Category list : Anti-infective agents
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NHS England to choose 'selected' number of pharmacies to deliver at least 1,000 COVID-19 vaccines per week
Pharmacies designated as COVID-19 vaccination sites by NHS England will need to administer “at least 1,000 vaccines each week” if they are to become part of the national vaccine delivery programme.
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Case-based learning: impetigo Subscription
Pharmacists need to identify and manage impetigo effectively to help prevent its spread.
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Beyond antibiotics: harnessing bacteria’s natural predators Subscription
With antibiotic resistance set to cost 10 million lives per year by 2050, there is a renaissance of interest in the potential of bacteriophages to be the next generation of bacteria killers.
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The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19
As researchers around the globe drop everything to find a treatment for COVID-19, we look at the likely frontrunners for managing this deadly disease.
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Warnings over macrolides in early pregnancy after research shows risk of birth defects Subscription
Macrolide antibiotics should be used “with caution” in early pregnancy, researchers who found an associated increased risk of major birth defects have warned.
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Antibiotic treatment of Mycoplasma genitalium infection Subscription
An overview of the 2018 guideline for management of this sexually transmitted infection in men and women.
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Aspergillosis: causes, types and treatment Subscription
Aspergillus-related disease is rare, but results in high mortality rates. The limited treatment options and emerging antifungal drug resistance mean that accurate diagnosis and management is paramount.
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How to improve antifungal stewardship Subscription
Selecting appropriate antifungal therapies and performing ongoing reviews of these therapies can help support antifungal stewardship efforts and help reduce antifungal resistance.
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Thrush: detection and management in community pharmacy
Pharmacists can provide treatment and advice for this common yeast infection.
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Financial incentives succeed in reducing antibiotic prescribing, says Public Health England
A scheme using financial incentives to reduce antibiotic prescribing has worked, Public Health England has said.
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The global race to combat antimicrobial resistance Subscription
The Longitude Prize has relaunched after 300 years and this time teams around the world are racing to develop a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test that will help prevent the overuse of antibiotics and put them in the running to win £8m.
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NICE publishes draft guidance on antibiotic prescribing for UTIs Subscription
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a set of draft guidelines to help healthcare professionals optimise antimicrobial prescribing for urinary tract infections and minimise antimicrobial resistance.
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Hepatitis C: tackling the silent killer Subscription
About 200,000 people are living with hepatitis C in the UK, but it is estimated that around half of these remain undiagnosed. Identifying those at risk, offering tests and connecting those infected with treatment are crucial to tackling the disease.
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Changing antimicrobial prescribing behaviour through gaming Subscription
Researchers have developed a game featuring virtual patients that aims to improve antimicrobial prescribing behaviour in hospitals.
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Syphilis: diagnosis and management options Subscription
In 2016, the number of diagnoses of syphilis in England rose by 12%. Pharmacists and healthcare professionals should be aware of the signs and symptoms, as well as the treatment options for this disease, and understand the role they can play in the wider promotion of good sexual health to patients.
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Identifying antibiotics associated with Clostridium difficile infection Subscription
The increase in Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in the early 1990s was associated with the widespread use of clindamycin, cephalosporins and quinolones. A nationwide drive to implement strict antimicrobial stewardship guidelines has changed the nature of the antibiotics associated with C. difficile. As a result, in NHS England and the Heart of England Foundation Trust (HEFT), C. difficile incidence has decreased by over 75% from 2007 to 2017, because ...
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Antibiotics not always necessary for paediatric atopic dermatitis Subscription
Antibiotics are frequently prescribed for the treatment of acute flares of atopic dermatitis to help reduce the colonisation of Staphylococcus aureus on the skin.
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Management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: current and future treatments Subscription
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterised by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and affects patients’ quality of life. Treatment of IBD involves induction and maintenance of remission. Current available therapies include anti-inflammatory aminosalicylates and corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, antibiotics and biologic agents. Some patients are not fully responsive to conventional treatment or lose efficacy over time. Recently approved ...
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Sprays do better than devices in repelling mosquitoes
Sprays containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) or PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol) are more effective at repelling the mosquito species that spreads Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever and dengue than other types of products on the market, a study has found.
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Clostridium difficile: diagnosis and treatment update Subscription
There are around 12,000 cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) each year in the UK and during 1999 to 2007, deaths from CDI peaked at around 4,000 per year. This article summarises diagnosis and management, as well as the current therapeutic options for CDI, including faecal microbiota transplant.
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Shortening antibiotic treatment worsens outcomes in children with ear infection Subscription
Researchers found that standard-duration antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media works better than shorter treatments.
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FDA insists on warning labels for OTC chlorhexidine products
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has told manufacturers of over-the-counter antiseptic products that contain chlorhexidine gluconate to add warning labels to their products about the possibility of a serious but rare allergic reaction.
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Balancing action on antimicrobial resistance with animal welfare Subscription
As almost everyone in the business of caring for the health of humans and animals is acutely aware, on our current trajectory, it is estimated that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050, with many arising from simple infections following routine operations. This is why the UK government has placed antimicrobial resistance at the top of its risk register alongside terrorism and pandemic influenza.
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Predatory bacterium could fight drug-resistant superbugs Subscription
Using Bdellovibrio to control Shigella infection in zebrafish larvae, researchers say this type of living antibiotic could hold potential for tackling antimicrobial resistance.
