2016.…
Confusing sulfadiazine with sulfasalazineComputerised prescribing systems make it all too easy to give patients sulfadiazine (a treatment for rheumatic fever and toxoplasmosis) instead of sulfasalazine (a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis). Similar dosing and adjacent keyboard letters D and S may exacerbate this. In our region, three pati…
UK data suggest wide variation in GP prescribing safety Audit shows there is scope for improving prescribing safety, but further research is needed.…
Biosimilar medicines in rheumatology The long-term safety of biosimilar medicines is unknown, but while their use in rheumatology practice is supported, switching patients currently responding and tolerating the reference product is not.…
FDA issues safety warning about AbbVie’s hepatitis C treatments The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a safety warning about two hepatitis C treatments, which it says can cause serious liver injury and can result in death.…
Cancer drug shows promise for Parkinson’s disease Patients with Parkinson’s disease were given the leukaemia drug nilotinib, which improved symptoms of the disease.…
Antibiotic resistance threatens surgical procedures and chemotherapy, study warns Around 120,000 additional infections and 6,300 deaths in the United States each year could occur as a result of a 30% reduction in the efficacy of prophylactic use of antibiotics.…
How lookalike medicines can cause harm to patients Involving clinicians in the design of drug packaging would help reduce the number of lookalike medicines and lower the risk of dispensing errors and patient harm.…
Study supports safety of medical cannabis for chronic pain Patients with chronic pain who medicate with cannabis were at no higher risk of serious adverse events than patients who did not take cannabis.…
Chief pharmacists: pharmacy’s future is ‘clinical and digital’ The pharmacy workforce must embrace clinical practice in the next few years amid advancements in medical and dispensing technologies, according to the UK’s chief pharmaceutical officers.…