Chickenley Pharmacy

Up to five million people in England are at risk of developing type-2 diabetes, according to new data from Public Health England. Type-2 diabetes is closely linked to diet and obesity and affects about 3.2 million people across the UK. The NHS says diabetes causes 22,000 early deaths and costs the health service more than £8bn each year. But health experts believe more than a quarter of people can reduce the risk of developing the condition. Diabetes arises when the body lose

You need only go back 70 years to a time when a scratch and a common infection could prove deadly. Routine surgery and childbirth could be a hazardous business. Penicillin had been discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming, but human trials did not begin for over a decade. The first patient was an Oxford policeman, Albert Alexander, who had scratched his face on a rose bush and the wound became seriously infected (another historical version has him injured in a bombing raid

Recommending iodine supplements to all pregnant women could save the NHS money, say researchers. A study in The Lancet concluded that if all pregnant women took a daily dose, it could boost children's IQ scores, causing health improvements. Iodine is important for healthy brain development and there is some evidence that the UK population may not be getting enough. But Public Health England (PHE) said a varied diet should offer enough iodine. "The longstanding government advi

In a world first, the US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for a 3D-printed pill to be produced. The FDA has previously approved medical devices - including prosthetics - that have been 3D printed. The new drug, dubbed Spritam, was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to control seizures brought on by epilepsy. The company said that it planned to develop other medications using its 3D platform. Printing the drugs allows layers of medication to be packaged mo

More pupils in England aged between 11 and 15 have tried electronic cigarettes than have tried smoking, according to official figures. The Health and Social Care Information Centre data showed the lowest levels of smoking or drinking ever recorded It asked pupils about e-cigs for the first time and found that more than one in five had tried them. The figures, based on a survey of 6,173 pupils in 210 schools, showed only 3% had tried legal highs. There have been consistent fal