Following the appointments of four pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as new Scottish pharmacy clinical leadership fellows, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) announced this week that Niketa Platt would be working with their team to understand the attainment gap within pharmacy education. The cohort of fellows will take on leadership roles within the workforce and cover clinical areas including biologics, women’s health, public health and prescribing.
These roles demonstrate a commitment to pharmacist involvement in shaping the NHS, underlining the need for pharmacists to stay up to date with emerging research, practice and public health conversations.
This week, The Pharmaceutical Journal covered the cystic fibrosis combination therapy that cuts chronic medication use, generic medicines pricing, as well as the announcement from the GPhC that it received the “highest ever” number of concerns reported during quarter two of 2025/2026.
Read on for more news you might have missed this week.
Haematology
The American Society of Haematology (ASH) hosted its 67th annual meeting on 6–9 December 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
Both continuous single-agent therapy indefinitely and combination treatment for a year achieved comparable outcomes for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), one study presented at the conference suggested.
Results from a small phase I trial showed “encouraging” results where base editing technology was used to modify genes within T-cells, which helped them target hard-to-treat T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Most patients achieved levels of remission which allowed them to receive a stem cell transplant.
Bob Phillips, honorary consultant in paediatric oncology at the University of York, said: “This is important an approach which allows us an extra line of therapy for some patients in highly specific situations.”
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 8 December 2025.
Another study presented at the conference found that black patients with acute myeloid leukaemia experience poorer survival outcomes than white patients.
In addition, the first prospective study of pregnancies involving hydroxyurea exposure suggested the sickle cell drug does not appear to cause specific issues in newborns, according to an abstract presented at the conference.
Meanwhile, NGS-MRD, a genetic test, can be a useful biomarker for identifying patients who can safely avoid total body irradiation, researchers suggested in another study presented at the conference.
Pharmacogenomics
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has opened a consultation on a draft pharmacogenomics prescribing resource, which is aimed to help everyone in a prescribing role apply pharmacogenomics knowledge within their existing prescribing competencies so they can prescribe safely and effectively use pharmacogenomic testing. The Society has invited feedback on this resource, which should be submitted by 9 January 2026.
Meanwhile, the UK Centre of Excellence for regulatory science and innovation in pharmacogenomics has published its first guideline on CYP2C19 genotype testing for clopidogrel.
ADHD, PMDD and mental health
Health secretary Wes Streeting has recently launched an independent review into rising demand for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism services in England. It comes as recent data published by the NHS Business Services Authority shows that between July and December 2025/2026, 297,000 patients were prescribed drugs for ADHD, an increase of 5% compared with the previous quarter.
However, Henry Shelford, chief executive of charity ADHD UK, told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “ADHD is not over-diagnosed — ADHD is an underdiagnosed and under-supported medical issue.”
He added that an increase in prescribing should be celebrated. “It shows more people getting the help and support they need.”
The Pharmaceutical Journal has also published learning content on premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a cyclical mood disorder that may be underestimated and underdiagnosed owing to the stigma still attached to both menstruation and mental health disorders, as well as symptoms — which often impact work and relationships — being dismissed as “normal” by both patients and clinicians.
Antidepressants
Slowly tapering antidepressants and providing psychological support can prevent the relapse of depression, a study published in Lancet Psychiatry on 10 December 2025 found. The meta-analysis, which looked at 76 randomised clinical trials that involved 17,379 participants, found that the slow tapering approach is as effective at preventing a relapse as continuing antidepressants.
The authors found that slow tapering, which is tapering that takes place over a period longer than four weeks, could prevent one relapse in every five people treated, compared with abrupt stopping or fast tapering.
Ian Maidment, professor in clinical pharmacy at Aston University, said: “Overall, this study confirms what is already known. Once depression or anxiety has been successfully treated, the best way to stop the antidepressant is very gradually over long periods of time — in some cases many months or more. Patients should be supported during the process.”