E-cigarettes associated with greatest chance of smoking cessation, suggests Cochrane review The review revealed that 10–19% of people were likely to quit smoking using an e-cigarette, 12–16% using varenicline and 10–18% using cytisine.…
‘Blanket switch’ to greener inhalers not recommended in prescribing guidance The Scottish government has published a consultation on draft guidance emphasising that patients should only be switched to greener inhalers “if effectiveness, safety or adherence is not compromised”.…
Regulator approves first RSV vaccine for older adults Data suggest that respiratory syncytial virus accounts for 8,000 deaths each year in adults aged 60 years and over in the UK.…
Children and young people with asthma: symptoms, diagnosis and the role of pharmacy The first of our two-part series on asthma in children and young people is an overview of the condition, outlining the role pharmacy can play in supporting patients and their families and/or carers.…
Cystic fibrosis: management and monitoring of respiratory manifestations An overview of the pharmacological management of respiratory symptoms in people with cystic fibrosis to ensure they can optimise benefit from their medication regime.…
Medicines regulator approves UK’s first dual combination inhaler for mild asthma AstraZeneca said the marketing authorisation meant its Symbicort Turbohaler 200/6 could be used by 2.7 million adults in the UK who live with mild asthma.…
Government advisers recommend autumn COVID-19 boosters for people at most risk An extra booster dose may also be offered in the spring for smaller groups, such as people who are immunocompromised or of older age.…
Some patients switched to ‘greener’ inhalers without consultation, say experts Exclusive: Experts warn that non-consented inhaler switches pose risks to patients' health and advise physicians to carry out individual inhaler checks to avoid this.…
NHS develops dashboard to identify possible over-prescribing of prednisolone The dashboard calculates the total cumulative dose of prednisolone prescribed to patients in England in the past 12 months, allowing those at risk to be considered for alternative treatment methods.…
Half of asthma patients in the UK overusing SABAs, study finds In a UK asthma programme, 284,683 out of 574,913 patients were found to be “potentially overusing” short-acting β2-agonists.…
