UK online pharmacies face stricter rules for sales of weight-loss jabs
The Guardian - Drugs
by Nicola Davis Science correspondent
1w ago
Regulators to tighten up criteria after concerns over inappropriate private prescriptions of popular drugs Access to weight-loss jabs through online pharmacies is to be tightened up as part of a crackdown on inappropriate prescriptions – although some experts say even more must be done. Weight-loss injections such as Wegovy, which contains the drug semaglutide, and Mounjaro, which contains the drug tirzepatide, have boomed in popularity after trials showed they can help people lose significant amounts of weight, with many people seeking private prescriptions ..read more
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Increase regulation of online sale of weight-loss jabs, pharmacists say
The Guardian - Drugs
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
2w ago
Current rules leave door open for medicines to be supplied without appropriate patient consultation, association says Pharmacies are demanding tougher regulation of the online sale of weight-loss jabs amid a predicted new year’s boom in demand. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), who represent independent community pharmacies, urged the regulator to require greater consultation with patients before dispensing weight-loss jabs and other high-risk medication online ..read more
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‘Skinny jabs’ are turning slimmers teetotal – and drinks companies are feeling the loss
The Guardian - Drugs
by Zoe Wood and Nicola Davis
2w ago
As the public rejoice at shedding weight, the likes of Wegovy seem to be controlling other bad habits – in particular drinking to excess ‘My alcohol in­take has plummeted,” says Hannah. “Since taking Wegovy I hardly ever crave a drink when I get home. When I used to go out with friends, I was nearly always the last one standing; now I’m leaving two hours before closing.” In her early 30s, the Londoner is among the rapidly growing number of people turning to weight loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. The results have been dramatic – she has shed four stone (25kg) in little over six mon ..read more
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Purdue Pharma and Sacklers reach new $7.4bn settlement over opioids crisis
The Guardian - Drugs
by Adam Gabbatt and agencies
2w ago
Settlement resolves thousands of lawsuits alleging Oxycontin caused addiction crisis The Sackler family, which owns the OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, has agreed to pay up to $7.4bn in a settlement to lawsuits arising from the opioid epidemic. The sprawling deal, agreed between Purdue Pharma, Sackler family members involved in its ownership, thousands of victims of the opioid crisis, and state and local governments, is among the largest settlements of its kind ..read more
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Australian oysters’ blood could hold key to fighting drug-resistant superbugs, researchers find
The Guardian - Drugs
by Donna Lu
2w ago
Protein found in Sydney rock oysters’ haemolymph can kill bacteria and boost some antibiotics’ effectiveness, scientists discover Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast An antimicrobial protein found in the blood of an Australian oyster could help in the fight against superbugs, new research suggests. Australian scientists have discovered that a protein found in the haemolymph – the equivalent of blood – of the Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, can kill bacteria itself and increase the effectiveness of some c ..read more
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Psychedelic drug DMT to be trialled on UK volunteers to tackle alcohol misuse
The Guardian - Drugs
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
3w ago
Exclusive: Scientists at UCL hope one-off dose of powerful hallucinogenic could help drinkers reduce intake A powerful psychedelic that is used in healing ceremonies by Indigenous groups in the Amazon is being trialled as a pioneering approach to reduce problematic alcohol consumption. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the active ingredient in ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew that has been used for thousands of years by shamans in South America. Scientists based at University College London are testing whether a one-off dose of the drug could help hazardous drinkers who want to reduce their alcohol ..read more
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Ketamine’s move from club to ‘chill out’ drug is sign of a troubling culture shift
The Guardian - Drugs
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
1M ago
Experts say mental health treatment is key to tackling rise in UK, rather than simply reclassifying drug as class A It was once viewed as a fringe club drug whose use as a horse tranquilliser gave it a “dirty” reputation. But with illegal ketamine use reaching record levels, the Home Office announced last week that it was considering reclassifying it as a class A drug in response to a dramatic increase in use among young people. An estimated 299,000 people aged 16 to 59 reported ketamine use in the year ending March 2023 in England and Wales, the largest number on record, according to Home Off ..read more
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‘White people shouldn’t mess with it’: Native American church laments psychedelic cactus shortage
The Guardian - Drugs
by Edward Helmore
1M ago
Western ‘psychedelic renaissance’ is partly to blame for dwindling supplies of peyote, which produces mescaline Aldous Huxley wrote about the spiritual visions he had while taking the drug mescaline in The Doors of Perception, while Hunter S Thompson wrote of driving at 100mph while under the influence of it in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But now a growing number of western spiritual seekers dabbling in psychedelics are accused of causing a shortage of the plant that produces mescaline ..read more
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Coroner issues warning about antidepressants after suicide of royal’s husband
The Guardian - Drugs
by Matthew Weaver
1M ago
Thomas Kingston, son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, had been prescribed SSRIs A coroner has issued a warning about the effects of antidepressants prescribed by a Buckingham Palace doctor to the son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent before his suicide. Thomas Kingston, 45, whose marriage to Lady Gabriella at Windsor Castle in 2019 was attended by the late Queen, killed himself last February after “suffering adverse effects of medication he had recently been prescribed”, an inquest found last month ..read more
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Antibiotic emergency ‘could claim 40 million lives in next 25 years’
The Guardian - Drugs
by Robin McKie, Science Editor
1M ago
As superbugs spread across the globe, death rates from antimicrobial resistance are set to double, says England’s former chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has a straightforward message about the coming year. We face a growing antibiotic emergency that could have devastating impacts on men, women and children across the globe, she says. Davies, a former chief medical officer for England, has become a leading advocate for global action to fight the scourge of superbugs ..read more
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