Regulation in healthcare

Coroners raise concerns about medicines shortages following two patient deaths

The ‘Prevention of future deaths’ reports, published on 20 and 31 December 2024, were issued following deaths of patients who had experienced supply issues with their ADHD and epilepsy medications, respectively.…

Pharmacy professionals will be vital to the MHRA’s regulatory work in 2025

The chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reviews the successes of 2024 in medicine regulation and looks at where improvements can be made in the year ahead.…

Online pharmacies to be inspected within six months of registration, says GPhC

The target for first inspections of new bricks-and-mortar pharmacies will be extended to 12 months.…

NICE may be ‘systematically undervaluing’ medicines for severe conditions, says ABPI

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry is urging the government and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to “show greater flexibility when assessing medicines for severe conditions”.…

Unsafe online pharmacies serve as a warning in the move to a ‘digital first’ NHS

In this month’s health policy column, Andy Cowper looks at regulators’ long history of trying to ensure safe access to medicines online, considering the implications for medicine shortages.…

Online pharmacy activity linked to 40 open fitness-to-practise cases, says GPhC

Presenting at The Pharmacy Show on 13 October 2023, Roz Gittins revealed that 68% of online pharmacies were found to meet all regulatory standards at inspection, 17 percentage points lower than for registered pharmacies overall.…

Manufacturer withdraws treatment for sickle cell disease following concern over deaths

Pfizer's withdrawal is based on data that suggest “an imbalance in vast-occlusive crises and fatal events which require further assessment”.…

Almost 14,000 temporary pharmacy closures reported across England in 2023, research finds

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board recorded the highest number of temporary closures (1,438) and hours lost (4,054).…

Regulator misses fitness-to-practise timeliness standard for sixth year in a row

The Professional Standards Authority said the General Pharmaceutical Council “is still taking too long to progress fitness-to-practise investigations”.…

Pharmacy regulator to require ‘two-way communication’ in new draft guidance

In its latest guidance, the regulator has expanded the list of medicines for which additional safeguards should be in place for online pharmacies.…