Aspirin reduces long-term risk of cancer in obese patients Obesity is associated with a greater risk of colorectal cancer in patients with Lynch syndrome but this risk is offset by taking aspirin regularly, an international study shows.…
E-cigarettes are at least 95% safer than smoking tobacco cigarettes, says Public Health England Public Health England has suggested that pharmacists encourage the use of e-cigarettes as an aid to stop smoking, but the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has concerns because the products are not regulated.…
Pharmacy’s governmental negotiator expresses reluctance over RPS contract proposals National pharmacy negotiators have expressed concern about proposals by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the National Association of Primary Care for the GP and community pharmacy national contracts to be “more aligned”.…
UK doctors could be reported for inappropriate antibiotic prescribing Healthcare professionals should question their colleagues’ prescribing of antimicrobials when they don’t comply with local or national guidelines, according to Mark Baker, director of the clinical centre for practice at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.…
Vaginal oestrogen improves sexual quality of life after menopause Vaginal oestrogen could improve the quality of life for a subset of post-menopausal women, without the high levels of systemic hormones found in hormone replacement therapy, according to a paper published in Menopause.…
SSRI antidepressants linked with lower risk of preterm birth Pregnant women who take SSRIs to treat their depression have a lower risk of giving birth prematurely or having a caesarean section than pregnant women with depression who do not take medication, a study finds.…
E-cigarettes get backing from UK public health body The Royal Society of Public Health is calling for wider adoption of electronic cigarettes by smoking cessation services and better education so that people understand the difference between nicotine addiction and the harmful effects of smoking. …
Metformin plays a role in lowering blood cholesterol Metformin, one of the most widely used medications for type 2 diabetes, has a positive effect on LDL cholesterol as well as blood glucose, according to research published in Diabetes Care.…
Barriers to reclassifying drugs identified by researchers Researchers have investigated the factors that influence the likelihood of reclassification of medicines from prescription-only to being available over-the-counter.…
Oversight body criticises the effectiveness of health regulation Health and care regulation is incoherent and expensive and there is little evidence for its effectiveness, says the Professional Standards Authority.…