According to findings of the FAST trial, five larger radiotherapy doses after surgery, once-a-week sessions for five weeks instead of daily radiotherapy over the same time, totalling 25 doses, cause similarly low rates of side-effects in women with early-stage breast cancer in the long run. Fewer treatment sessions would particularly benefit patients at low risk
Researchers from Huddersfield University have stated that the benefits of using steroid-containing inhalers and nebulisers during the COVID-19 pandemic outweigh the risks, despite warnings to the contrary. Previously, the WHO advised back in March that steroids used in inhalers and nebulisers, such as those prescribed to people with asthma or COPD, could have a negative
NHS England has launched new online services allowing those with diabetes to better manage their condition remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. A range of online videos and training will be available for children and adults, which will include advice on treatment and care and adopting healthy behaviours on diet and exercise, complementing video consultations with
UK healthcare authorities have approved a free messaging app for use in hospitals, in a bid to prevent staff from sharing sensitive clinical information using consumer services such as WhatsApp. Hospify is the first general purpose messaging app to be given the stamp of approval by the organisations overseeing the NHS Apps Library. These include;
GSK has recruited China-based Clover Biopharmaceuticals, to help develop its protein-based coronavirus vaccine candidate (COVID-19 S-Trimer). Under the new agreement, GSK says it will provide Clover with its pandemic adjuvant system for further evaluation of S-Trimer in preclinical studies, in hopes that Clover could potentially rapidly scale-up and produce large-quantities of a new coronavirus vaccine.
NHS England has announced that its Time for Care programme has freed up more than half a million hours of time for patients in the last year. The innovative programme involved surgeries across the country to adopt new ways of working like letting patients book appointments sooner, cutting paperwork and offering faster access to different
EMA has revealed a final tally of 84 positive opinions on new medicines in 2018, with 42 of these being new active substances. This number is slightly down from 94 in 2017, but the number of new active substances approved in 2018 grew from 35 to 42. Amongst those approved, 21 were orphan medicines (exactly
A large study of UK adults has found that women who smoke, have diabetes or high blood pressure increase their risk of a heart attack more than men faced with the same risks. The researchers, writing in the BMJ, also mentioned that women should receive the same treatments as men and be offered support to
The British government has extended the expiry date on epinephrine pens to combat shortage in the UK. The Danish pharmaceutical company ALK announced that it was working with MHRA as the agency decides which specific batches of the Jext EpiPen’s will receive an extension on their expiry. ALK estimates that approximately 100,000 Jext pens in
The Scottish Medicines Consortium has endorsed NHS funding for four therapies that new treatment options for acute myeloid leukaemia, Still’s disease, adrenal insufficiency and psoriatic arthritis. Pfizer’s Gemtuzumab ozogamicin was accepted for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), after being considered through the SMC’s Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) process. Current initial treatment for