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Immune stimulation could boost therapeutic HIV vaccine Subscription
Combining HIV vaccination with immune stimulation delayed viral rebound in monkeys with simian immunotherapy virus.
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New Zealand pharmacists support OTC trimethoprim prescribing Subscription
Pharmacists in New Zealand who are allowed to give women with uncomplicated cystitis a three-day supply of trimethoprim say patients appreciate the improved access to treatment.
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Methylprednisolone as effective as gentamicin for Ménière’s disease Subscription
Study shows that methylprednisolone and gentamicin are equally as effective in controlling vertigo attacks.
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Researchers create star-shaped device that can deliver drug dose over two weeks
US researchers have developed a star-shaped long-lasting drug device that resides in the stomach and can deliver a controlled drug dose over a period of up to two weeks.
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NHS England’s support for pharmacy-led sore throat service sparks accusations of inconsistency
NHS England has been accused of inconsistency after it championed the roll out of a national community pharmacy-run sore throat service at a time when the sector is facing huge budget cuts.
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Evaluating a point-of-care C-reactive protein test to support antibiotic prescribing decisions in a general practice Subscription
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of infection and inflammation. It is high in bacterial infections but very low or close to zero in viral infections. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), England and Wales’s health technology assessment body, has issued guidance on pneumonia in adults; it recommends point-of-care (POC) CRP analysers when clinical assessment is inconclusive. If the CRP level is less than 20mg/L, no antibiotics ...
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UK government puts up £4m to cover capital costs of antimicrobial resistance research
Funding of £4m is being made available by the UK government to support projects that tackle the global challenges of antimicrobial resistance.
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Grampian pharmacists supply antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs
Community pharmacists in Grampian have been given the go-ahead to supply antibiotics to women with an uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI).
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Antibiotic gel crosses eardrum to treat middle ear infections
A one-dose application of an antibiotic gel into the ear could make it easier to treat middle ear infections in children, say US researchers.
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Existing drugs identified that could fight Zika virus Subscription
By screening 6,000 drugs for anti-Zika properties, researchers found three potential therapies against the Zika virus.
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New approaches to overcoming antimicrobial resistance Subscription
As antibiotic resistance continues to threaten the treatment of various infections, researchers are looking for new ways to supplement and in some cases replace failing antimicrobial drugs.
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Syphilis and the use of mercury
Sexual Health Week 2016 runs from 12-18 September. Szu Shen Wong, Thibaut Deviese, Jane Draycott, John Betts and Matthew Johnston describe what lies behind a print depicting patients with syphilis from the 18th century.
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US$1 test card can detect poor quality ceftriaxone antibiotic
A paper-based tool that can be used to detect counterfeit or degraded medicines and costs around US$1 is effective in detecting poor quality samples of the injectable antibiotic ceftriaxone.
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NHS England tried hard to manage funding of new hepatitis C drugs Subscription
I read with interest the letter from Charles Gore of The Hepatitis C Trust asking why NHS England is treating people living with hepatitis C as exceptional cases and has capped the access to medicines that can eradicate the infection in most cases.
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Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030: can it be done? Subscription
Luiz Loures from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) talks about ending the epidemic, and the challenges in fighting the disease that has claimed over 34 million lives.
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FDA strengthens fluoroquinolone warnings
Revised warnings about the risks of being left permanently disabled after taking fluoroquinolone antibiotics have been added to products in the United States following a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.
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Antiretroviral therapy virtually eliminates HIV transmission within couples
Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) virtually eliminates the risk of HIV transmission to an uninfected partner, according to a study of serodiscordant couples.
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Antibiotics should be prescribed during idelalisib treatment, concludes review
All patients given the cancer drug idelalisib (marketed as Zydelig) should be prescribed antibiotics during treatment and for two to six months after treatment has ended to prevent pneumonia, according to a new Europe-wide proposal.
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Cranberry juice reduces recurrent UTIs by 39% Subscription
Daily servings of cranberry juice could prevent clinical UTIs and reduce antibiotic use
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Streptomycin cell membrane finding could aid antibiotic development Subscription
New study confirms streptomycin binds to receptor, which could be new target for antibiotics.
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Enhance your knowledge of infectious disease management Subscription
‘The pharmacist’s guide to antimicrobial therapy and stewardship’, by Sarah M Wieczorkiewicz and Carrie A Sincak.
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NHS England confirms decision not to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV Subscription
NHS England has reiterated that it will not fund pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.
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EMA recommends combination therapies for chronic hepatitis C virus
Two new combination therapies that have the potential to cure patients with long-term hepatitis C virus infection and rule out the need for interferon are being recommended for approval across the EU.
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Cameron pledges to halve inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics Subscription
GPs in the UK will be expected to cut inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics by 50% by 2020, according to a new target announced by Prime Minister David Cameron.
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Narrow spectrum antibiotic leaves gut microbiome intact in mice Subscription
Pathogen-selective antibiotics could minimise the impact of treatment on the gut microbiome, study finds.
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EMA recommends approval of antibiotic combination to treat multi-drug resistant bacteria Subscription
A new combination antibacterial drug is being recommended for approval across the European Union (EU).
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