Last month saw the Department of Health introduce a £200 million a year Cancer Drugs Fund. Shona Kirk asks some senior oncology pharmacists about the challenges they faced when implementing the six-month £50 million interim fund and the impact it has had on practice.

Belimumab is the first new drug for systemic lupus erythematosus to be approved in the US in over 50 years. In this article, Gary Cook describes the evidence for its efficacy and safety.

Rufinamide is licensed for the treatment of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare epilepsy syndrome that begins in childhood. This article assesses the evidence for its use. By Pritesh Bodalia, Kashyap Thakrar, Michael Scott, Sofia Eriksson and Anthony Grosso.

A number of questions regarding stroke management remain unanswered despite the published guidance in this area. This article considers current guidelines and highlights some of the clinical dilemmas that remain. By Daniel Lee, Chris Brewer and Olu Orugan.

Medicines-related administration errors may cause more harm in children than in adults. In this article, Hazel Shoesmith and Gillian Heer describe the development and impact of a pharmacist-led paediatric medicines administration training programme that aims to reduce such errors.

Drug interactions are among the factors that can contribute to colchicine toxicity. Chris Davey explains the mechanisms involved and highlights the actions that have been taken at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust to reduce the risks associated with colchicine treatment.

Hazel Betteney is a commissioning pharmacist at NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington. This article describes her role and the changes she faces. By Rachel Graham.

As the Royal Pharmaceutical Society establishes an ‘Education Advisory Panel’ to provide advice on issues in pharmacy education, Philip Brown asks how pharmacists can begin to become more professional, and what they need to know to put this into practice.