Q&A;: Ebola pioneer looks to the future of drug developmentSubscription
Microbiologist Peter Piot helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976. Now director and professor of global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he shares his thoughts on the current Ebola epidemic and describes some of the challenges in bringing new medicines for neglected diseases to market.
Pharmacy is in need of a makeoverSubscription
Gavin Birchall believes it is time we looked at ways to improve the visual identity of pharmacy.
The European Medicines Agency still has a way to go towards clinical trial transparencySubscription
Loopholes in the new policy on publishing clinical study reports from the European Medicines Agency need to be closed.
NHS strikes: goodwill is a two-way processSubscription
Dave Thornton explains why the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists supports the industrial strike action over pay.
Putting milestones into perspectiveSubscription
Emma Graham-Clarke found inspiration from a patient when struggling to complete a list of tasks.
Justifying my prescribing decisionsSubscription
The decision to prescribe a medicine can be complex when you have to balance what’s best for the patient with what is most cost effective.
Five tips to improve wellbeing from the Wardley workshop
Charity Pharmacist Support has recently launched a series of wellbeing workshops for pharmacists, preregistration trainees and pharmacy students. Emma Page shares some tips from the workshop she attended this week.
Caution is needed with e-cigarettesSubscription
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), known as e-cigarettes. The working party responsible showed less enthusiasm than Margaret Cunningham (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:599). ...
English language testing is a good thingSubscription
I support the plans for the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to test pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from the European Economic Area (EEA) on their levels of English.
Medicinal cannabis widely used in IsraelSubscription
I would like to add to David Nutt’s piece about medicinal cannabis (The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:560). Cannabidiol and d9-tetrahydrocannabinol were discovered by scientists in Israel and medicinal cannabis is now widely used there for a number of conditions. It is grown in secret locations under strict security and is prescribed by doctors registered to do so. There is now a facility ...
The coevolution of our content and pharmacySubscription
The changes to The Pharmaceutical Journal’s content mirror the changes occuring in pharmacy practice.
Europe needs independent scientific inputSubscription
The new European Commission President is reconsidering how he receives scientific advice.
Time to fast-track the fight against HIVSubscription
There are considerable challenges to address if global HIV/AIDS aspirations are to be accelerated.
Not all NHS waste is wasteful Subscription
Amidst the drive for efficiency in the NHS, medicines waste must not be oversimplified.
Putting the brakes on antibiotic useSubscription
The UK government should support calls from across the health service for national targets to reduce antibiotic prescribing, before resistance robs us of vital treatments.
We need a united effort to tackle antibiotic resistanceSubscription
Pharmacists must work with local GPs to encourage prudent antimicrobial prescribing, says Jocelyn Parkes, director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Wales.
Pharmacy must turn words into actionSubscription
The pharmacy profession must actively promote its clinical services to avoid a bleak future, says Sandra Gidley, vice-chair of the English Pharmacy Board.
Medicinal uses for slugs and snails and puppy dogsSubscription
‘What the apothecary ordered: questionable cures through the ages’, edited by Caroline Rance.
A battleground between public health and diseaseSubscription
‘Dirty old London: the Victorian fight against filth’, by Lee Jackson.
An anthology of fun fights about scienceSubscription
‘I think you’ll find it’s a bit more complicated than that’ is a compilation of Ben Goldacre’s work from over the past 20 years.
Exploring the history of generic medicinesSubscription
‘Generic: the unbranding of modern medicine’ by Jeremy A Greene.
Merton Sandler (1926-2014)Subscription
Merton Sandler was fascinated by investigative medicine and was a passionate researcher, who would often use himself as a test subject.
Reader's comment
We do view our profession very pessimistically. It is almost assumed by all that the status quo will remain. As clinical services move to the community pharmacy setting and we begin to manage patients there, the demand for skilled prescribing pharmacists will increase.
Johnathan Laird Pharmacy workforce remains a dilemma
