Pharmacology

NICE recommends drug treatment for long-term insomnia

Daridorexant has been recommended as a second-line treatment for long-term insomnia by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.…

Children and young people with asthma: pharmacological management and monitoring

The second of our two-part series on asthma in children and young people outlines pharmacological management and appropriate monitoring of the condition.…

How to advise women on the safe use of medicines while breastfeeding

Pharmacists should understand the pharmacokinetic principles influencing a drug’s passage through breast milk to confidently promote breastfeeding as an important public health measure.…

Should we be genetic testing before prescribing analgesics?

Managing pain is difficult because there are various factors that can influence how it is perceived, but pharmacogenomic testing may be able to help fine tune pharmaceutical interventions.…

How critical illness impacts drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

Critical illness can affect how drugs work in the body and how the body reacts to drugs. This can have important implications for treatment and the risk of adverse effects.…

Unlocking the potential of cannabinoids

Our understanding of the health benefits of cannabis is growing all the time, but there is still a lot to learn about cannabinoids — the chemicals in the cannabis plant that are the subject of medical interest – as well as misconceptions to tackle around cannabis-based medicines and products.…

How codeine metabolism affects its clinical use

A deeper understanding of codeine’s unique pharmacokinetic profile is required to ensure the best analgesic outcomes for patients.…

Codeine should not be available over the counter, says chair of opioid expert working group

Low-dose codeine should no longer be available to buy over the counter, the chair of the UK’s Commission on Human Medicines opioid expert working group has said.…

Recent advances in the oral delivery of biologics

An overview of the key physiological barriers to oral delivery of biologics and the strategies to overcome them that are currently being tested.…

Pharmacokinetic considerations and challenges in oral anticancer drug therapy

A review of the pros and cons of oral anticancer drug therapy, as well as the pharmacokinetic barriers and potential solutions to oral chemotherapy in the home.…