GPhC writes to pharmacy teams after methotrexate dispensed with instruction to take once daily An email sent by Roz Gittins, chief pharmacy officer at the GPhC, advised pharmacy teams to supply methotrexate in line with a drug safety update published by the MHRA in September 2020.…
Weight-loss drugs: is social media promotion to teenagers still a problem? Following an investigation conducted by The Pharmaceutical Journal in 2022, which revealed that weight-loss drugs were being promoted to teenagers on TikTok, we look at whether anything has changed.…
Barcode errors ‘potentially fatal’, warns patient safety commissioner Exclusive: All four UK chief pharmaceutical officers also wrote an open letter to pharmaceutical companies earlier this year urging them to continue 2D barcodes on medicine packs, despite it no longer being mandatory following Brexit.…
How safe are GLP-1s? As the use of weight-loss drugs continues to increase, there has been a rise in documented side effects. But what are the serious and unwanted effects of these drugs, and is Yellow Card reporting capturing enough information?…
Vigilance needed for posaconazole product mis-selection A new safety concern has emerged in UK pharmacy practice following launch of the gastro-resistant posaconazole powder for oral suspension (Noxafil 300 mg gastro-resistant powder and solvent for oral suspension; Merck Sharp and Dohme). This product, now licensed for paediatric patients from the age o…
Patient safety commissioner pushes government on valproate redress almost two years after report Exclusive: In a statement made to The Pharmaceutical Journal, Henrietta Hughes has urged the government to provide a full response to recommendations made in her February 2024 report.…
The value of leadership in medication safety Pharmacy leadership is central to reducing medication harm, empowering staff and delivering high-value safety improvements across the NHS, argues Tony Jamieson.…
Valproate has no significant impact on male fertility, study finds Researchers found that prior studies that linked valproate to male infertility in patients with epilepsy mainly used healthy men without epilepsy as controls.…
Coroner ‘concerned’ over lack of national policy on medication storage in prisons A prisoner at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset died after taking non-prescribed drugs in combination with illicitly brewed ‘hooch’.…
GPhC warns of emerging patient safety issues In a letter to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners, Roz Gittins has highlighted concerns reported to the regulator and the importance of ensuring safe and effective pharmacy care for patients.…
