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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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There is a small increase in the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome following vaccination with Abrysvo (Pfizer respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine) and Arexvy (GSK RSV vaccine) in adults aged 60 years and older. Healthca…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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, and information about the publication of two recent Device Safety Information pages. The article also includ…
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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…
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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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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…
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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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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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Photosensitivity reactions are known side effects of methotrexate treatment and can be severe. Patients should be advised to take precautions to protect their skin in the sun.
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We are providing an update on a retrospective observational study on the risk to children born to men who took valproate in the 3 months before conception and on the need for the re-analysis of the data from this study befor…
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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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Caution is required if prescribing febuxostat in patients with pre-existing major cardiovascular disease, particularly, in those with evidence of high urate crystal and tophi burden or those initiating urate-lowering therapy…
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We inform healthcare professionals of new risk minimisation measures for JAK inhibitors used to treat chronic inflammatory disorders, consistent with the measures introduced for tofacitinib (Xeljanz) in 2020 and 2021. This a…
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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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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.
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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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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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In view of data showing ongoing exposure to valproate in pregnancy, this article reminds healthcare professionals of the risks in pregnancy and the current Pregnancy Prevention Programme requirements, and provides informatio…
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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
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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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A summary of recent letters and notifications sent to healthcare professionals about medicines.
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Serious and life-threatening hypercalcaemia has been reported with denosumab 60mg (Prolia) in children and adolescents in clinical trials for osteogenesis imperfecta and during off-label use. Denosumab 60mg (Prolia) is autho…
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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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Carefully consider the benefits and risks before prescribing systemic azithromycin or other systemic macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin or clarithromycin) to patients being treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine. An…
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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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Tofacitinib should not be used in patients older than 65 years of age, people who are current or past smokers, or individuals with other cardiovascular (such as diabetes or coronary artery disease) or malignancy risk factors…
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A summary of recent letters, medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals
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A summary of letters and drug alerts recently sent to healthcare professionals.
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A summary of letters and recent medicine recalls and notifications sent to healthcare professionals.
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A summary of letters and drug alerts recently sent to healthcare professionals.
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The indication of ulipristal acetate 5mg for uterine fibroids has been further restricted due to the risk of serious liver injury and liver failure, with some cases requiring liver transplantation. Although the temporary sus…
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Information on the newly launched Safer Medicines in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Consortium and a new report on optimising data on medicines used during pregnancy.
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A summary of letters and drug alerts recently sent to healthcare professionals.
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A summary of letters and drug alerts recently sent to healthcare professionals.
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In autoimmune conditions and some cancer therapies, methotrexate should be taken once a week; however, we continue to receive reports of inadvertent overdose due to more frequent dosing (including daily administration). New …