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opioids

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Pharmacist given 12-month conditions over SOP failures on high-risk opioid supply

Mohammad Javed admitted governance failures while working at Your Prescriptions Ltd and Al Shafa Pharmacy.

09 Mar 2026

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CPE committee member calls for national pharmacy deprescribing service

Sukhi Basra said pharmacists were already deprescribing “informally” and should be funded for it.

07 Nov 2025

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Figures show 16.5 million items for dependency-forming drugs prescribed in Q.1

The NHS Business Services Authority said 4.37 million patients in England were prescribed the medicines between April and June 2025.

15 Sep 2025

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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

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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

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Beyond addiction

Opioids can be highly effective for pain relief in the short-term, but long-term use can lead to several negative impacts on one’s health.

12 Mar 2025

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Almost 17m items for dependency-forming medicines prescribed in second quarter

Opioids were the most prescribed in quarter two of 2024-25 with 9.85 million items.

10 Dec 2024

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Number of items prescribed for dependency-forming medicines in England falls

NHS Business Services Authority said 7.1 million patients were prescribed the medicines, a 13 per cent decrease from 2015-16.

05 Sep 2024

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Suspended sentence for pharmacist who illegally sold prescription opioids

Belfast pharmacist who could not explain drug register discrepancies spared jail

02 Jul 2024

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Online zopiclone sales contributed to veteran’s death, says coroner

Coroner issues damning criticism of companies selling medicines online.

19 Jun 2024

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Gabapentinoid prescribing rises two per cent in a year

NHS BSA publishes latest report on dependency forming medicines in England

07 Sep 2023

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Pharmacist who failed to spot falsified fentanyl prescriptions suspended

Pharmacist failed to question issues around a patient's prescriptions, says GPhC

08 Aug 2023

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Deprescribing opioids in people with chronic pain: part five

The challenges of deprescribing

16 Mar 2023

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Deprescribing opioids in people with chronic pain: part four

Understand the definition of deprescribing.

10 Feb 2023

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Deprescribing opioids in people with chronic pain: part three

Understanding the components of opioid stewardship

11 Jan 2023

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Deprescribing opioids in people with chronic pain: part two

Recognising how good management of chronic pain can improve quality of life

20 Dec 2022

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