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The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published a notification regarding the shortage of Guanfacine 2mg and 3mg modified-release tablets has raised concerns within the healthcare community. This critical medicine supply notification, issued on March 28th, projects the unavailability of these tablets until the week commencing May 6, 2024. Guanfacine tablets, commonly prescribed to alleviate symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity while enhancing attention and concentration, play a vital role in managing conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the scarcity of these specific strengths poses challenges for patients reliant on this medication. Last year, several countries across the globe experienced shortages of medications for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)including the UK, the US and Australia. Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has cautioned that while alternative strengths of Guanfacine remain accessible, they may not adequately meet the heightened demand, potentially resulting in treatment interruptions for patients.

The NHS has signed the first-of-its-kind subscription deal for two antimicrobial drugs - cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam, manufactured by Shionogi and Pfizer respectively - that will help around 1700 patients per year with severe bacterial infections. Under this deal, pharmaceutical firms will receive a fixed yearly fee - capped at a level that represents value to taxpayers - in order to incentivise funding for innovation that can generate a pipeline of new antibiotics for NHS patients. NHS said the deal will help patients with serious infections that have evolved so much that antibiotics and other current treatments are no longer effective can be given a potentially life-saving alternative. The drugs will provide a lifeline to patients with life-threatening infections like sepsis, hospital or ventilator pneumonia and blood stream infection. Announcing the deal at NHS ConfedExpo, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard called the revolutionary subscription deal a game-changer and the latest NHS success in using its commercial power to benefit NHS patients in line with the NHS Long Term Plan. "Superbug-busting drugs on the NHS will save lives and strike a blow in the global battle against antimicrobial resistance," Pritchard said.

Britain on Monday (January 10) put the biggest private health companies on high alert to deliver crucial treatments such as cancer surgery should Omicron overwhelm National Health Service hospitals in England. The United Kingdom's death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic stands at 150,154, the world's seventh worst official Covid toll after the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru. Prime minister Boris Johnson has bet on refraining from lockdowns to deal with the Omicron variant which in recent weeks has swept across the UK, albeit with death rates significantly lower than previous waves. In a sign of just how stretched the NHS could become, health secretary Sajid Javid ordered England's NHS to strike a three-month deal with private health companies to allow patients to get treatments such as cancer surgery outside. "Millions of patients have already got their tests and treatment quicker thanks to our existing deal with independent providers," said David Sloman, NHS England chief operating officer and Covid incident director.

AstraZeneca UK has revised the expiry dates for certain batches of Fluenz Tetra nasal spray vaccines as a precautionary measure, after finding that their potency (strength) dropped faster than predicted once thawed, during routine testing. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been informed by the manufacturer that the printed expiry date for a limited number of batches is "incorrect." However, the MHRA has assured patients that the affected batches are safe to use and fully effective within the amended expiry date. If the vaccine is administered after the amended expiry date, it may be less effective in protecting against flu, it said. The UK regulatory authority also reiterated that it "keeps the safety of medicines, including vaccines, under review, and acts where necessary to protect patients and the public."

The UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said mistakes at a testing laboratory led to misreporting of tens of thousands of positive COVID-19 cases as negative and may have resulted in the deaths of about 20 people. Britain has one of the highest coronavirus death tolls in the world, with more than 177,000 deaths since the pandemic started in 2020. Many experts have said the contact tracing programme fell well short of the "world-beating" system the government had promised. An investigation by the government agency responsible for responding to public health emergencies said the Immensa laboratory in central England was found to have misreported around 39,000 tests as negative when they should have been positive between September 2 and October 12 last year.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) says initial tests of the antibody-based Covid-19 therapy it is developing with US partner Vir suggest the drug is effective against the Omicron variant. A GSK statement on Thursday (December 2) said that lab tests and a study on hamsters have demonstrated the sotrovimab antibody cocktail to work against viruses that were bio-engineered to carry a number of hallmark mutations of the new variant. The tests are continuing to confirm the results against all of the Omicron mutations, with an update expected by the end of the year, it added. The antibody is designed to latch on to the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus, but Omicron has been found to have an unusually high amount of mutations on that protein. "Sotrovimab was deliberately designed with a mutating virus in mind," said Vir chief executive George Scangos, adding that the drug was targeting a region of the spike protein that was highly unlikely to mutate.

