Uniphar set to sell off Allcare pharmacies

Uniphar, a drug wholesaler with annual sales of more than €1bn, is to sell more than 20 of its Allcare pharmacies to independent pharmacists over the coming year, The Sunday Times reports.

The company, which is majority-owned by pharmacy owner-managers, started the process last week, launching the sale of six pharmacies in Munster.

The disposals come after Uniphar tidied up its ownership of the pharmacies in recent months by buying out historic debts attached to the businesses from Ulster Bank and Allied Irish Banks.

Ger Rabbette, the chief executive of Uniphar, wrote last week to owners of pharmacies that are supplied by the group to inform them of the sale process.

Needles and syringes dumped in recycling bins in Slough

Needles and syringes are being dumped in recycling bins, posing a risk to waste workers a council has said, the BBC reported.

Slough Borough Council said boxes of needles were being thrown into bins, as well as individual syringes, and the problem appeared to be growing.

The authority said an "increasing number" of recycling loads were being rejected and were having to be dealt with as hazardous waste.

It said, so far, there had not been any reports of injuries.

Wearsiders urged to help the NHS by not wasting medication

Over half a million pounds is wasted in Sunderland on medication each year, Sun FM News reports.

Now Sunderland's Clinical Commissioning Group is calling on patients to take some simple steps to help save the NHS vital funds.

Often patients receive medicines they don't use, or only use occasionally.

Pill bill: The £5.7 million cost of Bristol's wasted medication

Wasted medication is costing Bristol's NHS a staggering £5.7 million a year. Health chiefs have warned millions of pounds of drugs are thrown away each year by residents in the city because patients are routinely requesting repeat prescriptions when they are not needed, the Bristol Post reports.

The problem is being amplified by residents not checking their cupboards for stored away medicines which results in them forgetting they are there.

This waste is costing the cash-strapped NHS more than £90 million a year nationally.

And to tackle the problem Bristol's Clinical Commissioning Group, which decides how the area's funds should be spent, has launched an innovative new campaign.

Bill could give New Jersey women access to marijuana to ease menstrual cramps

A new bill proposed by Democrats in the New Jersey Assembly would allow women to access marijuana-based products in order to ease menstrual cramps, the Independent reports.

Assembly members Tim Eustace, Grace Spencer, Angelica Jimenez and Mila Jasey introduced the bill, noting that the move follows the release of a new line of marijuana edibles and bath products being marketed by Oscar-winning actress and New Jersey resident Whoopi Goldberg, specifically aimed at women who experience discomfort during their periods.

Under current New Jersey law, doctors can only prescribe medical marijuana for specific conditions such as multiple sclerosis and terminal cancer.