FDA Takes New Steps to Advance Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced the latest action to encourage and support the development of treatment options for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). The agency has released the first of two new draft guidances intended to aid industry in developing new medications for use in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid dependence. The [...]

By |2018-04-25T10:31:22+00:00April 25th, 2018|Regional News|Comments Off on FDA Takes New Steps to Advance Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Pharmacy Risks Race to the Bottom on Safety Standards

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has highlighted a locum agency’s claim that some of its clients will only offer shifts to pharmacists who are prepared to miss lunch as a further example as to why the Safer Pharmacies Charter is urgently needed. Adequate rest is one of the basic safety standards in the charter. On [...]

By |2018-04-25T10:29:50+00:00April 25th, 2018|Regional News|Comments Off on Pharmacy Risks Race to the Bottom on Safety Standards

Valproate Banned Without the Pregnancy Prevention Programme

To protect public health, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has changed the licence for valproate medicines (Epilim, Depakote and generic brands). Valproate must no longer be prescribed to women or girls of childbearing potential unless they are on the pregnancy prevention programme (PPP). Valproate is a treatment for epilepsy and bipolar disorder. [...]

By |2018-04-25T10:29:03+00:00April 25th, 2018|Regional News|Comments Off on Valproate Banned Without the Pregnancy Prevention Programme

Patients in Urgent Care Settings to Benefit from Electronic Prescriptions

Use of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in integrated urgent care settings is to be rolled out nationally following a successful pilot. It will mean faster processing of prescriptions, enabling out-of-hours and urgent care services to spend more time treating patients. Patients seeking care out-of-hours or from urgent care settings, such as walk-in centres, minor [...]

By |2018-04-11T10:09:22+00:00April 11th, 2018|Regional News|Comments Off on Patients in Urgent Care Settings to Benefit from Electronic Prescriptions

Research Offers Clues for Improved Influenza Vaccine Design

Influenza vaccines that better target the influenza surface protein called neuraminidase (NA) could offer broad protection against various influenza virus strains and lessen the severity of illness, according to new research published in Cell. Current seasonal influenza vaccines mainly target a different, more abundant influenza surface protein called hemagglutinin (HA). However, because influenza vaccines offer [...]

By |2018-04-11T10:08:30+00:00April 11th, 2018|Regional News|Comments Off on Research Offers Clues for Improved Influenza Vaccine Design

Pharmacists Say Basic Safety Standards Aren’t Being Met

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has released survey results that show seven basic standards of pharmacy safety are regularly not being met and is demanding action to protect patients, pharmacists, and the tax payer. The PDA are concerned that while pharmacies are allowed to fail to meet these standards, it is pharmacists who are keeping [...]

By |2018-04-11T10:07:13+00:00April 11th, 2018|Regional News|Comments Off on Pharmacists Say Basic Safety Standards Aren’t Being Met