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Everything you need to know about the COVID-19 therapy trials
Researchers around the world are working at record speed to find the best ways to treat and prevent COVID-19, from investigating the possibility of repurposing existing drugs to searching for novel therapies against the virus.
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Everything you should know about the coronavirus outbreak
The latest information about the novel coronavirus identified in Wuhan, China, and advice on how pharmacists can help concerned patients and the public.
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One in ten hospital trusts have been asked to approve unlicensed cannabis-based medicinal prescriptions Subscription
Around 10% of hospital trusts have received requests for prescriptions of unlicensed cannabis-based medical products.
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Government impact assessment of pharmacy contract warned it could cause closures Subscription
The government was warned that some pharmacies could “become financially unviable and close” because of cost pressures related to launching new services under the five-year community pharmacy contract, a freedom of information request from The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed.
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Pharmacies will ‘struggle’ to serve patients if NHS Test and Trace fails to look at individual cases, warns negotiator
The NHS Test and Trace service is causing extra staffing pressures by suggesting that entire community pharmacy teams must self-isolate, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has said.
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Pre-registration assessment to be delayed until first quarter of 2021, regulator confirms Subscription
The delayed 2020 pre-registration assessment will be held in the first quarter of 2021, the General Pharmaceutical Council has confirmed.
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Up to 85% of community pharmacies could be in financial deficit by 2024, economic analysis concludes Subscription
Economic analysis by Ernst and Young has concluded that up to 85% of community pharmacies will be in financial deficit by 2024 if current funding arrangements continue.
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Newly qualified pharmacists could be independent prescribers if foundation programme launches in 2021, says regulator and chief pharmaceutical officers Subscription
The potential for a foundation programme to replace the preregistration year in 2021 could mean all newly qualified pharmacists qualify as independent prescribers, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the four UK chief pharmaceutical officers have said.
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Foundation training programme could replace preregistration year from the summer of 2021 Subscription
A year of foundation training could replace the pharmacist preregistration year across the UK from summer 2021, Health Education England and NHS England have suggested.
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Flu vaccines could be delivered at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine, government says
The government is exploring the possibility of co-administering the flu vaccination with a COVID-19 vaccine during the 2020/2021 flu season.
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New Pharmacy Quality Scheme will focus only on COVID-19
A newly agreed Pharmacy Quality Scheme will focus on ensuring contractors in England have taken measures to protect staff and patients from COVID-19.
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Pharmacy regulator to blind fitness-to-practise investigations against racial bias Subscription
The General Pharmaceutical Council is to introduce blind reviews during its fitness-to-practise investigations in an attempt to remove bias from the system.
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Pharmacy regulator proposes speeding up fitness-to-practise decisions by making more enquiries earlier Subscription
More enquiries could be made earlier in the fitness-to-practise process to ensure some concerns are dealt with more quickly, under a new strategy proposed by the pharmacy regulator.
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Government asked to produce plans for 'predictable supply' of PPE ahead of second COVID-19 wave
MPs have asked the government to produce a plan of how it will procure “a predictable supply” of personal protective equipment by September 2020, ahead of any second COVID-19 wave.
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Flu vaccines could be delivered in sports stadiums, town halls and mosques to mitigate COVID-19 risk, says pharmacy negotiator
Pharmacy negotiators have suggested contractors consider providing flu vaccinations off-premises during the 2020/2021 flu season to manage infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Inhaler recycling scheme that cut carbon emissions equivalent to more than 8,500 cars is scrapped Subscription
A scheme to recycle respiratory inhalers, which has cut carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking around 8,600 cars off UK roads, is ending.
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Lopinavir/ritonavir 'not effective' for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, third set of RECOVERY trial results show
An antiviral treatment commonly used to treat HIV has been found to have no beneficial effect in patients hospitalised with COVID-19, according to the third set of results to come out of the ‘Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy’ trial.
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A quarter of medicines deliveries booked through Welsh volunteer scheme have not been completed
More than 3,300 medicines deliveries have been scheduled since the launch of the National Volunteer Prescription Delivery Scheme in Wales, although, to date, only 2,473 deliveries have been completed.
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More than two-thirds of BAME pharmacists yet to receive COVID-19 risk assessments, survey reveals
More than two-thirds of black, Asian and minority ethnic pharmacists say they have still not been offered COVID-19 risk assessments almost two months after NHS England said employers should risk assess all staff.
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Dexamethasone is ‘first drug’ to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19
Low-dose dexamethasone, a “widely available, safe and well-known drug”, is the first medicine to be shown to result in a “significant reduction in mortality” in those with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilation, researchers have said.
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Government SAGE committee suggests flu vaccinations for 'entire UK population'
The government’s scientific panel set up to advise on the COVID-19 pandemic has recommended the government considers vaccinating “the entire UK population” against flu during the 2020/2021 season.
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Net pharmacy closures double in first five months of 2020 compared with previous year Subscription
More than 80 community pharmacies closed in 2020 to the end of May in England, according to data analysed by The Pharmaceutical Journal.
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COVID-19 infection control could cut community pharmacy capacity for flu vaccinations by two-thirds
Community pharmacies could have just a third of their previous capacity to deliver flu vaccinations during winter 2020/2021 as a result of COVID-19 infection control measures, the pharmacy vaccination lead for London has said.
