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Charac, an NHS-integrated one-stop platform for independent community pharmacies, and Positive Solutions, the fastest growing pharmacy IT provider in the UK, have agreed on a collaboration to support community pharmacies through new integrated technology platform - MyHealthHub. The tech platform aims to give pharmacies a powerful and compelling tool to both help retain and attract new patients. The app will also allow the over 7,200 independent high street pharmacies which are lacking a digital footprint to compete with larger online pharmacies by providing them with an online presence. The long-term strategic partnership brings together Charac's innovative approach to patient relationship management and Positive Solutions trusted expertise in digital solutions for pharmacy. With Positive Solutions' Analyst PMR used daily by 16,000 pharmacy team members to process over 87 million scripts and 180 million items, the collaboration will help transform patient engagement and continue driving service business to pharmacies across the UK using a new innovative, integrative technology platform, MyHealthHub. MyHealthHub will not only integrate with Analyst PMR, but also forms part of an entire new technology ecosystem from Positive Solutions, the Hx platform and will be entirely interoperable.

Well Pharmacy has introduced a digital e-voucher platform for its corporate flu vaccination scheme. This platform simplifies the process of distributing flu vouchers to colleagues via email, employing individual flu voucher codes for each recipient, the company said in a statement. "Flu can disrupt business operations, especially during the bustling pre-Christmas period," said George Sandhu, Deputy Superintendent Pharmacist at Well Pharmacy. "Opting for staff flu jabs is a cost-effective means of safeguarding your business, employees, and their families. Our goal is to ensure a seamless setup, effortless administration, and convenient access to flu jabs for your colleagues, fitting into their schedules smoothly." According to the statement, Well Pharmacy's digital e-voucher platform offers effortless accessibility and various benefits, including swift email sharing, transparent upfront pricing and invoicing, and convenient tracking of voucher usage. Businesses can also track the utilisation and remaining availability of vouchers. "Just determine the desired number of vouchers and complete the order form," Sandhu added. "We'll provide a pre-filled agreement for your signature and return, along with an invoice. After setup, you'll receive a voucher code to distribute among your staff, along with promotional posters. They can access our website to obtain the necessary code for scheduling their vaccinations."

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and BeWell are working together to help provide efficiencies and productivity that address the growing pressures within community pharmacy. BeWell's Pharmacy Management Platform provides robust solutions that include Patient Relationship Management, Omnichannel Communications and Engagement, Services and Bookings Management, access to patient records, NHS Login supported Patient Application, and repeat prescription capabilities for Pharmacy Website and Patient App that include integrations with Surgery Online Services. This single interoperable platform is also integrated with pharmacy PMRs, connecting back office and administrative functions with front-of-house digital patient experiences. In line with the NPA's vision, BeWell has taken a leading role in formulating a unique ecosystem of pharmacy partners uniting marketing agencies, PGD-based service providers, and delivery method partners - integrating their capabilities within the BeWell platform.

Day Lewis Pharmacy has enlisted Locate a Locum, a Belfast-based healthcare technology innovator, to deploy and manage a digital solution aimed at enhancing locum staffing and management across its 267-pharmacy network. "We sought a faster, user-friendly system for instant locum bookings, particularly for last-minute shifts," said Sam Patel, Executive Director at Day Lewis Pharmacy. "This tool improves communication between potential locums and our coordinators, creating more opportunities to attract talent from across the country. Our customers are our priority, and ensuring they have access to staff and advice when needed is our main focus." Locate a Locum will implement a cloud-based digital solution across the Day Lewis Pharmacy estate, allowing locums to securely search, manage, request, and receive payment for shifts, Day Lewis said in a statement. This platform enables locum staff to manage their work diaries, location preferences, and commitments, promoting balanced work-life planning. "The Locate a Locum platform allows for swift, complete payments to our locums and offers them instant booking, eliminating the need for shift confirmation wait times," Patel added. "In a dynamic market with rising demand for pharmacy services, this platform is a game-changer, driving growth and unlocking potential."

