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The UK must act swiftly to fend off competition if it wants to build the world's leading life sciences sciences hub, a new report suggests. A year on from the launch of the government's life science vision, the report commissioned by the the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said although achieving the ambition remained feasible, the UK would need an attractive business environment because its competitor countries were becoming more adept at attracting investment. To achieve the ambition of the vision, the PwC-produced report suggested raising pharmaceutical R&D investment in the UK to build a 'stronger manufacturing and research infrastructure', alongside better investment in, access to and uptake of innovative medicines. It said the UK would also need to adopt a renewed approach to the priority healthcare challenges identified in the government's 'Life Science Vision', which would mean cutting the overall burden on health of dementia, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease and mental health. The report quantified the size of the prize if the vision was implemented in full and the UK could emulate the successes of leading EU countries, which included: £68 billion in additional GDP over 30 years, owing to increased R&D investment £16.3 billion additional annual GDP from increased pharmaceutical exports Supporting 85,000 additional jobs Up to 40 per cent decrease in disease burden across the whole UK - for areas like cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions and Cancer. Reduced variation in speed of access to new medicines within three months of licensing for all NHS patients.

Moderna has joined one of the UK's leading pharmaceutical industry body, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to expand its footprint and investment in the UK. The biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines will strengthen its footprint with the new state-of-the-art vaccine research, development and manufacturing facility in the UK. It will create valuable new jobs and build on the strength of the UK's life sciences ecosystem. The company is best known for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now developing a range of mRNA-based vaccines for a number of conditions. The ABPI represents companies of all sizes who invest in discovering the medicines of the future, including some of the world's largest, most innovative, and most successful pharmaceutical firms. Darius Hughes, UK General Manager, Moderna, said: "We are delighted to join the ABPI - this alliance is an important part of our long-term commitment to the UK and supports the wider significant investments in manufacturing, research and development we are making in this country.

The UK pharmaceutical industry experienced a substantial increase in public trust and favourability during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new poll. This trend appears to be persisting with the study showing a generally favourable view of the sector. The recent survey, conducted by Ipsos and commissioned by Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), represents the third instalment in a series that began in 2021. This ongoing study targets members of the public, healthcare professionals, and parliamentarians. The study once again underscored a favourable perception of the sector with 67 per cent of respondents recognising that the pharmaceutical industry produces safe and effective medicines using cutting-edge technologies. Moreover, a majority agrees that it is a highly innovative field. Seven out of 10 people also trust the sector's readiness to address future pandemics, even as media attention on pharmaceutical companies returns to pre-pandemic levels. However, concerns arise regarding limitations in accessing new medicines due to cost pressures.

Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society publishing arm, has announced its partnership with Datapharm Ltd. Under the new partnership, Electronic Medicines Compendium (emc) the latest product to be added to MedicinesComplete, the online medicines information platform from Pharmaceutical Press. MedicinesComplete users can easily search emc information, with direct links to the trusted, clinical guidance from the British National Formulary (BNF). "emc through MedicinesComplete will include printable, ready-to-use patient information leaflets written by manufacturers to use at the point of care, and users will have access to an unlimited number of searches. In addition, emc will also include the full Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) document, which accompanies all regulator approved medicines in the UK," said the RPS. Available to all countries outside the UK, emc will be launched early next year on subscription through MedicinesComplete. UK access is available on request.

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.

DE Group, one of the UK's leading independent pharmaceutical wholesalers, has gone into administration. Pharmacy Business has learnt that the group was put into administration on Monday (May 9), putting hundreds of jobs at risk and stoking fears of a "sudden shock" to pharmaceutical supply chain. A community pharmacy contractor who has done business with the wholesaler for over 20 years told Pharmacy Business: "I fear for the worst. I don't think there will be enough supply of medicines to cope up with a surge at such a short notice." Bharat Shah, founder and CEO of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, another leading short-line wholesaler, said the news will send shock-waves and have "a massive impact on the market" because DE Group enjoyed a "substantial coverage and market share" in the independent pharmacy sector. "It won't be easy for anyone to take on the extra volume as it could jeopardise their own business," he said, adding that Sigma was actively looking into expanding its own operations in the foreseeable future.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has awarded Professor Abdul Basit with the RPS Harrison Memorial Medal for an outstanding contribution to advancing pharmaceutical science. Professor Basit graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Pharmacy from the University of Bath, and received his PhD from The School of Pharmacy, University of London. Currently in position as Professor of Pharmaceutics at the UCL School of Pharmacy, he is internationally recognised for leading in the field of drug delivery, microbiome medicines, three-dimensional printing of pharmaceuticals and digital health. He has also founded three start-up companies. Professor Basit has an impressive track record of publications, and a lifetime grant and investment income of over £100million pounds. His research has led to a series of transformative drug delivery systems, translated into the design of new technologies and improved therapies, many of which have been commercialised and launched worldwide including a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. To date, more than a million patients have benefited from inventions created and developed in the Basit Research Group.

