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What initially began as two close friends taking a leisurely walk to escape their everyday routine has evolved into a meaningful endeavour to support the fight against cancer. Jamie Sparrow, Senior Vice President - Commercial, EMENA at Accord Healthcare, and Jamie Durbidge, Owner & Managing Director of Perennial Pharma, will be undertaking a 5-day walking challenge to support The Luke Hart Foundation in raising funds for Cancer Research UK. The two Jamies have been friends for more than 15 years and worked together at Mylan, now Viatris, where Jamie S served as Managing Director, while Jamie D held the position of Sales Director for some years. During the COVID pandemic when everybody was stuck at home, the two friends, both early risers, used to spend hours in the mornings walking and talking over the phone, about anything and everything - work, life, family, the Pharmaceutical Industry, politics, sport, and about challenges that people were having during the lockdown. After continuing this routine for several months, they eventually planned to transform their daily ritual into a "walking and talking" trip to reconnect, catch up on things, and enjoy some time together and with friends who wanted to join them.

The mental health challenges faced by pharmacists are a significant concern that is frequently discussed within the industry today. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's (RPS) fifth annual workforce wellbeing survey indicated that 86% of pharmacists are at a high risk of burnout. Key factors contributing to this burnout include inadequate staffing, poor work-life balance, and extended working hours. Mental Health UK also identifies burnout as one of the most pressing issues affecting modern workplaces. According to the charity's Burnout Report released in January 2024, 9 in 10 adults in the UK reported experiencing high or extreme stress in the past year. The charity warns that burnout may increase the risk of developing mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, underscoring the need for serious attention. Today, on World Mental Health Day, we reflect on the theme, "It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace."

Thorrun Govind, a former chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, has joined Brabners' regulatory & professional conduct team. With nearly a decade of experience as a GPhC-registered pharmacist, Govind will provide guidance on regulatory and professional conduct issues. Govind's expertise extends to healthcare advisory and disputes involving NHS Trusts and social care organisations. She has been recognised as the 'Young Pharmacist of the Year' by Pharmacy Business Magazine and is a frequent commentator on public health and healthcare law for major television networks. Her appointment underscores Brabners' commitment to offering top-tier legal services to the healthcare industry.

A new report has highlighted that the public places a higher value on medicines for severe medical conditions, such as terminal cancer, than the thresholds currently used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The study, conducted by the Office of Health Economics (OHE), found a misalignment between NICE's current 'severity modifier'-which determines whether a medicine is recommended for coverage on the National Health Service (NHS)-and the UK public's preference for prioritising health gains for more severe diseases. The research, commissioned and funded by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), also indicated that the public is willing to pay more for medicines used to treat patients with severe disease. Titled 'Understanding Societal Preferences for Priority by Disease Severity in England and Wales,' the report suggested that NICE's current severity modifier may be limiting access to innovative treatments for NHS patients. The ABPI has called on the government and NICE to adopt a more flexible approach when assessing medicines for severe conditions.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has laid out a series of urgent actions it wants the newly elected Labour government to implement within its first 100 days in office. Among the top priorities, the ABPI has emphasised the urgent need to appoint a new Chair and Chief Executive for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Additionally, the ABPI has urged the new government to launch the Life Sciences Manufacturing Capital Grants Facility without delay. Other measures the ABPI wants Labour to prioritise include: Rapidly passing outstanding UK clinical trials legislation to enhance the UK's attractiveness for inward investment, including into research within the NHS. Increasing commercial flexibility in the NHS England Commercial Framework for New Medicines to remove barriers for companies to launch new medicines and indications so that NHS patients can access the latest innovative medicines.

A new report from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has highlighted that while the NHS has made significant progress in the introduction of cell and gene therapies, the health service must "do more to get ready for the arrival of the advanced therapies of the future." The ABPI noted that advanced therapies, also known as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), offer hope for diseases previously deemed "untreatable." ATMPs have already been introduced for treating some rarer conditions, including haemophilia, spinal muscular atrophy, and a rare disease that causes blindness. "In some cases, these therapies can transform people's lives with just a single treatment," the Association said. The ABPI's report, titled Unlocking Access to Future ATMPs in the UK: Comparing International Approaches, emphasises the need for the NHS to revise its payment strategies for upcoming therapies.

