Drugs and medicines
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Epilepsy12 & OPEN UK National Conference 2020 resources
On 10 September 2020, we hosted our third annual Epilepsy12 & Organisation of Paediatric Epilepsy Networks (OPEN UK) national conference 2020: 'Working together to improve epilepsies’, as a live webinar. Access resources and presentations from the event on this page.
News
Medicines supply disruption alert - Remdesivir for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
2 October 2020
An interim clinical commissioning policy has been in place across the UK since 3 July 2020, defining routine access to remdesivir in the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children aged 12 years or older. However, due to increased demand against available supply, clinicians are now asked to apply t...
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Therapeutic alert - Corticosteroids in the treatment of suspected or confirmed COVID-19
9 September 2020
Following recent publication of the REMAP-CAP trial for hydrocortisone and a meta-analysis of corticosteroids, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently issued new interim guidance recommending the use of systemic corticosteroids in severe and critical COVID-19 disease.
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Medicine safety alert - ranitidine (withdrawn)
26 June 2020
Ranitidine products (Brand names including Zantac®) were voluntarily withdrawn by manufacturers in October 2019, because of fears that they may contain low levels of an impurity called NMDA.
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Anti-inflammatory medicines and COVID-19 - advice for parents and carers
Experts at RCPCH recommend that parents treat symptoms of fever or pain related to COVID-19 with either paracetamol or ibuprofen.
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Medicines safety alert – apraclonidine use in infants below six months of age
17 March 2020
The RCPCH/NPPG Medicines Committee has recently been informed of a severe adverse reaction in a six-month old child with anisocoria who had been administered apraclonidine 1% to help exclude Horner syndrome.
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E-cigarette use or vaping: reporting suspected adverse reactions
2 March 2020
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is requesting that healthcare professionals report any suspected side effects or safety concerns with e-cigarettes and the e-liquids used for vaping to the Yellow Card Scheme.
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RCPCH responds to NICE guidance on cannabidiol use in two forms of childhood epilepsy
5 February 2020
Dr Mike Linney, Registrar and Chair of the Ethics Committee for RCPCH, welcomes recent guidance from NICE, but notes the urgent need for high quality, independent research on this medicine to provide the best possible care for children with complex epilepsy.
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Suspected side effect from a medicine - how to report
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) “Yellow Card Scheme” is the UK system for collecting and monitoring information on suspected safety concerns or incidents involving side effects to medicines (also known as adverse drug reactions or ADRs) and medical devices.
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Medicines Committee consultation responses
This committee regularly responds to consultations from government organisations and public bodies such as the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).