Deal commits NHS to buying millions of tests in exchange for state-of-the-art facility But experts say test is “a clear-cut case of public risk and private profit”  New evidence published by The BMJ today casts doubt on a much-hyped blood test for the NHS that promises to detect more than 50 types ...

Regenerative medicine experts warn companies are suggesting “unrealistic” applications for umbilical cord stem cell treatments Some private UK biobanks may be misleading expectant parents about the value of storing umbilical cord blood to treat life-threatening diseases that may arise in their child in the future, reveals an investigation by The BMJ, ...

NSAIDs continue to be a source of avoidable harm and healthcare costs, and more needs to be done, say researchers Prescribing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to people at high risk of harm from them is estimated to cost the NHS in England around £31 million and cause more than 6,000 ...

Findings support safety of vaccination for pregnant women Neither covid-19 infection nor vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with increased risk of major birth defects, finds a study from Scandinavia published by The BMJ today. It’s well known that women who experience covid-19 infection during pregnancy are at increased ...

Experts find “smorgasbord of tactics” used to boost sales during opioid addiction epidemic Opioid giant Mallinckrodt, selling more than Purdue Pharma in the US, was forced by the courts to publish more than 1.3 million internal documents. In The BMJ today, researchers Sergio Sismondo and Maud Bernisson sift through nearly 900 contracts ...

Results highlight need to optimise speech therapy resources, say researchers An intensive voice treatment developed in the USA and known as the Lee Silverman voice treatment (LSVT LOUD) is more effective than conventional NHS speech and language therapy or no therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease, finds a trial published ...

First study to assess risk associated with widely used progestogens Prolonged use of certain progestogen hormone drugs is associated with an increased risk of developing a type of brain tumour known as an intracranial meningioma, finds a study from France published by The BMJ today. The researchers say this study ...