Research and evaluation

Government to call for research on effect of ‘Pharmacy First’ schemes on antibiotic use

The National Institute for Health and Care Research's "pre-call" announcement said a common conditions service in England "will commence no earlier than the end of October 2023", subject to successful commissioning.…

Understanding the pharmacy workforce

The pick of the latest academic papers from Parastou Donyai, chief scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.…

Levy hike puts future of UK-based clinical trials in doubt, says Sanofi chief executive

Exclusive: Jessamy Baird says the rise in the 'Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access' rate has changed the way decisions are made in research and development.…

Recent antibiotic reduces cancer survival after immune checkpoint inhibitors by 12%, study results show

Results from a Canadian cohort study suggest that antibiotic therapy may reduce the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.…

High drug prices not justified by research and development spending, US analysis claims

Analysis by health economists show that the median price of newly launched prescription drugs in the United States rose from US$1,400 per year in 2008 to more than US$150,000 per year in 2021.…

Pharmacists on high-risk clinical wards reduce prescribing errors, evidence review finds

Researchers used data from 19 studies to identify the most common factors that increase the chance of prescribing errors.…

Pharmacist prescribers can reduce sedative use in care homes, study demonstrates

Researchers found that pharmacist independent prescribers were able to improve outcomes for care home residents through "effective deprescribing" of anticholinergic and sedative drugs.…

Genetic testing reduces adverse drug reactions by nearly a third, major trial results confirm

The 'PREPARE' trial has demonstrated that genetic testing can significantly reduce adverse drug reactions, with the study coordinator stating there is enough evidence to "proceed with implementation".…

Everything you need to know about the COVID-19 therapy trials

There are thousands of clinical trials investigating treatments and preventative measures for COVID-19.…

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.…