United Kingdom

Medicines regulator reviews chloramphenicol packaging after picking errors

Regulators are working with community pharmacy organisations to review the packaging of chloramphenicol eye and ear drops.…

Embrace opportunities under five-year NHS plan, pharmacists urged

Pharmacy organisations have identified opportunities to integrate more with other services and have a real impact on improving patient care within the five-year NHS plan.…

E-cigarettes in pharmacies

I attended this year’s Pharmacy Show at the NEC in Birmingham on 5–6 October 2014 and saw a large number of exhibitors flogging their e-cigarette products to attendees, many of whom are pharmacists. How can pharmacists encourage patients to give up smoking while at the same time promote …

BNF revises domperidone advice and introduces new monoclonal antibody

Children and their carers who use domperidone for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease should be told how to recognise symptoms of arrhythmia, according to the latest update from the British National Formulary.…

Integrating science into practice

I agree with other correspondents that science is integral to pharmacy practice but we also need to balance our application-to-practice credentials with our scientific background. More than once I have had to go back to the basics of my science background to understand and think about solution…

No guarantees of a pre-registration placement

I was disappointed to learn that Health Education England (HEE) and Higher Education Funding Council of England will no longer be pursuing the important issue of student numbers; a decision which has surely frustrated students and those who support the need for numbers to be managed. Having re…

Pharmacies should be involved in child protection measures

The government initiative to spread public awareness about Ebola would have been considerably impaired had it not recognised the potential of pharmacies to inform, monitor and reassure. Yet in tackling more widespread and immediate threats to public health and well-being, the skills of pharmac…

Vaccine evaluation process needs urgent reform

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation needs to be more open about how it decides which vaccines should be recommended for use in the UK.…

Strengthening participation in Welsh local practice forums

A new generation of RPS members is invigorating local practice forums in Wales, says Mair Davies, chair of the Welsh Pharmacy Board.…

Not every problem is viral

We must not allow fears about Ebola and other viruses to obscure the threat of antimicrobial resistance, writes Eamonn McArdle.…