Patient Safety

Medsafe is following up with Pak’nSave supermarket chain after one of its stores was caught offering bulk discounted sales of paracetamol

Testimony on day two of the chief coroner’s inquest into what role a Pharmac epilepsy drug brand switch played in the deaths of six people has revealed more confusion

Far from the guidance and support of pharmacists and other health professionals, small groups of athletes and gym-goers are importing illicit and potentially dangerous substances in the hope of getting big, looking lean and improving sporting performance

The Countdown supermarket chain has instituted a limit on paracetamol sales following the overdose death of a Dunedin student, but pharmacy and GP leaders are calling for even tighter restrictions

From today, Countdown stores nationwide are limiting the sale of paracetamol and items containing paracetamol to one pack per customer, following a recent report by coroner David Robinson which recommended a limit be introduced to help reduce the risk of overdose

The death by overdose of a Dunedin student has sparked calls to bring paracetamol into line with UK standards and restrict it to pharmacy-only sales. 

A student’s fatal overdose on paracetamol has prompted a coroner to call for limits on sales of the non-prescription painkiller – a move that has saved lives overseas

Pharmacy sector leaders and a major medicines manufacturer have collaborated to create a new guidance document to help pharmacists follow correct procedures when supplying sildenafil without a prescription

The Pharmaceutical Society says a recently published coroner's report into the death of a man taking clozapine highlights the need for pharmacists to provide a wraparound service for patients taking the drug

Artemisia annua extract, a key ingredient in the controversial dietary supplement Arthrem, was classified as a prescription medicine last month