Private medicine

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be made available privately through community pharmacies

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved a change of licence for the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine, which will allow it to become the first to be available privately in the UK.…

Private pharmacy semaglutide services must provide long-term support, say experts

Exclusive: Online pharmacies and large multiples are already signing patients up to receive information about their new private semaglutide services as soon as the drug becomes available in the UK, which is expected to be soon.…

Prescribing of cannabis-based medical products increased almost ten-fold in 2021

Despite the increase in the private healthcare sector, data on the number of cannabis-based medical products prescribed on the NHS were so low they could not be reported.…

Health select committee rejects claims that NHS integration is road to privatisation

A parliamentary report has refuted claims that the move towards integrated place-based care across the NHS will result in creeping privatisation of the health service.…

Travel health services provided through UK community pharmacies

In 2016, there were 70.8 million visits abroad by UK residents[1] and the World Tourism Organization expects worldwide tourist arrivals to increase to 1.8 billion by 2030[2] . Travellers are put at increased risk of preventable diseases causing considerable medical and economic bu…

NHS England drops requirement for clinicians to declare earnings from private work

NHS clinicians will not have to declare their income from private practice following a change of heart by NHS England.…

My life as an oncology pharmacist in a private hospital

Oncology pharmacist Davina Lau describes the intensity of working with patients who are having treatment for cancer.…

Building a pharmacy for the National Ambulance in the United Arab Emirates

Anisha Patel is the only pharmacist working for the National Ambulance service in Abu Dhabi. Here, she describes her role in expanding the pharmacy — and developing services for the Formula 1 Grand Prix.…

OTC domperidone will be missed

The 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.…