Pfizer has recalled all stocks of Accupro - including 5mg, 10mg, 20mg, 40mg film-coated tablets - as a precautionary measure due to the identification of a
nitrosamine above the acceptable limit.
"Following testing, N-nitroso-quinapril, has been observed at a level above the acceptable limit. Nitrosamines may increase the risk of cancer if people are
exposed to them above acceptable levels and over long periods of time. The recall is at pharmacy and wholesaler level," the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committees (PSNC) reported.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said: "All strengths of quinapril (Accupro) tablets have been recalled with a resupply date to be confirmed. Pfizer
are the sole supplier of quinapril tablets in the UK. Alternative ACE inhibitors remain available and can support an uplift in demand."
Following concerns raised about cracked cartridges and insulin leaks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a national
patient safety alert for the NovoRapid PumpCart prefilled insulin cartridge and the Roche Accu-Chek Insight Insulin pump system.
The regulator have asked patients to check the pre-filled glass insulin cartridge for cracks before use. It advised against using the cartridge if it has been dropped even if no cracks are visible and urged to closely follow the updated handling instructions in the pump user manual when changing pre-filled glass insulin
cartridges.
In some of the reported leakage incidents, the cartridges were found to be cracked and provided an inadequate supply of insulin to patients. Leakages also occurred in cases where no cracks in the cartridge were visible, the regulator said.
In some patients there were consequences of not receiving enough insulin from their pump system, including reports of severely high blood sugar and diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication of diabetes when the body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones.
Healthcare professionals are being advised to contact patients over the next six months using said device to discuss their individual needs and source an alternative pump where appropriate.
"Because of the rare risk of insulin leakage from the Roche Accu-Chek Insight Insulin Pump, patients should check the pre-filled glass insulin cartridge for any cracks prior to usage," Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is asking independents to vote 'yes' to reform of pharmacy representation in England as a three-week voting period opens on Friday, May 27.
The NPA is also calling on PSNC to complete unfinished business and present 'the compelling case for change' that the Review Steering Group was unable to deliver.
The Associations says it is "on balance" and with some degree of reluctance supporting an affirmative vote, because the benefits marginally outweigh the several valid arguments for a "no" vote.
NPA chief executive, Mark Lyonette, said on Thursday (May 19): "After much deliberation and engagement with members, we are recommending our members vote yes, because the alternatives are either the flawed status quo or a further period of uncertainty for the sector, with months or even years of introspection to come. There is no guarantee that going back to the drawing board, particularly with the same actors, would bring about a better outcome.
Community pharmacists are readily accessible healthcare providers and medicine experts in the community setting and their counsel is often sought by patients and consumers on a number of subjects including the use of dietary supplements.
Their role in the sale of and advice regarding natural health and drug alternatives has never been more relevant. The recent National Health Service (NHS) Interim
People Plan calls for the NHS to put all staff front and centre of the way it operates and identifies pharmacists as a critical part of multidisciplinary teams,
providing care across a wide range of increasingly complex patient needs.
Despite existing demand to counsel patients on a vast range of medicines, more and more consumers are looking to their pharmacist to support and enhance their
knowledge regarding the relevance of a growing range of supplementary nutrients now available.
Nutritional supplementation is increasingly becoming the consumer's first choice for 'drug free' treatment or natural prevention that provides a true sense of taking control, which the prescription process often denies them.
The vast and growing depository of information on the internet is certainly fuelling this, but as much of this is brand derived content, information, it can often be generic with a 'one size fits all' marketing message.
The NHS has signed the first-of-its-kind subscription deal for two antimicrobial drugs - cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam, manufactured by Shionogi and Pfizer respectively - that will help around 1700 patients per year with severe bacterial infections.
Under this deal, pharmaceutical firms will receive a fixed yearly fee - capped at a level that represents value to taxpayers - in order to incentivise funding for innovation that can generate a pipeline of new antibiotics for NHS patients.
NHS said the deal will help patients with serious infections that have evolved so much that antibiotics and other current treatments are no longer effective can be
given a potentially life-saving alternative. The drugs will provide a lifeline to patients with life-threatening infections like sepsis, hospital or ventilator pneumonia and blood stream infection.
Announcing the deal at NHS ConfedExpo, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard called the revolutionary subscription deal a game-changer and the latest NHS success in using its commercial power to benefit NHS patients in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
"Superbug-busting drugs on the NHS will save lives and strike a blow in the global battle against antimicrobial resistance," Pritchard said.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for three tablets- Meptazinol (Meptid) 200mg film-coated tablets,
Medroxyprogesterone (Provera) 2.5mg tablets and Lamotrigine 5mg dispersible tablets on Wednesday (15 February).