An Indian court has sentenced two pharmaceutical company executives to two-and-half years in jail for exporting substandard drugs to Vietnam a decade ago, months after the WHO linked their cough syrups to the deaths of children in Gambia. India suspended production at Maiden Pharmaceuticals in October last year for violations of manufacturing standards after the World Health Organization said four of its cough syrups may have killed dozens of children in Gambia. The company has denied its drugs were at fault for the deaths in Gambia and tests by an Indian government laboratory found there were no toxins in them. The company had been facing legal difficulties for years over suspected shoddy products. A court in Sonipat, near New Delhi, where Maiden has its main production facility, ordered jail for company founder Naresh Kumar Goel and technical director M.K. Sharma for exporting heartburn medicine "not of standard quality" to Vietnam.

Sigma Pharmaceuticals, a leading pharmacy wholesaler and distributor in the UK, has once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting the local community by helping raise over £70,000 for local charitable causes. As per a statement from Watford-based industry leader, they raised £20,000 for Citizens Advice Watford, their selected charity of the year, during the recent Sigma annual conference held in Sun City, South Africa. Additionally, Sigma played a vital part in raising more than £52,000 for 'Team George' at the London Marathon Charity run held on Sunday, 21 April 2024 to support cancer charities. Throughout the year, Sigma will continue to partner with Citizens Advice Watford, a local charity that provides frontline service to the community, giving free, expert and impartial advice and support to 8,000 people a year, many of whom are facing crisis situations. Applauding the work done by this charity, Dr Bharat Shah CBE, Founder and Managing Director at Sigma, said: "It has been eye-opening to learn about the life-changing impact the charity has on the lives of so many people. "We have seen how their expert team works day in and day out to speak up for people who have nowhere else to turn, ensuring they receive the support and services they're entitled to."

David Webb has been appointed as the new chief pharmaceutical officer (CPO) for England. He will take over from Dr Keith Ridge who steps down next month after serving the role for sixteen year. Webb is currently chief pharmacist and clinical director for pharmacy and medicines optimisation at Guy's and Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, London. Sharing the news of his appointment on Twitter on Friday afternoon (January 7), he said he was "really delighted and honoured" to be named the CPO for NHS England and that he was as the appointed Chief Pharmaceutical officer for "looking forward to working with pharmacy leaders, colleagues & teams across all sectors from February." He also extended his gratitude to the outgoing CPO for his "outstanding contribution" who, in turn, congratulated Webb and said it was "an honour to be handing over to him". In the same message, Dr Ridge thanked "all the great people I've worked with over the last 16 years for your support, friendship, good humour, great ideas & challenge. I wish you all well for the future."

Rosemont Pharmaceuticals (Rosemont) has acquired Lucis Pharma Ltd, a specialist pharmaceutical business in the UK. Through this acquisition Rosemont will expand its existing portfolio and have access to a pipeline of innovative products, providing lifesaving pharmaceuticals to the UK and overseas markets. Founded in 2012, Lucis has grown to become a leading provider in the development and licensing of novel and exclusive medicines. With over a dozen SKUs covering a variety of therapeutic areas, Lucis has established a strong portfolio that, in addition to a pipeline of innovative developments, serve the growing patient need for liquid medicines. The acquisition will enable Rosemont to broaden its portfolio and enter the unit dose / sachet market through the pipeline products, whilst growing the business through recent Lucis product launches in 2021/22. "As well as continuing to broaden our portfolio and add to our strong growth globally, this acquisition also gives access to pipeline products and developer relationships to accelerate our entry into new product areas such as sachets" said Howard Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Rosemont.

A three-year contract has been signed between NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's (RPS) knowledge business, to continue the supply of trusted medicines information though MedicinesComplete, to healthcare professionals in Scotland. The renewed investment from NES demonstrates unequivocal confidence in the publisher and highlights Pharmaceutical Press' ongoing commitment to provide practical and evidence-based guidance, supporting those who prescribe, dispense, and administer medicines. Essential resources include Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference, Palliative Care formulary, Stockley's Drug Interactions and Critical Illness. Relied on by healthcare professionals globally for use in everyday practice, clear and concise guidance through MedicinesComplete supports confident decision-making at the point of care.

In a first, NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) has appointed a pharmacy technician to the chief pharmaceutical officer's team. Liz Fidler, president at the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), will join the team in March 2022 in the newly created post of senior professional advisor: pharmacy technician practice NHSE&I. The appointment signaled "a new era for the profession, leading the step-change needed to build on and fully realise the benefits of the pharmacy technician clinical role for patients across the NHS system," said Dr Keith Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer. In the new role, Fidler will provide leadership and professional advice in relation to the pharmacy technician profession in England.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) today released a new guidance to pharmaceutical companies using Disclosure UK which it said will boost transparency in the relationships between healthcare professionals, other relevant decision-makers and the industry. The guidance encourages companies to use 'Legitimate Interests' as their lawful basis for processing individual's data, in order to increase the number of named healthcare professionals and other individuals on Disclosure UK, the database showing the payments and benefits in kind made by the pharmaceutical industry to doctors,nurses and other health professionals and organizations. "I'm pleased the ABPI is launching this new guidance which will boost patient safety and public confidence in our healthcare professionals," Patient Safety and Primary Care Minister Maria Caulfield commented.

