Oct 2020 - BSW Area Prescribing Committee - Recent decisions summary

Oct 2020 - MHRA Guidance: Warfarin and other anticoagulants – monitoring of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Oct 2020 - Priadel (lithium) update - Essential Pharma has reversed its decision to discontinue Priadel 200mg and 400mg tablets from the UK market whilst facilitating pricing discussions. There is no longer a need to implement system wide switching of patients until further notice. 

Sep 2020 - MHRA DSU - Insulins (all types): risk of cutaneous amyloidosis at injection site. Remind patients to rotate injection sites within the same body region.

August 2020 NPSA Alert: Steroid Emergency Cards Full alert here along with actions for primary and acute care, and community pharmacy. To summarise:

• Prescribers are asked when initiating a new steroid prescription, or undertaking standard/scheduled reviews of patients prescribed corticosteroids, to assess and issue the patient with a Steroid Emergency Card if appropriate. Practices should add ‘Steroid treatment card issued’ SNOMED code to patient’s record to help with audit.
• Further information on adrenal crisis is available from Society of Endocrinology. Cards can be ordered from the PCSE and Xerox portals, or a PDF copy is available here.
• Community and hospital pharmacies should ensure they can source and supply cards to replace those lost by patients or which become damaged.

August 2020 - BSW Ranitidine Supply Disruption Guidance

Aug 2020 - UPDATED SCA: LMWH For the treatment of cancer associated thrombosis RUH PATIENTS ONLY

Aug 2020 - NEW SCA: DOACS for the OFF-LABEL treatment of cancer associated thrombosis RUH PATIENTS ONLY

June 2020 - NHS BSW CCG COVID-19: Advice for new and existing patients with osteoporosis being treated with zoledronic acid or denosumab

21 May 2020 - Updated MHRA guidance to support Valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme during coronavirus pandemic here

May 2020 - Class 2 Medicines Recall: Emerade 500 micrograms solution for injection in pre-filled syringe. 
Please note this is a different alert to that issued on 04 March 2020 for Emerade 150 microgram auto-injectors and on 07 April 2020 for Emerade 300 microgram auto-injectors

11 May 2020 - BSW Beclometasone PMDIs Shortages Information

Updated 11 May 2020 - BSW advice on B12 replacement during Covid-19 pandemic. 

6 May 2020 - MHRA Guidance - Valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme: temporary advice for management during coronavirus (COVID-19)

06 May 2020 - The MHRA has launched a dedicated Yellow Card reporting site for healthcare products that are used in Coronavirus treatment to enable early identification of trends. 

04 May 2020 - BSWCCG (for people of 16 years of age and above): Managing adrenal insufficiency in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19:

April 2020 - Class 2 Medicines Recall: Emerade 300 micrograms solution for injection in pre-filled syringe

25th March 2020 - MHRA statement on chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 - Until we have clear, definitive evidence that these treatments are safe and effective for the treatment of COVID-19, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine should only be used for this purpose within a clinical trial. 

27 Mar 2020 - Safe switching of warfarin to DOACs for patients with NVAF and VTE (DVT / PE) during the coronavirus pandemic 

Mar 2020 - Ulipristal (Esmya) removed from formulary: suspension of license due to risk of serious liver injury 

Mar 2020 - MHRA DSU Tofacitinib (Xeljanz▼): new measures to minimise risk of VTE and of serious and fatal infections

Mar 2020 - MHRA DSU Baricitinib (Olumiant▼): risk of venous thromboembolism

Feb 2020 - Diamorphine hydrochloride injection 5mg and 10mg ampoules - Supply Disruption Alert

Feb 2020 - Epanutin (phenytoin) 30mg/5ml Oral Suspension - Supply Disruption Alert

Feb 2020 MHRA DSU - Ingenol mebutate gel (Picato▼): suspension of licence due to risk of skin malignancy

Feb 2020 MHRA DSU - Lemtrada▼ (alemtuzumab): updated restrictions and strengthened monitoring requirements following review of serious cardiovascular and immune-mediated reactions

Feb 2020 MHRA DSU - Valproate (Epilim▼, Depakote▼) pregnancy prevention programme: updated educational materials 

Feb 2020 MHRA DSU - Nexplanon (etonogestrel) contraceptive implants: new insertion site to reduce rare risk of neurovascular injury and implant migration

Jan 2020 -  Note - Discontinuation of 3 Insuman presentations (recombinant human insulin). 

Jan 2020 - Ingenol mebutate (Picato®) gel has been removed from the formulary and the BSW Actinic keratoses pathway  as a precautionary measure following the MHRA Class 2 recall

Jan 2020 - MHRA Drug Safety Update Ondansetron - Small increased risk of oral clefts following use in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy

January 2020 - Phenytoin Sodium NRIM 100mg capsules – Supply Disruption Alert

January 2020 - Convulex (Valproic acid) 150mg, 300mg and 500mg capsules - Supply Disruption Alert

Dec 2019 - Ranitidine - Supply Disruption Alert – SECOND UPDATE - all oral formulations (open PDF in link) 
This additional document produced by SFT may be helpful for paediatric queries PPIs IN PAEDIATRICS

December 2019 - BSW cannabis-based medicinal products - interim position statement in response to publication of NICE guideline that covers prescribing of cannabis-based medicinal products for people with intractable nausea and vomiting, chronic pain, spasticity and severe treatment-resistant epilepsy.  

December 2019 - Prescribers may now prescribe and pharmacists may now supply antiviral medicines for the prophylaxis and treatment of influenza at NHS expense. See here

November 2019: Slo-phyllin (Theophylline) 60mg/125mg/500mg capsules out of stock by end November 2019. See here for MHRA advice on management of patients currently using this medicine.

November 2019 - Shortage of procyclidine (Kemadrin) 5mg/ml injection

November 2019 - Discontinuation of glibenclamide 2.5 and 5.0 mg Tablets

October 2019 - Shortage of salofalk (mesalazine) suppositories (500mg and 1g)

October 2019 - Drug Safety Update - Prescribing medicines in renal impairment: using the appropriate estimate of renal function to avoid the risk of adverse drug reactions

October 2019 - Adrenaline auto-injectors: Summary of recent action taken to support safety

October 2019 - Shortage of phenelzine (Nardil) tablets

Updated Sep 25th 2019 - Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Supply Issues

September 2019 - Updated (2019) PHE guidance on use of antiviral agents for the treatment and prophylaxis of seasonal influenza

September 2019 -  DHSC advice - How healthcare providers can prepare for brexit