As Health Secretary Wes Streeting initiates a national conversation about the future of the NHS, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has stressed the importance of increasing investment in medicines to fix the 'broken' NHS. Streeting is inviting the public, NHS staff, and experts to share their experiences and contribute to shaping the government's 10 Year Health Plan to build an NHS fit for the future. The government aims to implement three big shifts to transform the NHS: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. Richard Torbett, chief executive of the ABPI, has highlighted the vital role medicines and vaccines can play in achieving these priorities. He said: "Wes Streeting is spot-on in identifying three strategic shifts necessary to fix the broken NHS. Medicines and vaccines have a vital role in all three of these priorities, but we are not currently realising their potential."

A new class of weight loss drugs developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly "opens the possibility of an end to the obesity pandemic" alongside other interventions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said this week. But the global health agency said it has concerns that unless health systems prepare properly, the drugs could distort the response to the global obesity crisis, risking leaving people behind and overshadowing other steps to improve health. The new drugs "have the potential to be transformative", according to the WHO's chief scientist, Jeremy Farrar, its director of nutrition, Francesco Branca, and his senior adviser, Francesca Celleti, in an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The article is the agency's clearest comment yet on the potential of the new drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. But "medication in isolation will not be enough to address the obesity crisis," they added, calling instead for the innovation to push clinicians, governments, the pharmaceutical industry and the public towards considering the condition a chronic disease that needs further study into how best to prevent and treat it.

Digital marketing involves promoting products and services using diverse digital arena such as laptops, smart phones, tablets, and other digital touch points to reach customers at the right time through their preferred medium. Pharmaceutical organizations too are indulging in digital platform for marketing of their numerous products.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched the generic equivalent to Xeloda tablets, 150mg and 500mg, in the US.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has expressed concerns over Boots UK's decision to reduce supplemental opening hours at some pharmacies. The association stated: "Some pharmacists and other staff at Boots are being notified this week of changes to opening hours at their place of work, with local briefings taking place. The PDA are supporting their members to deal with any potential impact on their employment." It said that reducing pharmacy opening hours would affect patients' access to a trusted healthcare professional, especially if it is being done by the largest community pharmacy multiple. It even called upon the NHS to adequately fund community pharmacies to ensure they remain open when patients and local communities need their services. Meanwhile, Boots management has informed PDA that most of its employees are not pharmacists, and "less pharmacists are expected to be directly impacted by these changes than other colleagues," PDA said.

Pharmacists working in Northern Ireland think the retention fees are too high, and most would prefer to pay in instalments, if that option is available, amid the increased living costs, a new survey has found. 97 per cent of the respondents to the survey, conducted by the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) of its Northern Irish members, felt the fees were too high. Four in five said they would opt to pay in instalments if this option were available to them in light of the challenges of significant one-off payments. On average, the fees accounted for 23 per cent of a pharmacist's take-home pay for one month, and 98 per cent did not see any value added to their professional standing for the sum, according to the survey. The PDA said the respondents also reported feeling disadvantaged among their colleagues in terms of how fees are collected, with many also wondering why the registration fee was not offset for those on maternity leave or working reduced or flexible hours.

The Parliamentarians have called the government to urgently consider the short-term funding to stabilise the community pharmacy sector. 39 MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum have signed letters to the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay MP and raised their growing concern about the pressures facing England's community pharmacies and the risks this poses to patient care and safety. "Steve Barclay MP received correspondence from 23 Opposition MPs, with six Peers also signing a letter. Separately, 9 Conservative MPs also wrote to the Health Secretary and up to 10 others have signalled their intention to write to the relevant Minister," said the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC). The Parliamentarians acknowledged that pharmacies have the potential to do more to support the NHS and they called for the government to urgently consider a commitment to working with the sector to create a fair and fit for purpose future funding model that ensures sustainability and properly funds pharmacies for what they do. All signatories also called for the introduction of a fairly-funded Pharmacy First service.

