Memos and Alerts
Sepsis toolkit for GPs – a reminder
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), in partnership with Health Education England and NHS England, recently launched a new sepsis toolkit to support GPs and healthcare professionals to identify and manage the condition in patients.
Fosfomycin 3g sachets – a reminder
Prescribing fosfomycin as Monuril® is currently considerably more cost-effective than prescribing it generically.
What is the most appropriate antidepressant to use in patients with epilepsy?
This updated Medicines Q&A from the Specialist Pharmacy Service evaluates the published information available on the most appropriate choice of […]
Resources to support answering medicines-related questions in primary care
NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service has published a guide suggesting resources for use in primary care to answer questions about medicines. Most of the resources are freely available online.
The document includes sections on general resources and guidelines, administration of medicines, adverse drug reactions, breast feeding, children, complementary medicines, contraception and family planning, diagnostic tests, drug interactions, drug misuse, drug stability/ pharmaceutical issues, identification of medicines, immunisation and vaccines, mental health, new medicines and horizon scanning, palliative care, patent expiry, poisoning and toxicity, pregnancy, and travel medicine.
Managing the Christmas prescription workload with eRD
The Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) function within the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) allows prescribers to authorise and issue a batch of repeatable prescriptions for up to 12 months with just one digital signature. GP practices using EPS are on average sending over half of their prescriptions electronically, but eRD makes up less than 12% of these.
NICE NG 56 Multimorbidity: clinical assessment and management
A new briefing guide has been added to the NECS MO website – NICE NG 56 Multimorbidity: clinical assessment and […]
What is a suitable combined oral contraceptive pill in a patient who is taking hepatic enzyme-inducing drugs, such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampicin or rifabutin?
This updated Medicines Q&A provides advice on a suitable oral contraceptive that can be used in a woman using an […]
Antibiotic quality premium monitoring dashboard – September 2016
The NHS England Antibiotic Quality Premium Monitoring Dashboard is produced by the NHS Business Services Authority to support NHS England […]
Summary of MHRA drug safety advice: September to November 2016
The MHRA has provided the following synopsis of key drug safety issues from the September to November 2016 issues of Drug Safety Update.
– Levonorgestrel-containing emergency hormonal contraception: advice on interactions with hepatic enzyme inducers and contraceptive efficacy
– Posaconazole (Noxafil): tablets and oral suspension are not directly interchangeable
– Idelalisib (Zydelig▼): updated indications and advice on minimising the risk of infection
– Etoricoxib (Arcoxia): revised dose recommendation for rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis
– Brimonidine gel (Mirvaso): risk of exacerbation of rosacea symptoms