Well Pharmacy has announced the acquisition of Lexon UK Holdings and Asurex Limited, a family-owned pharmaceutical wholesaler with five depots in Redditch, Leeds, Durham, East Kilbride and Dublin and a network of community pharmacies across the Midlands, Northwest, and Northeast of England. Lexon, is a family-owned business which has been in operation for over 25 years, running primarily as a pharmaceutical wholesaler for 3,000 retail pharmacy customers across the UK and Ireland. The business also operates 42 community pharmacies - currently trading as Knights Pharmacy - and is also a specialist developer and manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals and is a data and solutions provider to pharmacy. The acquisition will be notified to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Both parties have proactively engaged with the CMA in pre-notification discussions and look forward to continuing to do so productively during the CMA review period. Haider Choudrey, CFO of Bestway Group which own Well Pharmacy, said: "Through this acquisition we seek to augment our growth momentum and bring in even greater benefits to both community pharmacies and patients. Well Pharmacy had been searching for a target to expand its footprint and complement its growth trajectory and we are confident that Lexon fits this criterion."

AmerisourceBergen, a leading pharmaceutical solutions organisation announced its intent to change its name to 'Cencora' to better reflect its bold vision and purpose-driven approach to creating healthier futures. Steven H. Collis, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of AmerisourceBergen said: "Over time, we have established ourselves as a trusted industry partner that prioritizes innovation, advocates for patient access and advances strategic partnerships across the global pharmaceutical supply chain. To further bolster our position, we must continue to adapt and evolve within our dynamic industry as we pursue the goal of enhancing health outcomes. Building a unified brand is fundamental to our identity as a global healthcare company. We believe our new name better reflects who we are today and our impact across pharmaceutical care." AmerisourceBergen intends to begin operating as Cencora in the second half of calendar year 2023. The change to Cencora is aligned with the organisation's growth strategy and continued emphasis on innovation. AmerisourceBergen has focused on supporting pharmaceutical advancement and access for patients, manufacturers, and providers across the global healthcare supply chain.

Indian authorities have cancelled or suspended licences of some domestic drug companies as part of action taken against 76 pharmaceutical firms this month for selling adulterated or fake products, a government source said on Thursday. India is known as the 'pharmacy of the world' and its pharmaceuticals exports have more than doubled over the past decade to $24.5 billion in 2021-22. But that image has been dented by the death of at least 70 children in Gambia and 19 children in Uzbekistan in Uzbekistan last year linked to drugs made by India-based pharmaceutical companies. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed a crackdown but did not give details of companies against which action had been taken. "There are more than 10,500 pharma companies in the country. Companies who make spurious medicine will not be spared," Mandaviya told reporters at an event. Licences of some Indian drug companies have been cancelled, some were suspended while others have been put on notice during the past 15 days, the source, who had direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters news agency.

British Pharma giant, GSK is planning to invest more than £200 million (about $253 million) into the United Kingdom over the next two years to strengthen its manufacturing network. The money will be used to improve the pharmaceutical group's UK sites, including construction of new facilities and assembly lines, The Daily Mail first reported on Sunday. GSK has already earmarked £67 million to upgrade its manufacturing site in Montrose, Scotland, where a new production facility is being constructed. The upgrade is expected to help boost its production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the future supply of medicines. Regis Simard, head of global supply chain, told the publication that their six UK manufacturing sites, including Montrose, are an important part of their global manufacturing network.

Boehringer Ingelheim's UK & Ireland managing director Uday Bose has been elected chair of the European Medicines Group (EMG). Established in 2001, the EMG is a voice for UK operations of continental European headquartered research-based pharmaceutical companies and seeks to promote a dialogue between the UK Government, the NHS and wider stakeholders. "I am delighted to share the news that I have been elected chair," Bose wrote in a LinkedIn post, adding: "I look forward to working with the EMG to help support the ambition set out in the Life Sciences Vision for the UK to be a world leader in life sciences." Bose is a vastly experienced pharmaceutical industry leader who has had over 20 years' experience spanning general management, health economics, sales and marketing roles with national, regional and global accountability.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Professor Parastou Donyai as chief scientist. She will take up the role in June. Parastou is a pharmacist with a PhD in pharmacy. She also has a postgraduate diploma in Psychological Research Methods as well as a degree in Psychology. She is currently a professor of Social & Cognitive Pharmacy at the University of Reading and her research examines the psychology of medication use, discontinuation and decision-making processes. Prior to this, Parastou also spent more than five years as a senior lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Kingston University and St. George's University of London. Her longstanding research interest includes continuing professional development in pharmacy. Commenting on her appointment, Parastou said: "It is a real privilege for me to be the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's next chief scientist. "As a pharmacist, scientist and academic, I look forward to working with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's members and key stakeholders to uphold the value of science across the breadth of our profession."