Bristol-based Titan PMR, a technology firm specialising in PMR systems for community pharmacies, is set to roll out an innovative platform named 'Titanverse,' that it claims will redefine pharmacy management, offering comprehensive solutions extending beyond prescription management. This new platform takes a versatile approach, efficiently managing all facets of pharmacy operations, from high-level management down to daily tasks, according to top company officials. "Our aim is to reshape pharmacies into genuine health hubs, providing advanced services and harnessing state-of-the-art technologies," said Tariq Muhammad, CEO of Titan PMR. "Titanverse, our latest offering, is positioned to ignite this transformation, revolutionising clinical services in the same way its predecessor revolutionised dispensing. With Titanverse, we have the vehicle to drive this vision forward, placing pharmacies at the forefront of primary care in the future." Titanverse adopts a Teams approach, catering to pharmacies with multiple locations or specific focuses. It furnishes real-time analytics and employs a color-coded rating system for swift performance evaluation. Moreover, the platform eases operations by enabling task delegation, encompassing clinical checks and dispensing, all while backing private services with adaptable templates and workflows.

The global company in information and data analytics, Elsevier launched a platform, PharmaPendium for drug candidates. It is an effective tool that provides data including complete Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval packages for drug development. The platform is supported by the FDA, the Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and the top 20 global pharma companies. Olivier Barberan, Director of Translational Medicine Solutions spoke about how "improved access to highly relevant data plus predictive tools enhances regulatory success, safeguarding the massive investments of pharma companies." "Translation of preclinical research findings to humans in an efficient but safe way is one of the greatest challenges facing drug developers. We designed the new PharmaPendium to solve this," he added.

In a recent announcement, the British supermarket chain, Asda has launched its first online prescription service becoming the first self-serving shop to offer prescribed medicine supply at the doorsteps through its latest healthcare accessibility venture. The NHS certified online pharmacy service, Asda Online Pharmacy, is set to offer patients a digital platform designed to simplify the prescription process for patients, offering the convenience of online management and home delivery with their partnership with Pharmacy2U. Effective immediately, new patients can register for an account on the platform via pharmacy.asda.com. Once registered, they gain access to a seamless prescription ordering system that facilitates home delivery, along with the ability to monitor the progress of their orders. Prescriptions submitted through Asda Online Pharmacy will undergo rigorous scrutiny by qualified pharmacists before being dispatched directly to patients' doorsteps, all without any additional charges.

Community pharmacists in England have launched a new digital platform called My Local Surgery, enabling patients to access Pharmacy First consultations online. This initiative, a part of the NHS Pharmacy First scheme, facilitates free video consultations for six common conditions, connecting patients with community pharmacists for clinical advice and treatment. The platform, spearheaded by a team of pharmacy, tech, and clinical services experts, including experienced community pharmacists Darren Lingaloo and Gulraj Dhillon, tech specialist Nav Ramiah, and Dr. Adam Kirk, a seasoned NHS and digital healthcare professional, seeks to meet the rising demand for clinical services. Darren Lingaloo, co-founder and chief pharmacist at My Local Surgery, said: "The evolving role of pharmacists is long overdue and has the potential to save millions of GP appointments every year.

Well Pharmacy has announced a new partnership with RangeMe, a product discovery, sourcing and purchasing platform, as it looks to increase the diversity of products available to its customers. The independent pharmacy chain said the partnership will provide new, emerging and diverse brands increased access to its buying teams. There are already over 200,000 suppliers registered on the RangeMe platform. "We pride ourselves on being at the heart of the communities we serve and are delighted to be working with RangeMe to increase the diversity of the products we are able to offer to our customers across the UK," Reena Takhar, head of OTC & NHS buying at Well Pharmacy said. "Given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, we're keen to do all we can to give businesses of all sizes the opportunity to connect with our buyersto allow us to offer new and interesting great value products to our customers." RangeMe helps retailers and their buying teams scale product sourcing efforts with streamlined submissions, simplified discovery tools, and the industry standard digital sell sheet.

