Remote pharmacy dispensing machines, known as MedCentres (developed by PharmaTrust), are to be piloted in a number of UK hospitals later this year. Shona Kirk talks to chief pharmacists from two of the trusts that are considering taking part in the pilot of this new ‘telepharmacy’ technology.

Denosumab (Prolia; Amgen) is a new, ‘first in class’ human monoclonal antibody that was launched in the UK last month. This article describes the clinical evidence for its use and its likely impact on clinical practice. By Shona Kirk.

Last month NICE published new guidance on the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In this article Mojgan Sani highlights the areas pharmacists should be aware of.

The pilot of remote dispensing machines in five UK hospitals has recently been announced. In this commentary, James Davies looks at the emerging field of telepharmacy and the implications for our profession.

By Helen Yarranton, Vanessa Marvin, India Hardy, Deirdre Linnard, David Sie and David Asboe.

A new method of medicines information (MI) training for band six pharmacists has been implemented at Barts and The London NHS Trust. Sarah Garrett describes how the new system works and how it can improve the MI skills of junior pharmacists.

Mark Thomas is lead clinical pharmacist at Gateshead Health NHS Trust. He is an independent prescriber who runs a unique combined pharmacy and physiotherapy rheumatology clinic. This article describes how he uses his independent prescribing qualification in this and other settings. By Shona Kirk.

Recent evidence shows that 3,500 people in England have died from adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the past ten years. In this article, Philip Brown explains why clinical pharmacists must take a more active role in ADR prevention.