Latest News from PMI

Drug shortages "inevitable", health minister says

Medicine shortages are "inevitable" given the number of prescriptions dispensed each year, health minister Simon Burns MP has said.

Welsh market entry consultation proposes use of PNAs

Pharmaceutical needs assessments (PNAs) might be used to govern market entry for pharmacies in Wales, according to a consultation published by the Welsh Government.

Changes advised to children’s meningococcal C vaccine schedule

A booster dose of meningococcal C vaccine should be given to adolescents, and one dose removed from the vaccine dosage schedule for infants, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised.

BBC News Latest - Syria army renews assault on Homs

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Syria for talks with President Bashar al-Assad amid an upsurge in violence in the restive city of Homs.

Risks for women smokers taking proton pump inhibitors

Women with a history of smoking may be at particular risk of hip fracture when using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) long-term, according to a BMJ study.

Over 400 request prescription payment checks

A total of 434 pharmacy contractors requested a total of 5,623 prescription payment checks from the NHS Business Services Authority, due to possible errors caused by the computerised pricing system over the past three years.

Tighter controls needed over websites selling POMs to public

Tighter controls are needed over the online advertising of prescription drugs, researchers have concluded, after finding poor safety and side effects information on a number of websites selling statins to the public.

BBC News Latest - Syria troops step up Homs bombing

Heavy artillery fire has been rocking Homs, as Syrian troops step up an assault on the restive city.

Different BP in arms may indicate risk of disease

Patients whose systolic blood pressure differs by 10mmHg or more between each arm are at increased risk of peripheral vascular disease and death, UK research suggests.

New Pharmacist Support trustees

Four trustees have joined the board of the charity Pharmacist Support.

Guidance issued to help hospitals engage with community sector

Hospital pharmacists wishing to refer patients for community pharmacy services can make use of a new referral form developed by NHS Employers, the PSNC and the RPS.

Resources developed to help support patients with persistent pain

New resources to help pharmacists manage patients with persistent pain have been developed by UCL School of Pharmacy and the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association.

Low-dose ulipristal controls bleeding in womb fibroids

Ulipristal 5mg can control bleeding in patients with uterine fibroids, according to two studies published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dual therapy with trastuzumab and lapatinib shows promise for patients with breast cancer

Dual treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer with lapatinib plus trastuzumab improves pathological complete response compared with monotherapy with either drug, according to data published online in The Lancet.

Calls to stop roll-out of NHS 111

Nine serious incidents have been reported with England’s pilot NHS 111 telephone service, it has emerged.