Great to see Opioid Deprescribing highlighted in @nejm.org! Opioid deprescribing through a tailored, patient-centered plan is recommended when the potential harms of opioid therapy outweigh the potential benefits. Link to the article here: nej.md/4oL3fu2 @sydney.edu.au

In the ATTAIN-1 phase 3, randomized trial, the use of orforglipron, an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, led to significant mean body-weight reductions in patients with #obesity, as compared with placebo. Full trial results and Research Summary: nej.md/4n1nSl2 #MedSky #EndoSky

"It outperformed semaglutide."

Net spending on medicines grew by 11.4% in 2024 alone. In theory that ought to mean healthier people. But in practice, America spends more on health care than other rich countries without better outcomes

The NHS sickness absence rate was 4.8% this April - similar to the previous year. But that's still way above the public sector average, which has never crossed the 4% mark and was below 3% in 2024. Read more about trends in NHS staffing, here: buff.ly/ed9ZKwK

No clear evidence to support any link between maternal acetaminophen (Tylenol) intake and autism or ADHD in offspring, a new umbrella, systematic review @bmj.com

A new analysis of the SELECT trial confirms semaglutide lowers the risk of major heart problems in people who are overweight or obese and already have heart disease, even if they don’t have diabetes. Explore the research 👉 tinyurl.com/bxw4cmtt

Nature research paper: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint blockade go.nature.com/477I3sj

New BMJ Research: Greenness and hospital admissions for cause specific mental disorders. Study finds that local greenness was associated with a 7% reduction in hospital admissions for all cause mental disorders #BMJClimate www.bmj.com/content/391/...

iSIMPATHY: a multinational pre–post non-randomised intervention study transforming medication review #Pharmsky bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1...

In patients with atrial fibrillation after successful ablation, rivaroxaban therapy did not lead to a significantly lower incidence of a composite of stroke, systemic embolism, or new covert embolic stroke than aspirin therapy. Full OCEAN trial results: nej.md/3LsRJ86 #AHA25

Changes to the Scottish Childhood Vaccination Schedule from 1 January 2026 (phase 2) – introduction of a routine Varicella Zoster (Chickenpox) vaccine following expert advice from the JCVI published in November 2023. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #Pharmsky www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/publication/...

An encouraging new study by @publichealthscot.bsky.social, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and @unistrathclyde.bsky.social, confirms the HPV vaccine provides strong and sustained protection against cervical disease that can develop into cancer. edin.ac/47zVAYn

Ozempic and Zepbound are just the beginning of the expanded medical GI hormone era. A new selective amylin mimetic (pancreatic peptide)) achieved marked weight loss and reduced inflammation without a plateau effect in a randomized trial @thelancet.com thelancet.com/journals/lan...

A new report from the independent #ADHD Taskforce, which our Chief Exec @theasrstein.bsky.social sits on, has been published today. Read here: buff.ly/d61LdPh Our #QualityWatch programme is also tracking how the rise in demand for ADHD support can be seen through prescribing data: buff.ly/BejmNAQ

Not all medicines are equal ⏱️ Some need to be taken at a certain time 🍽️ Some need to be taken with food 🍂 Some may interact with herbal remedies #MedSafetyWeek

The #NHSProductivityCommission has published its first major report, setting out the scale of the productivity challenge within the NHS and highlighting key drivers for and barriers to improving productivity. Read more ⬇️ https://bit.ly/3WBvBef

Many clinical studies have shown reduced cancer risk in people with diabetes of obesity taking GLP-1 family of drugs. A new JCI piece makes the case these drugs should be studied to reduce cancer in people without metabolic disease jci.org/articles/vie...

Intriguing study from @thelancet.com finds #deprescribing sleep medications in adults over age 50 could: 📉 Reduce the lifetime incidence of falls by 8.5% & cognitive impairment by 2.1% 📈 Increase life expectancy by 0.11 years 💵 Result in net lifetime savings of $6,600 per person buff.ly/515uJ9s

(1/3) Today is the start of #MedSafetyWeek. Unsafe medication practices and medication-related harm are one of the leading causes of avoidable harm in health and care. This year's event is focused on the theme "we can all help make medicines safer".

GLP-1 drugs have intrinsic potent anti-inflammatory action beyond their metabolic beneficial impact on glucose regulation and weight loss www.jci.org/articles/vie...

Hospital at Home | Guiding principles for service development 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/wp-content/u...

The benefit of Ozempic (semaglutide) for protection from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) is independent of weight loss magnitude and baseline adiposity, likely related to the GLP-1 anti-inflammatory effect thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Exposure to sugar early in life: a natural experiment among >63,000 @uk_biobank participants: rationing of sugar was associated with less cardiovascular risk in adulthood www.bmj.com/content/391/...

