Pharmacist in Cornwall gains funding to optimise the use of penicillin for those labelled as allergic

Neil Powell, a clinical pharmacist from Cornwall, has been awarded funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research to explore the best way to treat patients incorrectly labelled as allergic to penicillin.

One in 10 people are labelled as allergic to penicillin in their medical records and this can lead to poorer health outcomes, but studies suggest that most of these could take penicillin safely. Mr Powell said the study’s main aim was to “optimise the use of penicillin” as it is generally safe and effective. “In this study we are looking to identify the people who aren’t likely to have an allergic reaction and can be safely delabelled.”

The NHS said possible reasons for being incorrectly labelled included having an intolerance rather than an allergy, having grown out of an allergy, or having an allergic reaction to something other than penicillin.

The new study, known as Removing Erroneous Penicillin Allergy Labels (REPeAL), aims to give structured questions to clinicians to help them decide whether or not to offer penicillin to those with a recorded allergy. ‘Higher risk’ patients with a history of anaphylaxis are not currently included but could be in the future.

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