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All four UK health services have committed to net zero carbon emissions, health secretary Sajid Javid announced today (November 9). Lauding the commitment, Javid said: "As a health community, we cannot simply sit on the sidelines - we must respond to climate change through urgent action, with global collaboration at its core." Health systems in the UK have already started work on being greener. On behalf of the profession, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in writing a letter to world leaders who had gathered in Glasgow earlier last week to attend the COP26 summit, expressing pharmacy's commitment to tacking the climate crisis. RPS also signed a charter to guide effective and high-quality climate action by professional bodies in the UK.

A £5m project has been launched to introduce new blood tests in the National Health Service (NHS) that can diagnose Alzheimer's disease. The blood tests could be available on the NHS within five years and they can diagnose the disease earlier and more accurately than current methods, experts have said. Alzheimer's Research UK, the Alzheimer's Society and the National Institute of Health and Care Research have jointly launched the project. Susan Kohlhaas, Executive Director of Research and Partnerships at Alzheimer's Research UK, said that the NHS doesn't possess the "required levels of diagnostic infrastructure" to cope with the "growing demand" for dementia diagnosis. "Low-cost tools like blood tests that are non-invasive and simpler to administer than current gold standard methods are the answer to this," she added.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published the results of the common registration assessment for aspiring pharmacists held on 2 November, 2023. An overall pass rate of 66 per cent was recorded this year, as compared to 56 per cent in 2022 and 61 per cent in 2021. A total of 1,067 candidates took the registration assessment, held jointly by the GPhC and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), of which 700 candidates cleared the assessment In 2022, 937 candidates sat the registration assessment of which 525 passed the assessment. Commenting on the results, GPhC Director of Education and Standards, Mark Voce, said: "I would like to congratulate all those who passed the November registration assessment and I look forward to them joining our register to continue to the next stage of their career. "There will be candidates who unfortunately did not pass the assessment. If this is the case, the information on our website outlines all the possible options of what to do next.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirmed that Ozempic has been found at two UK wholesalers on 18 October. The pre-filled falsely labelled pens have been purchased from legitimate suppliers in Austria and Germany. However, there has been no evidence that fake Ozempic has been supplied to UK patients. Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer spoke about closely with regulatory partners to ensure patients' safety. He said: "Buying semaglutide from illegally trading online suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK. "Products purchased in this way will not meet our strict quality and safety standards, and taking such medicines may put your health at risk," he added.

The UK government will lay legislation today (13 December 2023) to allow the General Medical Council (GMC) to begin the process of regulating medical associates to expand their roles in the NHS. This will support plans to reduce pressure on doctors and GPs and improve access for patients, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. Physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) will have the same levels of regulatory oversight and accountability as doctors and other regulated healthcare professionals once the regulations come into force, which is expected at the end of 2024. The GMC will design and deliver detailed regulatory processes for registration, education, standards and fitness to practise for both professions.

In a significant leap forward in the fight against HIV, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has given the green light to two groundbreaking formulations of cabotegravir. Apretude 30 mg film-coated tablets and Apretude 600 mg prolonged-release suspension for injection are now authorized for preventing sexually transmitted HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35kg at increased risk. This approval marks a pivotal moment in HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) prevention, offering an alternative to existing standard pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP treatments. HIV, a virus notorious for compromising the immune system, has long been a global health concern. Cabotegravir, a member of the integrase inhibitor group, works by blocking a key enzyme necessary for the replication of HIV-1, thereby reducing the virus's ability to spread.

American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has received marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for its medication Etrasimod, marketed as Velsipity, used to treat people with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers (sores) in the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum. The approved recommended dose for Velsipity is one 2 mg tablet to be taken once daily. For the first three days, it is advised to take the medication with food, and subsequently, it can be taken daily either with or without food. According to the regulator, the approval of the medication is based on evidence from two clinical studies, which showed that 26 per cent of patients taking etrasimod achieved clinical remission after 12 weeks of treatment compared with 11 per cent of those receiving placebo. The studies included more than 740 patients aged 16 years and over for whom standard treatment or other treatments did not work well enough or could not be used.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised the public to exercise caution when buying anti-choking devices online, ensuring these products are purchased from reputable sellers. As estimated by the regulator, more than 10,000 counterfeit or unbranded anti-choking devices have been purchased by the public within the last two years through listings on online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, as well as drop-shipping websites. People are cautioned that the use of such products poses a substantial risk of failure in clearing blockages and could exacerbate the situation by pushing obstructions further down into the airway passage. Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, said: "Buying anti-choking devices that do not have a valid UKCA or CE mark increases the risk of receiving a product which does not include appropriate instructions and is either fake or does not meet the UK's regulatory requirements. "These products do not meet our strict quality standards and may put your health and safety at significant risk by failing to resolve or even worsening choking incidents."

After receiving approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the NHS is preparing to roll out a new combination treatment for brain tumours in children and young people in England. Dabrafenib with trametinib would be the first ever targeted treatment for children (aged 1-17) with gliomas that have a specific genetic mutation, the health service said. The treatment, which can be taken at home, has been found to slow the progression of the disease by over threefold compared to standard chemotherapy in children with low-grade gliomas that have a BRAF V600E mutation. Clinical trials have shown that it causes fewer side-effects than chemotherapy. NICE approved the combination treatment on Wednesday 24 April. It will be available on the NHS in the coming months.

To combat 14 years of Tory neglect, Labour Party under the leadership of Keir Starmer has revealed plan to create "healthiest generation of children", ahead of the general elections. The broader mission includes shifting NHS focus towards prevention to improve healthy life expectancy and reduce regional health disparities within a decade. Proposing a Child Health Action Plan aimed at fostering the healthiest generation of children ever, the party has plans to ban the sale of highly caffeinated energy drinks to under-16s. Addressing concerns from health and education experts about inadequate labeling, drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per liter will be restricted from retail and online sales to minors, with enforcement through trading standards. Labour leader underscores the significance of children's health as a national wellbeing indicator. He criticises the current government for its short-term approach, which he claims has led to deteriorating health among the nation's children.

The Pharmacist's Defence Association (PDA) has raised concerns over the adoption of Digital Clinical Excellence (DiCE) guidelines for online prescribing of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight management in adults. This follows a clash with expert recommendations commissioned by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as the PDA "believes the final guidance conflicts with the expert opinion underpins the GPhC's prosecution strategy towards pharmacist prescribers under investigation." In a recent statement, the PDA highlighted the discrepancy between DiCE's guidance and the expert report employed by the GPhC to prosecute pharmacist prescribers using a questionnaire-based consultation model. This conflict has prompted the PDA to withhold its endorsement of the DiCE guidance as it differs from an expert report commissioned by the GPhC. The PDA's reservations stem from the inherent risks associated with questionnaire-based prescribing.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) on Wednesday (14 February) launched consultations on two new pioneer curricula defining the clinical capabilities expected of entry-level advanced pharmacists practising in critical care and mental health. The advanced pharmacist critical care curriculum and the advanced pharmacist mental health curriculum are supplementary to the RPS core advanced curriculum. Interested stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the content of the curricula, their feasibility in terms of delivery, their relevance to all countries, and how these may impact different social groups. Both consultations will be open until Tuesday 12 March, and members and non-members of RPS can submit their comments via the online form or the word document.