Longer walks linked with less mortality and cardiovascular risk compared with short bouts of physical activity @annalsofim.bsky.social www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

The prominent role of circadian rhythm in cardiovascular and metabolic health and disease ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...

Acute and chronic viral infections, including Herpes Zoster (Shingles), Hepatitis C, HIV, CMV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2, are linked with a substantial increased risk of cardiovascular events, from a systematic review. Figure for SARS-CoV-2 below newsroom.heart.org/news/some-ac...

‘Patients will suffer’: tales from the frontline of the UK pharma crisis

We are currently running a consultation for the BTS Professional Development Framework for Pharmacists Working in Respiratory Medicine. Have your say 👉 brit-thoracic.uk/FrameworkConsultation25 #Respiratory #ProfessionaFramework #Pathway #RespiratoryPharmacist

We are recruiting for Rotational Post-Registration Foundation Pharmacist to join our Pharmacy Team. Find out more and apply today ⬇ apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/Job/JobDetai...

£531 million investment in General Practice General Practice will receive additional funding of more than half a billion pounds over the next three years to support recruitment - the largest investment in core GP services to date in Scotland. www.gov.scot/news/531-mil...

Isotretinoin - updates to prescribing guidance and survey of services | Drug Safety Update #Pharmsky www.gov.uk/drug-safety-...

This Framework will guide the proposed knowledge, skills and capabilities that pharmacists should develop to work effectively within the wider respiratory team and to support people living with respiratory diseases. @btsrespiratory.bsky.social #Pharmsky www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/workforce/fr...

A 5km Saturday jog has captured runners and non-runners around the world

How do mRNA vaccines help fight cancer? A @nature.com paper today tells the story, one with big implications, as reviewed here erictopol.substack.com/p/how-mrna-v...

💥The shingles vaccine might be one of the most underrated health moves after 50.💥 New large study(174K pts): ▪️ 50% lower risk of vascular dementia ▪️ 27% fewer blood clots ▪️ 25% lower risk of heart attack or stroke ▪️ 21% lower risk of dying early #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #SciSky 🧪 #NurseSky #IDSky

In a cohort of over 13,500 women with mean age ~72 years, >4,000 steps per day, at least 1-2 days per week, was associated with reduction in all-cause mortality and lower risk of cardiovascular disease bjsm.bmj.com/content/earl...

A trial of Microsoft’s AI-powered productivity tool across 90 NHS organisations found that the technology could save more than 43 minutes a day per staff member. www.digitalhealth.net/2025/10/majo...

New announcement of AI growth labs to accelerate innovation & cut processes in a contained environment (sandboxes). Includes £1 million to support the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to pilot AI-assisted tools for healthcare use. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Current estimates show that around two-thirds of Scottish adults are overweight, and one-third are living with obesity; disproportionately higher than other UK nations & among the highest compared to EU countries. Between 2025 & 2040, an estimated additional 118k female and 36k male cases of obesity

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN SCOTLAND: THE COLLABORATION FOR HEALTH EQUITY IN SCOTLAND www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-re...

Between 2018–2023, antibiotic resistance increased in over 40% of the pathogen–antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average annual rise of 5–15%. Resistance is highest in the WHO South-East Asian & Eastern Mediterranean Regions, where 1 in 3 reported infections were resistant 👉 bit.ly/438Ta1u

🚨Drug-resistant bacteria are becoming more dangerous. Life-saving antibiotics are losing effectiveness, increasing infection risks & limiting treatment options. Some resistant infections can only be treated with antibiotics that are costly, difficult to access, & often unavailable 👉 bit.ly/438Ta1u

11.6 percent of the U.S. population had diabetes, according to a 2024 report

Risk of stroke associated with risperidone in dementia with and without co-morbid cardiovascular disease: population-based matched cohort study www.cambridge.org/core/journal... #Alzheimers #dementia #stroke #geriatrics #neurology #cardiology

Quality prescribing strategy for respiratory conditions in Scotland: improving patient care and promoting environmental sustainability 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #Pharmsky academic.oup.com/ijpp/article...

AGA Clinical Practice Guideline on Management of Gastroparesis #Pharmsky www.gastrojournal.org/article/S001...

Next up live at #CMHP25 we have Anita Solanki, Clinical Pharmacist and Menopause Specialist. Menopause and Mental Health: The Pharmacy Perspective. I really hope she encourages more pharmacists and other clinicians to bring hormones into mental health conversations. It's about time! THREAD 🧵

After a long pause, I've just done another England Covid & NHS update as we head into the autumn/winter season. TLDR: we're in a significant Covid wave now, the NHS is stretched, get boosted if you're eligible. christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

Important message for all people in the TB community