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Medicines

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Lords committee warned urgent generics investment needed to avoid shortages

Pharma bodies tell the Lords Public Services Committee the US-UK tariff deal should not be funded “by further pressure" on generic medicines.

09 Dec 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Large majority of pharmacists oppose self-selection of P medicines, says PDA

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association said its survey showed 94 per cent of almost 600 pharmacists were against self-selection.

04 Dec 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Pharmacy bodies give evidence to Lords inquiry on medicines security

The Healthcare Distribution Association's Martin Sawer said “incentives” were weakening the supply chain's resilience.

06 Nov 2025 , 4 Min Article

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HRT prescriptions in England increased by 11 per cent in 2024-25

The data showed 14.7 million HRT items were prescribed in 2024-25.

23 Oct 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Antidepressants’ effect on physical health examined in first study of its kind

The study found antidepressants resulted in “clinically significant differences” in weight loss, heart rate and systolic blood pressure.

22 Oct 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Patients have questioned the safety of paracetamol after Trump’s remarks, says NPA

A National Pharmacy Association survey revealed patients are less likely to get vaccinated after Donald Trump linked paracetamol and autism.

29 Sep 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Number of antidepressant items prescribed increased by 300,000 between March and June

The NHS Business Services Authority said 23,400,000 items were prescribed to 7,030,000 patients in the first financial quarter of 2025-26.

16 Sep 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Drug misuse deaths in Scotland falls – but opioids the most common cause

The National Records of Scotland said the number of deaths fell to its lowest figure since 2017.

05 Sep 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Lords committee launches inquiry into medicines shortages in the UK

The House of Lords Public Services Committee will look at the causes of shortages and effectiveness of current measures designed to address them.

06 Aug 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Pharmacies in Scotland urged to prepare for big increase in eye treatment prescriptions

The number of prescriptions written by independent prescriber community optometrists and sent for dispensing in pharmacies is set to rise.

05 Aug 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Items prescribed for dependency-forming medicines fell from 2016-17 to 2024-25

The number of patients prescribed the medicines fell by 14 per cent, going from 8.1 million in 2016-17 to seven million in 2024-25.

31 Jul 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Antidepressant prescribing in England on the rise, reveals NHSBSA report

NHS Business Services Authority revealed 92.6 million antidepressant items were prescribed to about 8.89 million patients in 2024-25.

25 Jul 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Court spares pharmacy team member who stole Ozempic prison time

Akshay Sennik, 31, stole two Ozempic pens from New Cross Pharmacy in South-East London where he worked and sold them on.

22 Jul 2025 , 1 Min Article

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GP reviews should include ECG for long-term users of antipsychotics, warns coroner

A coroner warned there is a lack of clear and consistent guidance that GP health checks should include electrocardiograms for patients on long-term antipsychotics.

15 Jul 2025 , 1 Min Article

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RPS shifts stance on self-selection of P medicines

RPS now supportive of the facilitated self-selection of Pharmacy medicines, where a community pharmacy chooses to implement such models.

15 Jul 2025 , 1 Min Article

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Medicines shortages a 'chronic structural challenge' says APPG

Disruptions to medicine supply chains causing harm to patients and placing an unsustainable burden on community pharmacies, says APPG inquiry.

08 Jul 2025 , 1 Min Article

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