Category: Medication

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Violence Prevention Information System (Violence Info).
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
[Developed in collaboration with the Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Public Health Wales and the World Health Organisation, Violence Info is an online interactive collection of scientific information about the prevalence, consequences, risk factors and preventability of all forms of interpersonal violence. It covers homicide, child maltreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and sexual violence.]

Two new tobacco cessation medicines added to the WHO essential medicines list.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
[On 1 October 2021, the WHO announced the updated the Model List where two new medicines have been added, indicating a powerful shift in the fight against the tobacco epidemic. Bupropion and varenicline are medicines which work in a different way from nicotine replacement. The new medicines reduce cravings for nicotine without supplying a nicotine substitute, thereby supporting people in quitting tobacco use and reducing nicotine dependence.]

Healthy weight coach elearning programme: for primary care networks, healthcare practices and pharmacies.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2021.
[This reference guide is for primary care networks, healthcare practices and pharmacies interested in training staff, and staff interested in undertaking training, to become a healthy weight coach.]

Blood pressure lowering and risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes: an individual participant data meta-analysis.
The Lancet; 2021.
[Blood pressure lowering is an effective strategy for the prevention of new-onset type 2 diabetes. Established pharmacological interventions, however, have qualitatively and quantitively different effects on diabetes. This evidence supports the indication for selected classes of antihypertensive drugs for the prevention of diabetes, which could further refine the selection of drug choice according to an individual’s clinical risk of diabetes.]

Caring for older patients with complex needs: How does England compare with 11 OECD countries?
The Health Foundation; 2021.
[The analysis shows that looking across the system is essential to understand the true resource use of patients with complex needs, if policymakers are to identify areas for improvement in care. The comparatively high mortality rates for people admitted for hip fracture and for people with heart failure and diabetes in England are concerning and require scrutiny by policymakers, commissioners and providers…]

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Behaviour change interventions to optimise antibiotic prescribing.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Strategic behavioural analysis that aims to help understand and change behaviours related to antimicrobial stewardship and antibiotic prescribing.]

Third primary COVID-19 vaccine dose for people who are immunosuppressed: JCVI advice.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the benefits of a third primary COVID-19 vaccine dose in individuals aged 12 years and over with severe immunosuppression.]

JCVI statement, September 2021: COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 years.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Updated advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on vaccination of children aged 12 to 15.]


Guidance for the health and care sector

Brexit transition from the 1st January 2021

This is the guidance for information for industry and organisations involved in health and care on preparing for the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. New guidance can be found for the following:

•Supply of medicines and medical products

•Nutrition legislation

•Substances of human origin

•Labelling of tobacco products

•Recognition of professional qualifications

Guidance for the health and care sector

Brexit transition from the 1st January 2021

This is the guidance for information for industry and organisations involved in health and care on preparing for the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

New guidance can be found for the following:

  • Supply of medicines and medical products
  • Nutrition legislation
  • Substances of human origin
  • Labelling of tobacco products
  • Recognition of professional qualifications

Access to new medicines in the English NHS

A briefing to describe the process

Source – The King’s Fund

All health systems must find ways to ration limited resources. The question is whether they do so with their eyes closed or with their eyes open. In 2018/19, the English NHS spent almost £19 billion on drugs, almost 15 per cent of total public spending on health. Should the NHS increase drugs spending to pay for the latest drugs for hepatitis or cancer, drugs that might prolong life for some patients but cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds per course of treatment? Or should it spend the money in other areas, for example, ensuring that people can see a GP when they need one, ensuring that vulnerable people get basic treatment for long term-conditions or tackling health inequalities? How health systems make these decisions determines, in large part, their effectiveness. The choices determine the quality of people’s lives and, in some cases, who lives or dies.

To find out more and understand the process click here.

Study

Medication beliefs and use of medication lists – is there a connection? Results from a before-and-after study in Germany

Despite increasing digitalisation the paper based medication list remains one of the most important instruments for the documentation and exchange of medical-related information. However, even elderly patients with polypharmacy who are at high risk for medical errors and adverse drug effects, frequently do not receive or use a complete and comprehensible medication list. Increasing the use of medication lists would be a great contribution to medication safety and facilitate the work of healthcare providers.

Read more on the study here.

More harm than good: why more isn’t always better with older people’s medicines

Age UK, August 2019

Age UK report that calls for a more considered approach to prescribing medicines for our older population. It says too many older people in our society are on too many prescribed medicines, putting them at risk of side effects that in a worrying number of cases can lead to falls and a range of other serious harms. The report also provides evidence showing that prescribing more drugs isn’t always the best option, particularly when it comes to older people.

Click here to view the full report.

Ensuring access to medicines: How to stimulate innovation to meet patients’ needs?: (Policy Brief 29)

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, November 2018
Brief that aims to inform discussions about stimulating more meaningful productivity in terms of pharmaceutical R&D. More specifically, it explores how R&D efforts can be steered to areas of unmet clinical needs and how efficiency in the R&D process can be increased. It also explicitly considers concrete options for strengthening cooperation between European Union member states in this context.
Click here to view the full report.