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COPD inhaler ‘raises cardiac risk by up to 40%’
GPs have been advised to avoid the short-acting bronchodilator ipratropium for patients with COPD after a new study found it sharply elevated the risk of a cardiovascular event.
07 January 2010
Change to law allows nurses and pharmacists to prescribe unlicensed medications
Nurses and pharmacists can now prescribe drugs outside their licensed indications and even unlicensed medications after new legislation came into force this month.
07 January 2010
Millions wasted on private ops, plans to increase use of generic drugs, and ‘size zero’ risk to teenage girls’ bones.
Our roundup of news headlines on Wednesday 6 January 2010
06 January 2010
Fury over Government plans for generic substitution by pharmacists
The Government has released a list of 40 drugs that are set to be automatically switched to generic versions by pharmacists - even when branded drugs are indicated by a GP on the prescription.
06 January 2010
Tory public health plans must be evidence-led, says RCGP chair
Conservative plans to divert ring-fenced public health funds to deprived areas must be driven by hard evidence, and not just because they are 'politically tasty', the chair of the RCGP has warned.
06 January 2010
GPC accuses NHS bosses of swine flu ‘blackmail’
A GP leader has accused SHA managers of using 'emotional blackmail' to force GPs to carry out vaccination of children against swine flu without being given resources to do the job.
06 January 2010
Quitting smoking ‘increases the risk of diabetes’
Smoking cessation dramatically increases the risk of developing diabetes in the first three years after quitting, a US study has found.
06 January 2010
GPs urged to screen for statin-induced muscle damage
GPs should actively screen patients taking statins in order to pick up symptoms of myotoxicity, say primary care researchers.
06 January 2010
GPs handed hospital medical director roles in integrated care shake-up
A group of GPs are to become medical directors of their local hospital trust in a groundbreaking move designed to create better integration between primary and secondary care.
05 January 2010