The drop in vaccination rates is believed to be driving a surge in measles cases in England, mainly in the West Midlands. As of 18 January, 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases have been reported in the region since 1 October 2023, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed. The majority of cases (around 80 per cent) were from Birmingham, with children aged under 10 years being infected the most. UKHSA Chief Executive, Professor Dame Jenny Harries has warned that the outbreak could spread further to other towns and cities if urgent action is not taken to increase Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in areas at greatest risk.

With 118 new cases confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the total number of measles cases reported in England since 1 October 2023 has gone up to 465. According to the latest data published by the agency, West Midlands continues to see a disproportionately high rate of infections, with a sharp rise in case numbers over the last six weeks, mainly driven by cases in Birmingham. In England, there were 17 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in October, 42 in November, 161 in December, 240 in January 2024. Five more cases were confirmed last week, according to the measles statistics updated by UKHSA on 8 February. More than 70 per cent (329 of 465) of total confirmed cases were reported from the West Midlands, 13 per cent (62 of 465) from London, seven per cent (32 of 465) in Yorkshire and The Humber, and the remaining cases from other regions of England.

The National Health Service will begin its autumn Covid vaccine program next week, a month earlier than planned in response to the spread of a new variant dubbed Pirola. Covid vaccines will be administered to care home residents and housebound individuals from Monday onwards, while over-65s and other vulnerable groups will receive their appointments the week after. On Aug. 30, NHS England shifted the autumn vaccination drive to start on September 11 in response to the new Covid-19 variant, BA.2.86, detected on August 18. The primary groups can book through a national system upon receiving an invitation from the NHS. Some people may get an earlier call from their GP, and a few have already scheduled Covid vaccinations alongside their flu jabs. The NHS will begin inviting other eligible groups from Sept. 18. However, it is important to note that not everyone will receive a call at the same time. These groups will include individuals aged 65 and over, those aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk category, frontline health and social care workers, and individuals aged 12 to 64 who are carers or household contacts of those with immunosuppression.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the full text of the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG). The 2024 VPAG agreement text sets out the detailed terms of the agreement reached between DHSC, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to support patient access to medicines, the financial sustainability of the NHS and the UK life sciences sector. The new voluntary scheme will come into force on 1 January 2024, following expiry of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme and shall remain in force for a period of five years, until 31 December 2028. Manufacturers or suppliers of branded medicines to the NHS have been given time till 15 January 2024 to decide whether to join the new 2024 Voluntary Scheme, or default to the updated Statutory Scheme.

The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Thursday issued a class 4 medicines defect information notice for Cozaar 100mg film-coated tablets due to an error in the Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) reported by the company. Cozaar is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) as well as to slow the progression of kidney disease in people who have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Ltd has informed the UK regulatory authority that the PILs that have been packed in certain batches of the products do not have the most up to date safety information. 'Grapefruit juice should be avoided while taking Cozaar'- This information is missing in Section 2 'What you need to know before you take Cozaar', sub section 'Cozaar with food and drink', the company clarified.

With scarlet fever currently circulating in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) has urged parents to remain vigilant for potential symptoms in children. Also known as scarlatina, it is an infectious disease triggered by group A strep bacteria that can lead to symptoms such as fever, a sandpapery rash, sore throat and swollen tonsils. The latest data published by the UKHSA showed that a total of 19,528 cases of scarlet fever were reported in the 2023/24 season, of which 12,176 cases occurring between 1 January and 24 March 2024. While the number of cases recorded this year is lower than those recorded during the same period in 2023, which totaled 15,933 cases, it exceeds the average for the previous five years. "Scarlet fever is a common childhood illness, although it can affect anyone of any age," said Dr Theresa Lamagni at UKHSA. Parents are advised to contact their GP practice or NHS111 when their GP is unavailable, if they suspect they or their child are experiencing symptoms of scarlet fever.