Therapeutic intervention

How to identify and manage prolonged acute and chronic cough in pre-school children

Pharmacists should be able to select the correct management approach to children presenting with cough, and identify when symptoms warrant further investigation.…

Subscription model for antimicrobials could be expanded in new UK five-year AMR plan

'Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029', published by the UK government on 8 May 2024, builds on the existing 20-year antimicrobial resistance strategy published in 2019.…

Why we are helping patients with lung cancer symptoms self-refer for a chest X-ray

Pharmacies in Leeds are helping to diagnose lung cancer earlier by piloting a service that allows patients with red-flag symptoms to refer themselves to hospital for testing.…

Varenicline planned for return but ‘not before’ end of 2024, says manufacturer

Pfizer has said smoking cessation therapy varenicline will be reintroduced to the UK, after being withdrawn in October 2021.…

Best practice for medicines use in neonates

An overview of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations when treating neonates, and the impacts on drug absorption, metabolism and elimination.…

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: recognition, diagnosis and conventional pharmacological management

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common chronic childhood rheumatic disease. Pharmacists are a vital part of the multidisciplinary team and should be aware of the considerations for pharmacological management.…

Antipsychotic drugs in dementia treatment associated with range of adverse reactions

Experts say the findings suggest that the risks of prescribing antipsychotics in people with dementia “may be more severe than previously understood”.…

Pharmacist coordinating UK participation in global penicillin allergy labelling study

Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust will be the first UK health service to join the ‘International Network of Antibiotic Allergy Nations’ study.…

Diltiazem use with anticoagulants associated with higher risk of bleeding compared with metoprolol in older people, study finds

The study included data from 204,155 Medicare beneficiaries in the United States who filled a prescription for apixaban or rivaroxaban between January 2012 and November 2020.…

Hacking the vagal system to treat chronic cough

Chronic cough places a huge burden on healthcare systems and is distressing for patients, but there are few targeted treatments available. In the past decade, a new theory that chronic cough is a neural, rather than respiratory, problem has invigorated clinical trials.…