Meptid tablets will remain out of stock until late June 2023. DHSC suggested that an alternative analgesic products including non-opioids remain available.
Provera 2.5mg tablets are out of stock until mid-March 2023. "Medroxyprogesterone (Provera) 5mg and 10mg tablets remain available but cannot support an uplift in
demand," said DHSC.
"Norethisterone 5mg tablets remain available and will be able to support an increase in demand."
Branded lamotrigine (Lamictal) 2mg and 5mg dispersible remain available but are unable to support the increase in demand as Lamotrigine 5mg dispersible tablets
are out of stock until late March 2023.
Pharmacists delivering to the Scottish prison service have been notified by their employer LloydsPharmacy that they may be transferred to another employer or
even be at risk of redundancy.
The Pharmacists Defence Association said: "It is supporting pharmacists employed by LloydsPharmacy who have been advised that the company has not retendered for the
contract to provide pharmacy services to the Scottish prison service.
As a result of LloydsPharmacy exiting the contract, those pharmacists may transfer to whichever employer takes over the service, or if their function does not
transfer to a new employer they will be at risk of redundancy."
The PDA Union will be representing these individuals to ensure they understand and can exercise their rights at work to either continue their current role under a
new employer, transfer to a suitable alternative role, or leave with the appropriate redundancy compensation.
PDA members impacted by this change can contact the PDA Service Centre for advice.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has backed a new framework from NHS England to reduce inappropriate prescribing of addiction-causing medicines.
It believes that the new framework is a positive step towards improving patient care by supporting medicine reviews and shared decision making to help people reduce
their use of medicines that are no longer providing much clinical benefit.
The society has also welcomed investment in innovative approaches to supporting patients and urged all pharmacists to refer people to such schemes.
Director for England at RPS, James Davies said: "Pharmacists are well-placed to help reduce inappropriate prescribing of high strength painkillers such as opioids
and other addictive medicines.
"Pharmacy teams can also often spot repeat purchases of over the counter medicines by patients so are well placed to intervene and give advice on the management of
chronic pain. Whilst opioids can play an important part in helping people with chronic pain there has long been a need for alternative approaches that are safer and
more effective for patients.
Proper drug storage is essential to ensure the safety of yourself, your family, and those around you. This is especially important if you are taking multiple
medications and need to keep track of them all. Knowing how to store drugs correctly can help prevent misuse or accidental ingestion by children or pets. Here are
six important guidelines about proper drug storage that everyone should follow:
1. KEEP ALL MEDICATIONS IN THEIR ORIGINAL, LABELED CONTAINERS:
Using alternative storage containers can make it difficult to identify medications or keep track of expiration dates. Keeping medications in their original containers
also prevents accidental misuse and helps ensure that the correct dosage is taken. In addition, it's important to store all medications out of reach of children and
pets. Also, keep medications in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. For example, a medicine cabinet in the bathroom or kitchen is a good option.
2. DISPOSE OF EXPIRED MEDICATIONS:
Expired medications can be less effective and even potentially harmful if taken, so it's important to regularly check expiration dates and get rid of any outdated
medications. The best way to dispose of old drugs is to take them to a drug collection site. If no such sites are available, mix the medication with something like
coffee grounds, put it in an opaque container, and then throw it away in your trash bin. Never flush expired medication down the toilet unless instructed by your
pharmacist or healthcare provider!
3. STORE DRUGS IN A COOL, DRY PLACE:
Extreme temperatures can cause medications to break down and become ineffective. To avoid this, keep all drugs away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and moisture.
A medicine cabinet or drawer in the bathroom is an ideal spot for storing most drugs, but some require special storage conditions (more on that below). Different
medications should also be separated from one another to avoid confusion and stored differently. For example, if a
Levomepromazine 25mg/1ml solution for injection will remain unavailable until the week commencing March 7,2022, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said in an update.
While alternative medicines for use in palliative care remain available in ample supply to support an uplift in demand, the date supply resumption of Levomepromazine is yet to be confirmed.
The DHSC has sent a copy of this medicine supply notification to all pharmacy NHS email addresses.
It further informed primary care providers that prescription validation has been temporarily implemented at wholesaler level.
The Medicine and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recalled all pholcodine-containing medicines from the UK pharmacy due to concerns of its
potential to cause a severe allergic reaction in some people having general anaesthesia for surgery.
