Copy
Issue 35 - May 2020
Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
Welcome to May's edition of Tablets, a prescribing newsletter produced monthly by the Medicines Management team at Midlands and Lancashire CSU.

Contents

COVID-19
The Midlands and Lancashire CSU has a dedicated COVID-19 webpage which is updated daily.

The list of resources will be updated as new material becomes available so please check back regularly for updates.

This page groups the resources by subject matter. The same list of resources is also available grouped by the organisation that issued it.


COVID-19 Resources

Safety Update
Please click here for a summary of safety updates and SPC updates in April.

Ibuprofen And Coronavirus (Covid-19)
14 April 2020
The Commission on Human Medicines Expert Working Group on coronavirus (COVID-19) has concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to establish a link between use of ibuprofen, or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and contracting or worsening of COVID-19.

Prescribing News
NICE Rapid Guidelines

NICE has published a number of COVID-19 rapid guidelines, including:
Update on new legislation relating to controlled drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic 

Three temporary emergency measures have been introduced by the UK Government into legislation (The Misuse of Drugs (Coronavirus) (Amendments Relating to the Supply of Controlled Drugs During a Pandemic etc.) Regulations 2020). 

These new measures will not come into use now but may potentially be introduced at some point in a particular area if there were severe disruptions to the supply of repeat prescriptions of controlled drugs for patients. This includes patients requiring opioid medicines for palliative care, severe pain management, or taking regular opioid substitution therapy. This would help the pharmacy sector to continue to deliver the care and services needed to protect some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Please click here for the new measures

Care Homes Useful Resources 

Drug Availability
Products in short supply and product discontinuations

The following links provide prescribers with up to date information on commonly prescribed products which are currently in short supply from the manufacturers. The information held on these lists is not exhaustive. Availability can vary geographically and also between wholesalers. Up-to-date information should be sought from manufacturers, local community pharmacies and suppliers.


Supply Issue Update for Primary and Secondary Care

Registered users can access the monthly drug availability update for primary and secondary care produced by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), on the Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) website. 

Please note you must be registered with SPS, with the relevant permissions, and logged in to view this page. Click on ‘sign in’ in the top right hand.
Please note that the information in this newsletter is correct at the time of publication.
Clinicians should always refer to the most up to date information.

Contacts
Kieron Donlon: kieron.donlon1@nhs.net - 0151 296 7076


Copyright © 2018 Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
MLCSU.Tablets@nhs.net

unsubscribe from this list | update your preferences
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp