Drug Breakdown: Minoxidil

Day 1: A vasodilator derived from diallylmelamine in 1960s was found to have a BP lowering effect & #minoxidil was licensed 1970s. Long-term use revealed side-effect of hypertrichosis & trials for...

Examining sustainable practice in prescribing

This article, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, sought to identify the barriers to prescribing more environmentally friendly inhalers (Parker, 2023). One of the drivers for this article was...

Mask wearing and COVID-19: What does the evidence say?

Management of obesity

Consider a patient who has approached you for a prescription for orlistat who is keen to lose weight and has the following anthropometrics: male, 44 years old, 185 cm tall, 113 kg. He has no other...

Contraception consultation and assessment for women over 40

Discussing contraception can be an emotive issue for certain patient groups, and health professionals need to be supportive of women's personal and religious beliefs, and mindful of the terminology...

Prescribing anti-malarials in the UK

All travellers visiting areas where malaria is present are at risk of acquiring the disease, particularly UK residents who were born in malaria risk areas and return to visit friends and relatives in...

The impact of COVID-19 on sexual health services in the UK

The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid adaptation of health and public health systems on a global scale (Simões et al, 2020). For example, in Beirut, Lebanon, the largest STI and HIV clinics have remained...

Managing obesity: answers

Does this patient meet the NICE criteria for commencing orlistat (NICE, 2014)? Calculate his BMI using the formula:

Celebrating non-medical prescribers

As I write my final editorial for the Journal of Prescribing Practice, I reflect on my nearly four-years and the significant developments within the non-medical prescribing sector during this time. It...

Updates

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a weight loss drug to be made available in specialist NHS services. The drug, semaglutide, has shown promising results in...

Drug Breakdown: Infliximab

Day 1: Monoclonal Antibody Drugs (MABs) were first generated in the 1970s and were first licensed in the 1980s for transplant rejection. The advancing technology in the 1990s led to improved B cell...

Machine learning for precision treatment

Sotomi et al (2023) examine the use of machine learning to identify cohorts of a population that may benefit from specific medications. The team had previously established a machine learning-based...