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The NHS is on track to miss out on savings of over a billion pounds as patents for a new lineup of 85 biologics are set to expire within the next five years, the British Generic Manufacturers Association has revealed in its new study. The government's Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access is expected to lead to a cost of more than £1 billion for the NHS in the coming years. The BGMA research found that more than 85 biological medicines will experience loss of exclusivity during the upcoming VPAS Scheme period from 2024 to 2028. "This includes blockbuster products like the cancer medicine Keytruda and wet macular product Eylea, which together generate approximately $25 billion in global sales," BGMA said. "The molecules coming off-patent also cover other disease areas including oncology, diabetes, arthritis, and asthma." While biological medicines dominate the medicines budget, constituting the largest cost and cost growth sectors, NHS England aims to expedite biosimilar availability, yielding substantial savings and expanding patient access to vital treatments. Yet, the report found that "this is jeopardised by the influence of the VPAS Scheme".

A report released by the Independent Commission has blamed Brexit supply issues for medicine shortages. NHS is forced to pay extortionate prices to fulfil the demand for vital antibiotics, anti-depressants, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs. The report highlights the impact of affected medicine supply issues on community pharmacies and patients. Janet Morrison, the chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, backed the report and said that the "medicine shortages and market instability appear to be as bad as they have ever been". She also explained how the Ukraine conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and broader economic instability also play a major factor in the situation.

The employees from large drugstore chains staged an additional walkout at stores this week from 1 Nov to 3 Nov. Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid pharmacists launched a three-day walkout to push companies to hire more staff and improve working conditions. The majority of pharmacy workers in Kansas City called in sick or walked off the job as they felt it was harder to work with "minimal" help. Licenced pharmacist, Amanda Applegate, who is also a Director of practise development with the Kansas Pharmacists Association spoke on the plight of the pharmacists. "This is a nationwide problem that pharmacists have been internally yelling about for years."

The UK based Pharma giant Futura Medical Plc's lead product, Eroxon, a topical Stim-gel is now available on NHS prescription in England and Wales for the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction (ED). The Muti-Drug Resistant (MDR) approved alternative to PDE5i, Eroxon is available as an over-the counter off shelf at retailers like Boots and Superdrug; and is available on NHS prescription in England and Wales as a CE-marked medical device. Erectile dysfunction (ED), also known as impotence, is the inability to get and maintain an erection, typically concerning men over the age of 40 due to both, psychological and physical causes such as anxiety, depression, diabetes, and obesity. According to UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA), the approval of the medication is based on evidence from 2 Phase three clinical studies, which showed that 60 per cent of patients taking Eroxon achieved Minimal Clinically Important Differences (MCID) at 12 weeks.

A recent survey conducted by the British Society Attitudes (BSA) and published by the King's Fund and the Nuffield Trust highlighted people's satisfaction with the National Health Services (NHS) to be a new record low since the survey's inception in 1983. The latest findings that are based on the public satisfaction and opinion with the NHS and social care, and funding in the context of prominent national debate about taxation and healthcare spending reveal the satisfaction with the NHS to have dwindled across all services and demographics in 2023. Public contentment has sharply declined, with only 24 per cent expressing satisfaction in 2023, a significant drop from 2020. Factors contributing to this dissatisfaction include prolonged waiting times for GP and hospital appointments, staffing shortages, and perceived inadequate government spending.

Indian multinational pharmaceutical company, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories has made its entry into the UK consumer health market with the launch of an over-the-counter allergy medication. Histallay (Fexofenadine Hydrochloride 120 mg tablets) is the company's first general sale list (GSL) product introduced in the UK market. Previously classified as a Prescription Only Medicine (POM), Dr. Reddy's Fexofenadine 120 mg is now available without prescription, under the brand name 'Histallay'. This allows people with allergic seasonal rhinitis (hay fever) to get direct access to the product via retail outlets such as pharmacies and supermarkets in the UK.

Eli Lilly's weight-loss medicine Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, will be available in the UK within weeks as a four-dose pre-filled injection pen. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the drug to treat adults with type 2 diabetes and for weight management in obese patients. Branded as Mounjaro KwikPen, the injection is to be used together with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, the regulator said. "The public health importance of safe and effective treatments to help manage diabetes and obesity, which can have a significant impact on people's health, is clear. "This approval enables access to the approved Mounjaro pen in a more convenient presentation of a month's treatment, of one dose per week," said Julian Beach, MHRA Interim Executive Director, Healthcare Quality and Access.