Positive Solutions is set to launch its new, innovative, cloud-based medicines management system - HxCare which will be showcased in October at the Care Show. HxCare will be free of charge to community pharmacies signing up to the HxCare Affiliate Programme (HxCAP) making it an ideal platform to support existing care home business and attract new ones. The cloud-based medicines management system aims to digitise workflows, reduce errors and free up care providers to spend more time delivering care to their residents. Designed to be truly mobile, HxCare will be tablet based and has been developed by working closely with both care homes across the sector and their pharmacy partners who relish the prospect of an eMAR solution that integrates into their Analyst PMR. It is one of five new products being launched by Positive Solutions on the Hx platform this year. HxConsult is already live supporting pharmacies looking to maximise their service revenue. HxIntel will deliver real-time dashboards, reports and insights into the performance of pharmacy businesses of all sizes. My Health Hub will revolutionise patient pharmacy relationships whilst HxDispense is set to be the ultimate next generation PMR system. This modular, cloud-based interoperable ecosystem takes healthcare technology to a new level.

Glenmark, a multinational pharmaceutical company, has partnered with AI data-driven supply chain management platform 7bridges. Initially focusing on their European business, where they have operations in 15 markets, the supply chain and logistics function is a big focus area for this cost reduction. The partnership with 7bridges will allow Glenmark to baseline their supply chain data giving them visibility of data, cost and service performance across their network of logistics service providers. This exercise will identify areas where invoices from their logistics service providers are being incorrectly or overcharged. With automatic dispute raising, savings will be quickly achieved. The platform will then enable Glenmark to benchmark their data, so they can compare the performance and cost of their LSPs to the wider industry. With Glenmark's global vision to emerge as a leading integrated research-based global pharmaceutical company, this investment in their supply chain will be integral to achieving this. The next step in the partnership will be to run simulations to optimise road freight services and 3PL operations, with the aim to then roll out globally.

Charac, an NHS-integrated one-stop platform for independent community pharmacies, has secured £1 million strategic investment from the Royal Mail Group, enabling its time-saving platform to assist more local pharmacies and patients across the UK to easily manage their prescriptions and consultations online. The company said this new money will enable it to leverage strong levels of trust that pharmacists enjoy within the communities they serve in and will ensure pharmacies remain a cornerstone of vibrant high streets and an invaluable provider of frontline healthcare products and services, including vitally needed consultations. Charac says it is aiming to sign up over 1,000 UK pharmacies in the next 12 months by expanding its geographic footprint beyond current cities, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, and targeting small multiple and independent pharmacies, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the UK's community pharmacy network. The announcement also sees the addition of Stefan Kulik, a managing director at Royal Mail, to the Charac board. Stefan is responsible for leading Royal Mail's expansion into the healthcare industry and brings a breadth of experience, having previously worked in healthcare with companies including Johnson & Johnson.

The UK GDP Association has been established as a non-profit organisation, operating as a Community Interest Company (CIC), with a focus on providing a broader support network, particularly for small and medium business enterprises and pharmacy wholesalers. In addition to delivering commercially viable Good Distribution Practice (GDP) consultancy services for simple models with smaller budgets, the association aims to function as a networking platform for Responsible Persons in the UK. As members of the association, companies and individuals can gain multiple benefits that will add value to their business through access to knowledge, discounted training, consultancy services, audit and inspection support, as well as resources like document templates for risk assessments, CAPA, deviations, and more. Moreover, members can enjoy the benefit of a like-minded support network via a dedicated GDP community hub, providing a platform for discussions, seeking advice, and fostering new relationships. "Our mission is to ensure that patient safety, GDP compliance, and excellent quality is paramount in all organisations, regardless of budget," the company said.

NHS England has launched a cloud-based platform that links recently-retired consultants, who still hold a licence to practice, with secondary care providers who need additional help with their waiting lists. It has been developed to make it easier and more flexible for retired doctors to return to the health service as part of the Long Term Workforce Plan. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard in June 2023 announced the NHS Emeritus pilot scheme, which is expected to help reduce long waits for elective care. Initially, the scheme will run for a year across England, and if successful, it may be expanded to cover other work areas. Health Minister Andrew Stephenson commented: "Returning consultants will bring invaluable experience and knowledge, and the new digital platform will match highly-skilled consultants with the NHS trusts that require their expertise, providing high quality care and alleviating pressures on high demand areas.

