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The annual #MedSafetyWeek campaign takes place from 3 to 9 November 2025. This year鈥檚 campaign theme is 鈥榳e can all help make medicines safer.鈥�
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Patients should be reminded and reassured that there is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children. Paracetamol is recommended as the first-choice pain reliever for pregnant women, used at鈥�
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There is a small increase in the risk of Guillain-Barr茅 syndrome following vaccination with Abrysvo (Pfizer respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine) and Arexvy (GSK RSV vaccine) in adults aged 60 years and older. Healthca鈥�
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The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has temporarily restricted use of the IXCHIQ Chikungunya vaccine in people aged 65 years and over following very rare fatal reactions reported globally. This is a precautionary measure鈥�
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Updated safety and educational materials are now available to support the implementation of the regulatory measures announced in the November 2023 National Patient Safety Alert and the September 2024 Drug Safety Update. They鈥�
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Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) has been rarely reported in patients treated with azathioprine products and is believed to be a risk applicable to all drugs in the thiopurine class (azathioprine, mercaptopurine a鈥�
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Psychological side effects such as anxiety, low mood, sleep disturbance, poor concentration, and forgetfulness have been infrequently reported in people with cystic fibrosis treated with Kaftrio. Healthcare professionals sho鈥�
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Healthcare professionals and patients are reminded of the risk of severe asthma attacks and increased mortality associated with overuse of SABA with or without anti-inflammatory maintenance therapy in patients with asthma. H鈥�
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Fezolinetant treatment is associated with a risk of drug induced liver injury. New recommendations have been introduced to minimise this risk. Liver function should be monitored before and during treatment in all patients ta鈥�
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The indication for the treatment of post-operative pain has been removed from the licences of all prolonged release opioids due to the increased risk of persistent post-operative opioid use (PPOU) and opioid-induced ventilat鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.鈥�
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Review by two specialists remains in place for patients initiating valproate under 55 years of age but the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has advised that it will not be required for men (or males) currently taking valp鈥�
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Healthcare professionals should be aware of the potential risk of pulmonary aspiration in patients using GLP-1 or dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists who undergo surgery or procedures with general anaesthesia or deep sedation.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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The ninth annual #MedSafetyWeek social media campaign is taking place 4 to 10 November 2024.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Healthcare professionals are reminded to inform patients about the common and serious side effects associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).
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We ask healthcare professionals to support new guidance for users of diabetes management equipment, their families, care givers and representatives.
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A safety review has been conducted by the MHRA following a Yellow Card report concerning a patient who was taking bromocriptine. The review concluded that blood pressure monitoring of patients prescribed with this drug is es鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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A retrospective observational study has indicated a possible association between valproate use by men around the time of conception and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in their children.
Inform male p鈥�
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Support this initiative to explore whether there is a genetic basis of side effects associated with direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and allopurinol.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Epimax Ointment and Epimax Paraffin-Free Ointment can harm the eyes if used on the face. Do not prescribe these ointments for use on the face. Tell patients to wash their hands and avoid touching their eyes after using these鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Topiramate is now contraindicated in pregnancy and in women of childbearing potential unless the conditions of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme are fulfilled. This follows a review by the MHRA which concluded that the use of鈥�
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Taking warfarin and tramadol together can cause harmful drug interactions, which can raise the International Normalised Ratio (INR), and result in severe bruising and bleeding, which in some patients could be fatal.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Topical steroid products are safe and highly effective treatments for the management of a wide range of inflammatory skin diseases but have important risks, especially with prolonged use at high potency. In the coming months鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices, and information about the publication of two recent Device Safety Information pages. The article also includ鈥�
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A patient alert card is being introduced for men taking finasteride to help raise awareness of the risk of psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction, including the potential for sexual dysfunction to persist after trea鈥�
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Healthcare professionals prescribing montelukast should be alert to the risk of neuropsychiatric reactions in all patients including children and adolescents. Reported neuropsychiatric reactions include sleep disorders, hall鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Advice for healthcare professionals on the reclassification of codeine linctus to a prescription-only medicine (POM), following a public consultation.
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There have been very rare reports of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) with pseudoephedrine.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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New safety and educational materials have been introduced for men and women and healthcare professionals to reduce the harms from valproate, including the significant risk of serious harm to the baby if taken during pregnanc鈥�
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Systemic fluoroquinolones must now only be prescribed when other commonly recommended antibiotics are inappropriate. This follows a review by the MHRA which looked at the effectiveness of current measures to reduce the ident鈥�
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Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials have highlighted a dose-dependent increased risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with established cardiovascular diseases or cardiovascular risk factors鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Healthcare professionals prescribing aripiprazole are reminded to be alert to the risk of addictive gambling and other impulse control disorders. Healthcare professionals should advise patients, their families and friends to鈥�
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The medicines used to treat vitamin B12 deficiency (hydroxocobalamin, cyanocobalamin) contain cobalt. There are case reports in the literature describing cobalt sensitivity-type reactions in patients being treated for vitami鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices, and a recent National Patient Safety Alert asking organisations to put a plan in place to implement new regu鈥�
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Falsified, potentially harmful Ozempic鈻� and Saxenda products have been found in the UK.
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There is a risk of harmful drug interactions with the ritonavir component of the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid鈻� due to its inhibition of the enzyme CYP3A, which metabolises many commonly used drugs. Prescribers should obtain a鈥�
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Healthcare professionals should be vigilant for suspected adverse reactions and safety concerns associated with e-cigarettes and e-liquids, commonly known as vapes. Please report adverse reactions to the Yellow Card scheme a鈥�
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.