Seven days in medicine: 17-23 November 2021
BMJ 2021; 375 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2871 (Published 25 November 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;375:n2871
Covid-19
Limit use of ivermectin to trials, says NICE
The drug ivermectin should be used to treat people with covid-19 only as part of a clinical trial, said the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).1 In updating its guideline on managing covid-19 the agency noted a high degree of uncertainty about whether ivermectin was more effective than control in hospital or community settings. It also raised concerns about the quality of studies, uncertainty about the overall safety of ivermectin, and the possibility of rare serious adverse events. The BMJ’s living guideline made this recommendation on ivermectin on 31 March 2021.2
England prepares to offer annual vaccine boosters
The NHS in England is preparing to offer an annual covid-19 booster vaccine programme if required, said the service’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard. She added that “further expansions” could be made to advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation about which groups should receive booster vaccines. Officials are awaiting more data before deciding whether to recommend annual covid-19 vaccine boosters in a similar way to annual winter flu vaccination. (Full story doi:10.1136/bmj.n2824)
NHS seeks to clarify booster confusion
The NHS moved to tackle public confusion and misunderstanding over the difference between third primary doses of covid-19 vaccination and booster doses, as …
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