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Ceuta Group has appointed Michael Yates as chief operating officer (COO). In his new role, he will focus on the exploration of future acquisitions to support the Group's growth plans and ensure it continues to provide innovative services and unlock new opportunities for its clients. Prior to joining Ceuta Group, Yates was associated with Procter & Gamble (P&G) for more than 25 years. His career started in the UK and progressed through senior commercial and managing director roles across Europe, Africa and Asia. During his time at P&G, Yates gained insight and experience in building brands in the UK and globally. He has broad category experience across food & drink as well as health, wellness and personal care, having worked with brands such as Pringles, Sunny Delight, Oral B, Vicks, Head & Shoulders and Pantene. With extensive international experience, Michael brings client-side knowledge and insight of successfully expanding brands and adapting business models for markets across the globe. His appointment bolsters Ceuta Group's leadership structure and will support the Group's growth plans and delivery of superior client service.

Leading health and beauty retailer Superdrug on Monday announced that it has selected on-demand delivery network Gophr to provide its pharmacy delivery service, following a rigorous Request for Information (RFI) process. This means Gophr will be responsible for delivering prescriptions across the UK to people who choose Superdrug to provide their medication. Superdrug's decision to choose Gophr was influenced significantly by the latter's strong Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), its adept ability to track and trace all home deliveries digitally from store to door, and its commitment to offering a best-in-class doorstep experience. According to the retailer, multiple layers of protection are implemented during delivery to uphold standards, ensuring that prescription medicines are handed directly to the intended recipients. Graham Smith, strategic account director at Gophr, highlighted the growing importance of pharmaceutical delivery, especially as pharmacists are now able to provide even more services under Pharmacy First scheme.

Chair of the health and social care committee Steve Brine and England's chief pharmacist David Webb are among a raft of speakers who will be addressing delegates at the 13th Annual Sigma Community Pharmacy Conference to be held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from Sunday (March 5). Day I of the conference will also feature a Q&A session with PSNC CEO Janet Morrison and her lead negotiator Mike Dent, which will be presented as a live webinar via YouTube for those unable to attend in person. Sigma Pharmaceuticals has invited all interested community pharmacists and stakeholders in the UK to join the 90 minutes session by clicking this link. Those joining the session will not only be able to listen to the Q&A session - which will run between 6.30PM and 8.00PM in UK on Sunday - but also ask questions to the PSNC executives via a live YouTube chat. Sigma says the operating landscape for community pharmacy has altered dramatically since it last held its 'away conference' in the Philippines in February 2020. The role of the independents - post pandemic - has rapidly evolved and has now been recognised by the health secretary as playing a significant part in the health of the nation.

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.

Opella Healthcare, trading as Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, said it has entered into a dual partnership agreement with Alliance Healthcare and Phoenix Healthcare Distribution for the wholesale supply of its products to UK pharmacies. In effect from the start of February, the new dual partnership will ensure Sanofi Consumer Healthcare 'continues to provide its customers with exceptional customer service', the company said, adding that the increased efficiency will facilitate improved service levels and stock availability of Cialis Together, Allevia, Buscopan, Dulcolax and Phenergan to community pharmacies in the UK. "At Sanofi Consumer Healthcare we are committed to supporting the self-care agenda in the UK," Nick Linton, head of UK country operations, commented. "Making healthcare as simple as it should be to bring health and wellbeing to all is a key priority for us in 2024 and beyond. Our new wholesale model reflects our deep commitment to working as efficiently as possible in close partnership with pharmacists to shape a healthier future."

he British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has voted Pete Kelly, managing director of Accord UK, to become its new chair. He replaces Peter Ballard, who has completed his second tenure as the association's chair and will now serve a further year as vice-chair. Pete leads the UK operations of Accord, one of the largest generic and biosimilar manufacturers in Europe. In the UK, the company currently supplies a fifth of all generic medicines. Mark Samuels, chief executive of BGMA, said: "We are very fortunate to have someone of Pete's experience and leadership qualities to take on the mantle of chair of the association. The industry faces a challenging period on many fronts, and Pete's input will be invaluable. "I would also like to record my enormous gratitude to Peter Ballard, our out-going Chair who has been an incredible servant to the association over many, many years. He will continue for another year as vice-chair, and we are pleased to have his continuing advice."