The decision was made following the conclusion of a review of post-marketing safety data by the MHRA. The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has considered the
evidence of an increased risk of the very rare event of anaphylaxis when exposed to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) and advised that pholcodine-containing
medicines should be withdrawn.
MHRA has advised pharmacists to consider recommending appropriate treatment alternatives for patients who present with a new dry cough or who are currently taking
pholcodine.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) President Professor Claire Anderson said: "If you are taking a cough medicine (including tablets and syrups), check the packaging,
label or Patient Information Leaflet to see if pholcodine is a listed ingredient - if it is, and you have any questions, you can talk to your pharmacist who can
suggest a different medicine suitable for you.
If you're thinking of heading a startup, owning a local pharmacy could be an incredibly lucrative opportunity. When you set up a business in the healthcare
sector, it's important to ensure that you operate with transparency to keep yourself and your patients safe.
Whether you've acquired pharmacies before or you're turning to a new venture with different partners, learning the relevant steps before getting involved is
imperative. Successful pharmacies rely on medical expertise, professional knowledge, and an excellent quality of service.
Step 1: Do you need qualifications to be a pharmacist?
No matter if you already have a background in pharmacy or you're entering the field from an entrepreneurial perspective, you'll need to have the right qualifications.
You can become a pharmacist by completing a Master of Pharmacy degree at a university. Your chosen course needs to be approved by the General Pharmaceutical Council
and will take at least four years to complete. After your degree, you'll also need to take the one-year pharmacist foundation training scheme.
To access these courses, you'll usually need two or three A levels, including Chemistry. Alternatively, you could do a pharmacy foundation degree if you only have one
A level or equivalent.
Esperion Therapeutics' non-statin therapy "bempedoic acid" has shown modest results in reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in statin-intolerant
patients in the cholesterol lowering via bempedoic acid, an ACL-inhibiting regimen (CLEAR Outcomes) trial, revealed GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
As a result, there is substantial room for improvement in this space as a potential approval is expected in Australia in near-term based on these results, said
GlobalData.
According to GlobalData's Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center, the total number of diagnosed prevalent cases of dyslipidemia in Australia is expected to increase at
a compound annual growth rate of approximately 1.2% from 5.2 million in 2022 to 5.4 million in 2025.
Neha Myneni, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: "Bempedoic acid joins several statin alternatives that have shown the potential to reduce cardiac illnesses.
However, with not much significant improvement in the outcomes, there exists a clear room for improvement for non-statin therapies in this space."
Bempedoic acid is the sixth class of cholesterol-lowering drugs (other than cholesteryl-ester transfer protein isoform (CETPi) inhibitors), that has demonstrated the
potential to reduce heart attacks and strokes. Other class of therapies with similar potential currently marketed in Australia include statins, bile acid resins,
niacin, ezetimibe, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors (alirocumab, evolocumab, and inclisiran).
Enterosgel is a versatile safe drug-free alternative to current anti-diarrhoeal medicines found on pharmacy shelves.
Enterosgel is different from other anti-diarrhoeals within this category, as it is suitable for children aged one year and over, so can be taken by the whole family.
This intestinal adsorbent can be used for both acute diarrhoea due to gastrointestinal infections and for chronic irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D).
Why should community pharmacists stock this brand?
Unlike anti-diarrhoeals which work by slowing gut motility, Enterosgel is an intestinal adsorbent which physically binds harmful substances from the gut, that can
cause diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal symptoms and expels them naturally with the stools.
Because it is a medical device not a medicine, has no pharmacological action and is not absorbed by the body, it is a safe option for children and adults and can
help reduce the likelihood of side effects which can be an issue with anti-diarrhoeal medicines.
Enterosgel has a unique composition of an adsorbent mineral gel based in water, it contains no additional preservatives or additives so is easy to recommend from
vegetarians to people with allergies or intolerances. The gel is mixed with water and taken orally in between meals; it is tasteless so well tolerated even by
children.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a further five new Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for Phenoxymethylpenicillin (Pen V) to enable
the continued supply of antibiotics to patients.
"The new SSPs, introduced with immediate effect, allow community pharmacists to consider different oral antibiotic preparations, to enable the continued supply of
antibiotics to patients and mitigate the ongoing supply disruptions affecting Phenoxymethylpenicillin," said DHSC.
On Friday (16 December) SSP043-SSP047 has been authorised by the Secretary of State to provide pharmacists with procedures to follow in providing suitable alternative
oral antibiotics to substitute Phenoxymethylpenicillin.
"For each SSP, DHSC has included specific patient counselling points which must be taken into account when deciding whether supply in accordance with an SSP is
suitable for a patient."
