Pharmaceutical industry

Pharmacists to join NHS industrial action over pay rise offer

Exclusive: The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists says it will encourage its members to join any industrial action planned over pay.…

Medicine deliveries to community pharmacies disrupted by fuel crisis

Despite some issues with fuel supply affecting pharmacies in parts of England, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee says “there currently appears to be no issue with supply of medicines into the country”.…

Why it is too soon to celebrate the Alzheimer’s ‘wonder drug’

The US approval of aducanumab — the first disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer’s disease — based on a trial with a surrogate endpoint, has caused quite a stir. Here we look at the controversy and what the approval might mean for Alzheimer’s research.…

Action should be taken against pharmaceutical companies who hike prices of off-patent medicines

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author’s. If you would like to submit a letter to The Pharmaceutical Journal, please click here. We live in a time where a majority of us, in the UK, take a special pride in our NHS. We are told it’s the envy of much of the world. We kno…

NHS trusts forced to use ‘expensive’ pre-filled diamorphine syringes to manage ongoing supply issues

Exclusive: Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has had to source pre-filled diamorphine syringes from other NHS trusts to meet demand.…

Outer space and the effect of radiation on drugs

I very much enjoyed reading the informative feature 'Drugs in space: the pharmacy orbiting the Earth' by Megan Tatum in the July 2020 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal. In view of my studies on the effects of gamma and other ionising radiations on pharmaceuticals essentially for sterilisation …

I often confuse my plain white tablets — shouldn’t they have markings?

I am simply an ordinary patient of my local GP practice. I have several medical conditions controlled by a considerable number of tablet medications of various shapes, colours and sizes. I normally sort these into daily doses for seven days. Today, I noticed my morning intake of tablets w…

Government to consult on national falsified medicines detection system

The government has said it plans to consult the public on a national scheme to detect falsified medicines in the supply chain within a year after laws enabling the potential new scheme are enacted.…

First antimicrobial drugs purchased via new ‘subscription’ payment model

The first antimicrobial drugs have been purchased via the UK’s new ‘subscription-type’ payment model.…

Pharmacists told not to stockpile medicines as end of Brexit transition period nears

Pharmacists have been told not to stockpile medicines in advance of the end of the Brexit transition period.…