Clinical

MPs: Pharmacists must not be ‘criminalised’ over vapes as quit aid

 
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MPs have called for clarifications of advertising restrictions for nicotine vapes to ensure pharmacists don’t find themselves “on the wrong side of the law” for promoting vaping as a “stop smoking device”.

Supermarket cough medicines recalled over ‘foreign material’

 

A manufacturer is recalling several batches of cough medicine, including some it produces for Tesco and Asda, after “foreign material” was found in some bottles.

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ICB investigating plunge in Pharmacy First GP referrals

 
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A London integrated care board (ICB) is “working to understand” a national dip in Pharmacy First referrals from GPs in the summer, C+D has learned.


Weight loss jabs linked to ‘reduced risk’ of Alzheimer’s and dementia

 
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The use of weight loss drugs has been associated with a “reduced risk of substance use” and “neurocognitive disorders” including Alzheimer’s and dementia – along with a handful of other illnesses – a new study has revealed.

Coroner: Patient overdosed after pharmacy ‘welfare concern’ missed

 
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A coroner has warned that the lack of “communication between primary and secondary care” may lead to the “early death” of more patients, after an NHS trust was not made aware of a pharmacy’s warning.

WBA sued for pharmacist pressure to dispense ‘millions of unlawful scripts’

 
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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has claimed that Boots’ parent company “systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly”, despite clear “red flags” and patient deaths.


‘Very little appetite’ to widen pharmacy vaccine delivery role

 
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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called on the government to commission pharmacies to deliver “all vaccines” amid claims there is “very little appetite currently” to give them a greater role in vaccine delivery.

Repeat paracetamol use linked to ‘serious complications’ in over-65s

 
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A study of over half-a-million over-65s has found links between repeatedly taking paracetamol and complications including gastrointestinal bleeding and heart failure.

Strep A: Toddler died after ‘delay’ in receiving out-of-stock antibiotics, coroner warns

 
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A toddler with a Strep A infection was given antibiotics too late after a pharmacist could not issue alternative medication during shortages due to restrictions, a coroner has found.


RPS: AI can ‘improve safe and effective’ use of medicines

 
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The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has flagged the potential for AI to be used in Pharmacy First and has stressed that healthcare regulation “must not stifle” AI innovation.

Patient dies after pharmacy ‘unable to supply’ epilepsy meds for 10 days

 
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A coroner has called for pharmacists to refer patients to hospital departments to ensure they “are not left without important medications” during drug shortages.

NI extends free flu jabs to over-50s as other nations rule out move

 
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Northern Ireland has become the only country in the UK to extend its NHS flu vaccination programme to the 50-64 age group amid increasing pressure on hospitals.


Pharmacy First consultation payment caps rise up to 94%

 
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New caps on the maximum number of paid Pharmacy First consultations have begun this month, rising between 55% and 94% across different types of pharmacies.

MP: GPs need ‘financial incentive’ to engage with Pharmacy First

 
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MPs have called for “financial incentives” to be introduced to encourage GPs to "work with pharmacies” and engage with the Pharmacy First service, amid new plans for Pharmacy First ear, nose and throat (ENT) services.

CPE ‘battling to get details right’ as OPD reforms come into force

 
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Pharmacy bosses have stressed that pharmacists must use their “professional judgment” before using new original pack dispensing (OPD) rules but that they will not be reimbursed in line with dispensing until IT systems are updated.


Coroner: Woman dies after buying off-label POMs online ‘over 100’ times

 
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A woman with fibromyalgia has died from multiple organ failure with two medicines purchased from websites selling off-label prescription medications found in her body, a coroner has found.

Pharmacist thwarts diabetes patient flogging excess Mounjaro

 
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Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW) has urged pharmacies to “review” weight loss and diabetes prescriptions, after a patient was caught selling extra tirzepatide “mistakenly prescribed” by their GP.

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‘New front line’: MHRA removes 150 social media posts selling fake weight loss drugs

 
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Social media has become the new “front line” for the sale of counterfeit weight loss drugs with 150 online posts “actively” selling them targeted by the MHRA last year, C+D has learned.


‘Deeply concerning’ decision to end gluten-free scripts to save £250k

 
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The decision by a local NHS ICB to completely end gluten-free product prescriptions to save £250,000 has been met with widespread disapproval from patients who were consulted on proposed changes.

CVS slapped with nationwide lawsuit over ‘unlawful’ opioid prescriptions

 
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The US DOJ has filed a lawsuit against CVS alleging its “actions helped to fuel the opioid crisis” as it “prioritized corporate profits over patient safety”.