News

Cancer drug information leaflets for patients in Europe frequently omit important facts, while some are “potentially misleading” when it comes to treatment benefits and related uncertainties, researchers have found.

Cancer is the biggest killer in Europe after heart conditions, with more than 3.7m new cases and 1.9m deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization.

Medicines are a vital weapon against the disease. But critical facts about them are often missing from official sources of information provided to patients, clinicians and the public, according to a study led by researchers from King’s College London, Harvard Medical School and the University of Sydney, among others.

“Regulated information sources for anticancer drugs in Europe fail to address the information needs of patients,” the study’s authors wrote in The BMJ journal. “If patients lack access to such information, clinical decisions may not align with their preferences and needs.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 29 March 2023

Bupa is set to cut 85 dental practices amid a national shortage of dentists, in a move that will affect 1,200 staff across the UK.

The group said patients at some practices were unable to access the NHS dental service they need.

Bupa, which provides NHS and private care, said the 85 practices would be closed, sold or merged later this year.

The healthcare group's boss said the industry faced "systematic challenges" and the decision was a "last resort".

In August the BBC revealed 9 in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK were not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service.

Bupa has not been able to recruit enough dentists to deliver NHS care in many practices for months and in some cases years, it said.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 30 March 2023