Graham Clews

Lewes

News Editor at The Pharmaceutical Journal

Journalist at Freelance

Pharmaceutical Journal news editor. Green Party councillor for Lewes Priory ward. Views mine.

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Articles

No increase in NHS prescription fees for the first time in three years

2 weeks ago | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

The government has announced that prescription charges in England are to be frozen for the first time in three years. In a statement published on 28 April 2025, the government announced that the prescription charge for 2025/2026 will remain at £9.90 per item, a three-month prescription prepayment certificate will be frozen at £32.05, and a 12-month certificate will stay at £114.50. Prescription fees were most recently frozen in 2022, which at that point was the first time in a decade.
Community pharmacy funding boosted by £617m in two-year contract

1 month ago | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

Community pharmacies in England have had their funding boosted by £617m over the next two years, following agreement on a new two-year contract. In a statement published on 31 March 2025, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said overall funding for community pharmacy would rise in 2025/2026 to more than £3bn per year for the first time.
RPS members vote 'yes' to becoming Royal College of Pharmacy

1 month ago | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) members have voted in favour of becoming a royal college. The results of a special resolution vote, announced on 26 March 2025, show that 71.1% of members voted to support proposed changes to the RPS’s Royal Charter and a transition to royal college status.
What does the assisted dying legislation mean for pharmacy?

Jan 22, 2025 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews |Sophie Willis

Speaking during a debate in the House of Commons in November 2024, Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Spen Valley, West Yorkshire, described a surge of public opinion in favour of the legalisation of assisted dying for terminally ill patients.
UK medicines regulation disincentivising investment in research development, finds survey

Dec 4, 2024 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Medicines regulation |Graham Clews

The majority of pharmaceutical manufacturers responding to a survey have said the UK’s medicines regulatory environment has an ‘unfavourable’ impact on their decision to invest in research development.
Will reshoring medicines manufacturing solve shortages in the UK?

Nov 6, 2024 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

Medicines shortages have presented the government, pharmacists and patients with one crisis after another in recent years. For example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicines, antiepileptics, the pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy Creon (pancreatin; Mylan) and diabetes medicines — such as insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) — have all been subject to shortages in the UK since 2022.
NICE overturns decision on blood cancer treatment elranatamab

Nov 1, 2024 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has overturned previous draft guidance on elranatamab (Elrexfio; Pfizer), removing restrictions on the use of the treatment for multiple myeloma, following an agreement with the manufacturer to make the drug available to the NHS at a discount.
Free pharmacy advice saves 38 million GP appointments a year, CPE audit finds

Oct 28, 2024 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

Community pharmacies provided almost 38 million unpaid consultations over a year that otherwise would have resulted in patients visiting their GP, an audit of advice given in pharmacies has found. Published on 29 October 2024, the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) 2024 Pharmacy Advice Audit found that 61,837 unpaid consultations were completed in one day across 3,916 community pharmacies when the audit was carried out in the summer of 2024.
High deprivation areas given funding to boost structured medication reviews, says HIN

Oct 27, 2024 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

The NHS will provide funding for 25 primary care networks (PCNs) in areas of high deprivation to offer supportive material for structured medication reviews (SMRs).
NICE rejects second Alzheimer's disease treatment for NHS use

Oct 22, 2024 | pharmaceutical-journal.com | Graham Clews

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has rejected a second Alzheimer’s disease treatment for use across the NHS in England and Wales. In draft guidance published on 23 October 2024, NICE said that donanemab (Kisunla; Eli Lilly) did not provide good value for the NHS and that more evidence was needed on its clinical and cost-effectiveness for the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease.