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The annual #MedSafetyWeek campaign takes place from 3 to 9 November 2025. This year’s campaign theme is ‘we can all help make medicines safer.’
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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…
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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…
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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…
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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…
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There is a risk of harmful drug interactions with the ritonavir component of the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid▼ due to its inhibition of the enzyme CYP3A, which metabolises many commonly used drugs. Prescribers should obtain a…
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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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.
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Globally, there has been a very small number of reports of new-onset or aggravation of pre-existing myasthenia gravis with atorvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin and pitavastatin (singl…
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Healthcare professionals prescribing fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, delafloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin) are reminded to be alert to the risk of psychiatric reactions, including depression and ps…
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines, and a recent National Patient Safety Alert highlighting the risk of deaths and serious injuries from entrapment or falls relatin…
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Healthcare professionals prescribing fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, delafloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin) are reminded to be alert to the risk of disabling and potentially long-lasting or irrevers…
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices and a reminder of a recent MHRA National Patient Safety Alert to highlight the potential risk of underdosing …
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Calcium salts (either calcium chloride or calcium gluconate) are used to stabilise the myocardium and prevent cardiac arrest in patients experiencing severe hyperkalaemia. However, the two salts are not equivalent in terms o…
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Risk minimisation materials are available to support the safe use of new paediatric formulations of rivaroxaban (Xarelto) and dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa). In addition, we ask healthcare professionals to consult the curren…
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Recent MHRA National Patient Safety Alerts to remove from service Philips Health Systems V60 and V60 Plus ventilators and to recall Emerade adrenaline auto-injectors from patients, pharmacies and wholesalers. We also provide…
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Healthcare professionals prescribing nitrofurantoin should be alert to the risks of pulmonary and hepatic adverse drug reactions and advise patients to be vigilant for the signs and symptoms in need of further investigation.
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Advice for healthcare professionals regarding the withdrawal of pholcodine-containing medicines from the market.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Prescribers and dispensers should use caution if switching patients between different metolazone preparations as the rate and extent of absorption of metolazone are formulation dependent. This can impact the bioavailability …
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the December 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 23 January 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the November 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 8 December 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the October 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 24 November 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the September 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 21 October 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the August 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 23 September 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the July 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 19 August 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines, and a patient safety alert on mexiletine hydrochloride.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the June 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 20 July 2022.
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the May 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 17 June 2022.
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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. Includes a recent recall of Accupro (quinapril hydrochloride) and advice on Xagrid (anagrelide hydrochloride…
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Recent information relating to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines that has been published since the March 2022 issue of Drug Safety Update, up to 14 April 2022.
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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines and medical devices. Includes a recent recall of Accuretic (quinapril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide).
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Amiodarone has been associated with serious and potentially life-threatening side effects, particularly of the lung, liver, and thyroid gland. We remind healthcare professionals that patients should be supervised and reviewe…