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PrEP to be phased into routine commissioning during 2020/2021 Subscription
Pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs will be routinely commissioned by local authorities in a phased approach during the 2020/2021 financial year, the government has said.
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First COVID-19 treatment to be made available for use in UK outside a clinical trial
Remdesivir will become the first COVID-19 treatment in the UK to be made available for use outside a clinical trial.
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All provisionally registered trainees must be risk-assessed before starting work, regulator says
All preregistration pharmacists on the provisional register must be risk-assessed by their employer before they can start work, the General Pharmaceutical Council has said.
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COVID-19 LATEST: Pharmacy bid for extra COVID-19 funding submitted to government
All the most important developments in the COVID-19 pandemic for pharmacists and their teams, as they happen.
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COVID-19 updates: 18 March 2020 – 3 April 2020
All the most important developments in the COVID-19 pandemic for pharmacists and their teams, as they happen.
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COVID-19: Tell us how you are coping
The COVID-19 pandemic has produced an unprecedented workload for pharmacists. How has it affected you, and how are you coping?
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Pharmacies across the UK close 'intermittently' to cope with increasing pressures from COVID-19
Exclusive: Pharmacies across the UK are closing intermittently throughout each day to maintain staff wellbeing and patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Funding to be made available for home deliveries, says NHS England and NHS Improvement
The cost of delivering medicines to vulnerable patients who are self-isolating or have COVID-19 will be reimbursed, Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England has said.
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'Unprecedented demand' for OTC painkillers as COVID-19 outbreak spreads
The owner of LloydsPharmacy has said there is “unprecedented demand” for over-the-counter painkillers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Regulator may temporarily re-register 6,000 pharmacy staff to cope with a COVID-19 emergency
The General Pharmaceutical Council has drawn up plans to temporarily re-register pharmacists and pharmacy technicians if the government launches a state of emergency in relation to COVID-19.
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Pharmacists to receive packs of gloves, aprons and masks as protection against COVID-19
The government is expected to send out personal protective equipment to every community pharmacy starting from 16 March 2020 to help protect staff against COVID-19.
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Competition watchdog to monitor price hikes during COVID-19 outbreak as pharmacists report rising cost of drugs
The Competition and Markets Authority has warned retailers against hiking prices in an attempt “to take advantage of people” as COVID-19 continues to spread.
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London minor ailments scheme to close at end of March 2020 Subscription
The ‘Pharmacy first’ scheme — distinct from the Scottish service of the same name — will close on 31 March 2020.
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Pharmacists could be 'redeployed' to short-staffed areas under NHS COVID-19 plans
NHS England could redeploy staff to work in areas suffering large-scale absences as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak, pharmacy negotiators have said.
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Three-quarters of Rowlands pharmacies could cut opening hours under money-saving proposals Subscription
Rowlands Pharmacy has proposed cutting back on the number of hours its pharmacies are open for in an effort to cut costs.
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Government allows bulk import and storage of medical cannabis Subscription
The government has announced that licensed medicines wholesalers will be able to hold reserve stocks of medical cannabis, effective immediately.
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NHS England advises pharmacies to prepare 'isolation space' for patients with suspected COVID-19
Community pharmacies have been told they must prepare a “designated isolation space” to house patients who present with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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Scottish community pharmacy sees first ever three-year funding settlement agreed Subscription
The first ever three-year funding settlement for Scottish community pharmacy will see an increase of almost £5m for the sector over the 2020/2021 financial year.
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RPS calls for sweet e-cigarette flavourings to be banned Subscription
Sweet flavouring agents in e-cigarettes and vaping products “should be banned to minimise the appeal to young people”, an updated policy on e-cigarettes published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has said.
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Transitional payments for pharmacies to increase but then end in 2021 Subscription
Transitional payments for pharmacies will increase early in the 2020/2021 financial year, but then be phased out, with no transition payments at all expected from 2021/2022, pharmacy negotiators have said.
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Scottish five-year pharmacy degree will not begin in 2020, government confirms Subscription
The five-year integrated pharmacy training will not start in Scotland in September 2020, the Scottish government has confirmed.
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Social prescribing staff numbers double in one year Subscription
The number of social prescribing staff being employed across clinical commissioning group areas has doubled over the past year, a Freedom of Information request by The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed.
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Government announces digital hospital-to-pharmacy referral service to cut hospital readmissions Subscription
Hospitals will be able to digitally refer recently discharged patients to community pharmacies across England for advice on new and updated prescriptions from July 2020.
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Funding needed for community pharmacists to tackle patients' smoking and drinking, say pharmacy bodies Subscription
Community pharmacists need adequate funding and resources if they’re to discuss patients’ drinking, smoking and wellbeing, pharmacy organisations have said in response to a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence consultation.
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Community pharmacies get four referrals per day from GPs in 'game changer' pilot Subscription
GPs are sending up to four patients per day to community pharmacies in the south west of England as part of a national referral pilot, a National Pharmacy Association lead has said.
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Pharmacists could be able to prescribe 'low-risk' drugs under new legislation Subscription
Pharmacists could be given new powers to prescribe medicines in low-risk situations as part of new legislation being put forward by the government.
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Pharmacy reopens after deep clean amid coronavirus concerns at medical centre
A LloydsPharmacy branch has reopened after undergoing a deep clean following a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in the building.
