RPS pays tribute to pharmacy law and ethics pioneer Joy Wingfield
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has  expressed its sadness at the death of Joy Wingfield, honorary professor of Pharmacy Law and Ethics at the University of Nottingham. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 19, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Half of asthma patients in the UK overusing SABAs, study finds
More than half of patients with asthma in the UK are “potentially overusing” short-acting β2-agonists, according to research. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 18, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Pharmacy negotiators discuss patient registration with community pharmacies
Pharmacy negotiators have discussed proposals to take “a patient registration-based approach” to the community pharmacy contractual framework. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 18, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

New drug cuts the risk of death in bladder cancer by 30% compared with chemotherapy, study suggests
A new type of drug that targets chemotherapy directly to cancer cells reduces the risk of death from the most common type of bladder cancer by 30%,  a phase III trial in the New England Journal of Medicine has suggested. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 18, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Chiesi launches postal asthma inhaler recycling scheme
The UK ’s first postal inhaler recycling scheme has been launched by pharmaceutical company Chiesi to support a more sustainable way of living for people with respiratory illnesses. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 17, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

NHS England lowers threshold for COVID-19 vaccination site applications
Community pharmacies able to administer up to 400 COVID-19 vaccines per week can now apply to become designated vaccination sites, NHS England has said. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 17, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Health boards say around half of pharmacies have expressed interest in providing COVID-19 vaccines
Around half of Wales ’ community pharmacies have expressed interest to health boards in providing COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the national programme. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 16, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Overseas candidates will be allowed to sit registration assessment remotely, regulator says
The General Pharmaceutical Council has said most candidates living in countries with a two-hour or more time difference from the UK will be able to apply to sit the registration assessment at home. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 16, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Pharmacies estimated to receive one referral per month through hospital-to-pharmacy referral service
Community pharmacies will receive an estimated 12 referrals from the Discharge Medicines Service per year. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 15, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

MHRA to consult on making two progestogen-only contraceptives available without a prescription
Consultations on the reclassification of two progestogen-only contraceptive pills from prescription-only to pharmacy medicines have been launched. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 15, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Semaglutide effective for weight loss in non-diabetic adults, research suggests
The type 2 diabetes mellitus drug semaglutide is effective for weight loss  in non-diabetic overweight or obese adults, when taken alongside a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, researchers have found. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 15, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Nearly 200 women were prescribed valproate during pregnancy between April 2018 and September 2020
Some 180 women were  prescribed valproate, a medicine used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, during their pregnancy within a 2.5 year interval, NHS data has revealed. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 12, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Risk of mortality drops in COVID-19 patients given anticoagulation within a day of hospital admission, research finds
Starting COVID-19 patients on prophylactic  anticoagulation within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital has been linked to a reduced risk of mortality. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 12, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Regulator looking at 'flexibility' that would allow overseas candidates to sit registration assessment
The General Pharmaceutical Council has said it is “double, treble, quadruple-checking” for any “flexibility” that would allow all overseas candidates to sit the March 2021 registration assessment exam in their countries of residence. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 11, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Prime minister vows to reimburse community pharmacy's COVID-19 costs 'as soon as possible'
Community pharmacies should be reimbursed for their additional costs during the COVID-19 pandemic “as soon as possible”, the prime minister has told The Pharmaceutical Journal. (Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal)
Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal - February 11, 2021 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research