BNF 83 (British National Formulary)

The British National Formulary (BNF) is the first choice for concise medicines information. Trusted by healthcare professionals across the world to support confident decision-making at the point of care.

 

The new edition (BNF 83) provides up-to-date guidance on prescribing, dispensing, and administering medicines, plus legal and professional guidelines.

 

Extensive content updates in the BNF 83 edition include: 

 

New monographs for:

 

• Acarizax® [house dust mite extract] for house dust mite allergic rhinitis or house dust mite allergic asthma
• Adakveo® [crizanlizumab] for vaso-occlusive crises in sickle-cell disease
• Adtralza® [tralokinumab] for atopic eczema
• Bijuve® [estradiol with progesterone] for menopausal symptoms
• Evrenzo® [roxadustat] for symptomatic anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease
• Evrysdi® [risdiplam] for 5q spinal muscular atrophy
• Kesimpta® [ofatumumab] for multiple sclerosis
• Klisyri® [tirbanibulin] for actinic keratosis on face or scalp
• Lagevrio® [molnupiravir] for COVID-19
• Leqvio® [inclisiran] for primary hypercholesterolaemia or mixed dyslipidaemia
• Lumykras® [sotorasib] for non-small cell lung cancer with KRAS G12C mutation
• Ontozry® [cenobamate] for focal seizures with or without secondary generalisation
• Orladeyo® [berotralstat] for hereditary angioedema
• Pemazyre® [pemigatinib] for cholangiocarcinoma with fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusion or rearrangement
• Ponvory® [ponesimod] for multiple sclerosis
• Rukobia® [fostemsavir] for HIV drug-resistant infection
• Ryaltris® [mometasone furoate with olopatadine] for allergic rhinitis
• Ryeqo® [relugolix with estradiol and norethisterone acetate] for uterine fibroids
• Verquvo® [vericiguat] for chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
• Zibor® [bemiparin sodium] for prophylaxis of deep-vein thrombosis in general and orthopaedic surgery, and prevention of clotting in extracorporeal circuits

 

MHRA advice on:

 

• Adrenaline/epinephrine auto-injectors: reminder for prescribers to support safe and effective use
• Aflibercept (Eylea®) solution for intravitreal injection: higher risk of intraocular pressure increase with the pre-filled syringe
• Atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) and other immune-stimulatory anti-cancer drugs: risk of severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs)
• CDK4/6 inhibitors: reports of interstitial lung disease and pneumonitis, including severe cases
• Chloramphenicol eye drops containing borax or boric acid buffers: use in children younger than 2 years
• Dapagliflozin (Forxiga®) 5mg should no longer be used for the treatment of type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
• Levothyroxine sodium: new prescribing advice for patients who experience symptoms on switching between different levothyroxine products
• Oral retinoid medicines: temporary monitoring advice during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• Tofacitinib (Xeljanz®): increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and malignancies with use of tofacitinib relative to TNF-alpha inhibitors, and new measures to minimise risk
• Topical corticosteroids: information on the risk of topical steroid withdrawal reactions
• Venetoclax (Venclyxto®): updated recommendations on tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients
• Yellow fever vaccine, live (Stamaril®): new pre-vaccination checklist

 

Other significant changes include updated guidance on:

 

• COVID-19 updated guidance in-line with Public Health England/UK Health Security Agency recommendations, including reports of myocarditis and pericarditis with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines
• Advice on use of Dapagliflozin in renal impairment, including new indication for chronic kidney disease
• Diabetic hyperglycaemic emergencies
• Direct-acting oral anticoagulants
• Emergency contraception
• Malaria prophylaxis in-line with Public Health England recommendations
• Management of acne
• Management of acute coronary syndromes
• Management of anaphylaxis
• Management of secondary bacterial infection of common skin conditions
• Management of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
• Prescribing in renal impairment
• Rabies vaccine and post-exposure management
• Recommended insulin regimens in type 1 diabetes
• Tetanus vaccine and the use of immunoglobulin for tetanus infection and prophylaxis in-line with Public Health England recommendations

 

BNF 83 is an essential publication, it provides you with:

 

• Up-to-date information on prescribing, dispensing, and administering medicines
• Authoritative, independent guidance on best practice enabling you to select safe and effective medicines
• Information you know you can trust for quality, reliability, and independence
• Everything you need at your fingertips, all in one book