Community pharmacy chain Jardines Pharmacy has partnered with patient relationship management platform Charac to launch a new app designed to digitalise its services, enhance operational efficiency, and elevate customer satisfaction. The app allows patients to order repeat prescriptions, access medicine home delivery and book consultations with their pharmacist all in one place, enabling faster pharmacist-to-patient care. By incorporating Charac's platform into its business, Jardines is able to boost prescription dispensing efficiency, helping reducing wait times for patients. Additionally, its delivery feature enables patients to track their orders directly through the app, thereby streamlining the overall patient experience. The app also minimises administrative and manual tasks for pharmacists, giving them more time to focus on helping patients and delivering the outstanding customer service. Patients of Jardines can also use the app to book appointments digitally for Pharmacy First consultations, blood pressure checks, earwax removal, travel vaccinations, and emergency contraception services. Santosh Sahu, Founder and CEO of Charac, said: "We are pleased to support Jardines Pharmacy and its patients across England. Our mission is to ensure that community pharmacies are empowered to digitalise, making care easier and more accessible for patients.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued the patient group direction (PGD) and national protocol for community pharmacy contractors to support flu vaccination of the frontline primary care staff. This follows the announcement pertaining to eligibility of frontline primary care staff for NHS flu vaccinations this season. With the release of protocol, vaccination of these staff can now be commenced as part of the service. Contractors have to keep a manual record of the number of primary care staff they vaccinate in the service and report the same each month on the NHS Business Services Authority's Manage Your Service (MYS) platform.

E-pharmacy, a digital platform also known as internet pharmacy or online pharmacy, has emerged as an escape route to longstanding queues at pharmacy stores across almost all regions of the world, especially during the Covid-19 health crisis realm. They have long been recognised to act promptly in public health response, like ensuring an effective medicine supply system, resolving and monitoring drug shortage issues, educating about the proper use of PPE, promoting remote pharmacy services, and conducting drug evaluation and active surveillance. These factors will support in easing the load on healthcare facilities during the ongoing pandemic, eventually adding value to patients and the healthcare system. Overall, the e-pharmacy market size is expanding in terms of valuation on the back of regulations and standards laid by the respective governments. As per a recent study by Global Market Insights, the global e-pharmacy industry accounted for a business share of $68 billion in 2021 with an anticipated growth rate of 16.8 per cent through 2028.

Global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company AstraZeneca has signed an agreement with Scorpion Therapeutics to discover, develop and commercialize precision medicines against cancer proteins. The collaboration, announced today (January 13), will focus on a class of proteins called transcription factors, which can regulate important cellular processes including cell growth and survival. Many transcription factors have been identified earlier, but were considered 'undruggable' using conventional drug discovery approaches, the company said in a statement. Susan Galbraith, executive vice president, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "Unlocking potentially transformative biology is pivotal for delivering the next wave of cancer treatments. "Scorpion's innovative platform is a strong strategic fit as we explore a range of new modalities across our broad drug discovery toolbox with promise to disrupt the activity of these highly-validated cancer targets."

An international specialty pharmaceutical group, Essential Pharma has announced the completion of two transactions with fellow UK-based Rosemont Pharmaceuticals. The company completed the divestment of its oral liquid portfolio to Rosemont, and acquired a series of attractive, niche products with "geographic expansion potential." Commenting on the announcement, Essential Pharma chief executive Steen Vangsgaard said: "The Rosemont products bring additional niche products into our portfolio with international expansion potential. "The divestiture of our UK oral liquid products streamlines our portfolio, allowing us to focus and accelerate our strategic growth ambition of building a leading international specialty pharma platform." Under the divestment deal, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals will acquire the product portfolio of licences, registrations and trademarks, as well as related commercial rights, to a number of oral generic products which are used to treat a range of conditions in various therapeutic areas.

The British scientist who led the research underpinning AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine said at the weekend that a new jab could be developed against the emerging Omicron variant "very rapidly" if needed. Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, also said existing vaccines should work against the new strain, but that would only become apparent after more research in the coming weeks. "It's extremely unlikely that a reboot of a pandemic in a vaccinated population like we saw last year (with the Delta variant) is going to happen," he told BBC radio. But if required, "The processes of how one goes about developing a new vaccine are increasingly well-oiled, so if it's needed that is something that could be moved very rapidly." In a statement, AstraZeneca said it had "developed, in close collaboration with Oxford University, a vaccine platform that enables us to respond quickly to new variants that may emerge".