The government has launched a consultation into radically changing the Statutory Scheme for branded medicines (known as the Statutory Scheme). The consultation comes as delicate negotiations for replacing the alternative Voluntary Scheme are underway, potentially undermining these talks, while also further damaging industry confidence in the UK as a viable place to research, launch and supply medicine. The government proposals seek to hold average revenue clawback rates under the Statutory Scheme at historic highs of between 21-27%, compared to the pre-pandemic averages of 9.4% for the Statutory Scheme (2019-2021), and 6.88% for the Voluntary Scheme (2014-2021). The accompanying cost-benefit analysis ignores any negative impact this may have on medicine supply and wrongly claims it will boost investment. The consultation comes on the heels of government data last week showing UK life sciences foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 47% between 2021 and 2022, down by £900m year on year. This large fall in investment coincided with a rise in the main UK clawback rate under the Voluntary Scheme from 5% to 15%, and led to the UK falling from 2nd to 9th out of 18 comparator countries for life sciences FDI in 2022. The Voluntary Scheme clawback rate now sits at a record 26.5% in 2023.

It's 2022 and data is everything, isn't it? Advertising, decision-making, you name it, data is behind it. What if an ePharmacy could use its own data as an asset? If you knew that sooner or later, you'll be able to turn your data into a revenue stream, wouldn't that be something? And this is exactly what Convert Group does. Convert Group offers the complete eCommerce SaaS ecosystem that helps ePharmacists and brands grow sales, streamline collaboration, and seize data monetization opportunities. Built for scale, Convert Group's platform leverages automation and offers a unique user experience backed by our leading eCommerce team.

National pharmacy bodies have welcomed two VAT changes related to community pharmacy services announced in the Spring budget on Wednesday (15 March) but were disappointed that the budget brought no further relief for the sector in a crippling funding crisis. It was announced that from 1 May 2023, VAT exemption on healthcare would be extended to include medical services carried out by staff directly supervised by registered pharmacists. The government will also extend zero rate on prescriptions to medicines supplied through Patient Group Directions. This measure will be introduced in autumn 2023. HM Treasury said these measures were being introduced to ensure that the VAT system keeps up with changes to how the NHS operates and how healthcare is delivered across the country. More widely, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promised to halve inflation and said that the NHS would soon publish its long-term workforce plan.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has urged the healthcare professionals to share their views on the consultation on 'how MHRA communicate with healthcare professionals to improve medicines and medical devices' safety'. Through this consultation the agency wants to review its approach to engagement with healthcare professionals to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices. "We want to ensure that healthcare professionals are receiving actionable information and guidance on safe use of medicines and medical devices that they can take into their working practice, providing timely advice to patients," said MHRA. "We need to improve the way we communicate with healthcare professionals. We want to hear from you to enable us to transform how we communicate with you and how we work together on our common goal of greater patient safety."

Choosing the right healthcare certification for your career goals should not be taken lightly. With so many certifications available today, it can feel overwhelming and confusing to decide which one is best suited to your individual needs. Whether you're looking for a promotion at work or want to switch careers, having the correct certification can make all the difference when reaching those goals. Thankfully, with some proper research and advice from experts in the field, you can find the perfect healthcare certification for your career goals - let's dive into how! CONSIDER YOUR CURRENT GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS When choosing a healthcare certification, it's important to consider your current goals and aspirations. Before diving into a program or course, reflect on what you want to get out of the experience - is it increased knowledge and skill set, better job prospects, and advancement opportunities? Even if you aren't currently sure about what type of career you want in healthcare, research different certifications and see which ones would bring you one step closer to achieving those goals. For example, medical coding certification is a must for anyone interested in pursuing a career in medical coding and billing. Think about the best investment of your time and energy, so you can reap the benefits later on down the line. No matter where you're starting from or where you hope to go with your career, there are certifications that provide valuable skills in all areas of healthcare.