People who incorrectly believe that they are allergic to penicillin are unnecessarily put at an increased risk of developing MRSA or C difficile, NICE has warned. As a result, healthcare staff should be aware of this and ensure that only people with a true allergy to penicillin are documented as such. Incorrectly identifying people as [...]
The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved Lumoxiti (moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk) injection for intravenous use for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory hairy cell leukemia (HCL) who have received at least two prior systemic therapies, including treatment with a purine nucleoside analog. Lumoxiti is a CD22-directed cytotoxin and is the first of [...]
Hundreds of patients with a type of advanced skin cancer are set to benefit from a new treatment, dabrafenib plus trametinib. NICE’s positive recommendation applies to adults who have stage III BRAF V600 mutation-positive melanoma that has spread to nearby lymph vessels or lymph glands, which make up an important part of our immune system. [...]
An election will take place for a new National Pharmacy Association (NPA) board member in Scotland after Noel Wicks stepped down from his role as Scotland representative, after seven years last week. Noel, who is the Managing Director of Right Medicine Pharmacy, which has 22 branches located throughout central Scotland, said that he left his [...]
The PDA (Pharmacists’ Defence Association) has released the highly-anticipated second chapter of the Pharmacy Technicians Report that assesses the current roles and capabilities of pharmacy technicians in the UK. The existence of a register of pharmacy technicians can’t be relied upon in isolation to protect the public, but must be underpinned by a suitably structured [...]
A drug used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and vasculitis, as well as to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients, has been identified as an important contributor to skin cancer development, in a research study carried out at the University of Dundee, Queen Mary University of London, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. The research [...]
Scientists at the University of Manchester have developed the first non-antibiotic drug to successfully treat tuberculosis in animals. The team hope that the compound – developed after 10 years of painstaking research – will be trialled on humans within three-to-four years. The drug, which works by targeting Mycobacterium Tuberculosis’ defences rather than the bacteria itself, [...]
At a time when it can feel like the weight of the world is winning, and darkness often dominates, SPR is proud to cast a light on the positivity which continues to prevail throughout the sector – via our annual Scottish Pharmacy Awards. This year the black-tie celebrations are set to get underway at the [...]
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has announced the appointment of Diane Leicester-Hallam as Director of Member Services. Organising trade union representation and defence association benefits, the PDA is now the largest pharmacist membership organisation in the UK. With over 27,000 members, the organisation is committed to developing more services for pharmacists to support them throughout [...]
Pharmacist Support – the profession’s independent charity – has partnered with the International Pharmacy Federation (IPF) for their annual fun run on 4th September in Glasgow. The 5km fun run has been a popular social event at the congress for the past seven years – an event promoting healthy lifestyle, and an alternative networking opportunity [...]