At the European Conference of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) this year in Copenhagen, Denmark, data on a test that may detect HIV,
hepatitis B, and hepatitis C from a single drop of blood are being presented.
Hepatitis B or C claim the lives of over a million people each year. Every year, 1.5 million individuals contract HIV, and 650,000 people pass away from HIV-related
causes.
The World Health Organisation has made the elimination of all three viruses by 2030 one of its global health strategies but new tests are necessary if case numbers
are to be reduced.
The most common test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV involves taking a blood sample from a vein using a needle. While this method works extremely well, there
is a potentially large reservoir of the three conditions in places where this method is not suitable.
This could be prisons, drug rehabilitation centres and homeless shelters, where the taking of venous blood samples isn't always suitable or countries in which the
shipping and refrigerated storage of blood samples can be challenging.
Alternatives include dried blood spot tests, in which a single spot of blood is tested for nucleic acid from the three viruses.
Suffering a brain injury is no easy thing. The plurality of potential symptoms meets with the potential long-term effects to create a poor prognosis for many
unfortunate enough to experience them. But new technological leaps could pave the way to a better quality of life.
What is a Brain Injury?
The above question might seem a simple one, with a simple answer. But brain injuries are by no means simple, and by no means simply defined. There are two major
categories under which a brain injury can fall: hypoxic and traumatic. Of civil brain injury claims in the UK, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are the most
common - with 95% of claims revolving around some form of traumatic injury or incident.
TBIs are brain injuries suffered as a result of a specific or direct injury. The brain is damaged through direct contact or the transfer of force. A direct strike
to the head is in an assault or a serious fall might compromise the cranium, sending shockwaves of energy through the brain and potentially crushing the skull into
the cranial cavity. Alternatively, a car accident or sudden stop might see the brain bashed against the occipital bone, causing internal trauma and intracranial
hypertension.
Hypoxic brain injuries refer specifically to injuries caused as a result of loss of blood or oxygen to the head. These injuries reflect birth injuries that might
lead to cerebral palsy, or serious medical events that might alter the brain's response to stimuli.
How are Brain Injuries Diagnosed and Treated?
While the potential causes of a brain injury are plain to see, diagnosing a brain injury is not as straightforward. There are immediate symptoms that can indicate
brain injury, such as the 'fencing response' which can indicate a severe rotational brain injury. Conscious patients might also exhibit difficulty speaking,
remembering key pieces of information or responding to any stimuli.
In a significant leap forward in the fight against HIV, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has given the green light to two
groundbreaking formulations of cabotegravir.
Apretude 30 mg film-coated tablets and Apretude 600 mg prolonged-release suspension for injection are now authorized for preventing sexually transmitted HIV-1
infection in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35kg at increased risk.
This approval marks a pivotal moment in HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) prevention, offering an alternative to existing standard pre-exposure prophylaxis or
PrEP treatments.
HIV, a virus notorious for compromising the immune system, has long been a global health concern.
Cabotegravir, a member of the integrase inhibitor group, works by blocking a key enzyme necessary for the replication of HIV-1, thereby reducing the virus's
ability to spread.
The UK based Pharma giant Futura Medical Plc's lead product, Eroxon, a topical Stim-gel is now available on NHS prescription in England and Wales for the
treatment of Erectile Dysfunction (ED).
The Muti-Drug Resistant (MDR) approved alternative to PDE5i, Eroxon is available as an over-the counter off shelf at retailers like Boots and Superdrug; and is
available on NHS prescription in England and Wales as a CE-marked medical device.
Erectile dysfunction (ED), also known as impotence, is the inability to get and maintain an erection, typically concerning men over the age of 40 due to both,
psychological and physical causes such as anxiety, depression, diabetes, and obesity.
According to UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA), the approval of the medication is based on evidence from 2 Phase three clinical studies, which showed that
60 per cent of patients taking Eroxon achieved Minimal Clinically Important Differences (MCID) at 12 weeks.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England last month issued a "safety critical" national patient safety alert, warning about
the UK-wide shortage of a life-saving drug used to treat patients with chronic breathing issues.
NHS trusts, health authorities, ambulance services, GP practices, private healthcare providers, and community pharmacy contractors were informed that
salbutamol 2.5mg and 5mg nebuliser liquid unit dose vials are in short supply, with the latter likely to remain "out of stock" until mid-April 2024.
As per the alert, the shortage of the drug resulted from a combination of manufacturing issues, leading to heightened demand for alternative suppliers.
It was mentioned that while terbutaline, salbutamol with ipratropium, and ipratropium nebuliser liquids remained available, they could't meet the increased demand.