Jhoots Group, a West Midlands based independent community pharmacy chain, has unveiled plans to expand its digital services after securing a funding worth £8.23m from HSBC bank. The new money will allow the groups branches to offer a digital platform for customers to request prescriptions online, enabling the implementation of a hub and spoke dispensing system to automate prescription deliveries. The innovation aims to reduce the burden of manual processes on pharmacists, allowing staff to use their time efficiently and support the NHS by offering vaccines and minor ailment medicine services. San Jhooty, chief operating officer at Jhoots Group, said: "When faced with the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, primary and community services came together to support the community and each other.

Wockhardt UK managing director Ravindra Limaye has been chosen for honorary British awards given to foreign nationals. Limaye gets the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honour for his contribution to health, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The honours were announced on Thursday (13). Limaye has been the chief executive of the UK arm of the Mumbai-based pharma and biotech company Wockhardt since 2019. He previously worked for another Indian pharma company Biocon, overseeing its global commercial operations. He led the company's entry into global biosimilar markets and spearheaded its operations in the US.

The NHS Confederation has urged the government to reconsider its 'living with Covid' plan and introduce mitigating actions that will help avoid further critical incidents being declared at the NHS front-line. The organisation said the high rates of Covid is having a major impact on the delivery of health services and slowing down efforts to reduce large waiting lists, noting that the country has been in the grip of another spike in Covid cases resulting from the Omicron BA.2 variant. With more than 20,000 patients now in hospital with Covid (or who have Covid but are in hospital for other reasons) and high staff absences, NHS is facing huge operational challenges, harming efforts to reduce waiting times in other areas, it said.

AAH Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday (November 15) announced the promotion of its commercial director David Bound to chief executive officer of the company. In his 10 years in the company, Mr Bound has helped to drive growth across the AAH business, implementing new digital channels for customers, and developing strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers - drawing on from his vast experience in the healthcare industry, as well as in supply chain, operations, and trading. Commenting on his promotion, he said: "I'm delighted to be taking on this role at such a critical time for healthcare. There are many challenges affecting the industry right now - from inflationary pressures to workforce issues - and I'm looking forward to tackling them head-on alongside my excellent team."

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 life cycle management company, Pharmanovia, has appointed Nivedita Valentine as associate vice president of Product Innovation. Ms Valentine will oversee the company's product innovation operations and decision-making as Pharmanovia continues to focus efforts on both, identifying new prospects to enhance lifecycle management of its brands through incremental innovation. She will report to interim chief scientific officer Stephen Deacon and help bridge unmet patient needs with the help of novel therapies, originating both from in-house development and through partnerships. Ms Valentine currently holds positions on the value-added medicines committee within Medicines for Europe and the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) Task Force on Drug Repurposing Guidebook. Pharmanovia CEO Dr James Burt commented: "Digitalisation and utilising the latest technological innovation are notable areas of acceleration within the pharma industry and Nivedita's appointment will ensure iconic brands will continue to be improved, supported, and used sustainably.

HRA pharma has announced the resignation of David Wright who moves on after serving the company for more than five years as chief executive officer. The company has appointed Martyn Hilton, chief commercial officer for HRA Pharma, as interim CEO effective from September 1, 2022. David helmed the company during a period of transformation and set the course for its tremendous growth, elevating HRA Pharma into a leading provider of over-the-counter self-care products. He commented: "Given the significant progress HRA has made, along with my personal goals after leading HRA for more than five years, I believe now is the time to step away from the business. "I am proud of all that we have accomplished, making HRA well-known for its Women's Health, Wound Care and Scar Care leadership, operating via brands including ellaOne, Hana, Compeed and Mederma. I appreciate all the team members involved in the success of the organization and believe Perrigo and HRA are well-positioned to elevate this business and these brands to the next level."

There is a realistic possibility of large waves of Covid-19 infection in the future in Britain and such waves might even be considered likely, epidemiologists who model the Covid-19 pandemic to inform government advice have said. Prime minister Boris Johnson has ditched legal restrictions in England, saying that, while the pandemic was not over, Britain needs to learn to live with Covid. The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O) said the emergence of new viral variants was the biggest unknown factor in the medium-to-long term, along with waning population immunity and changes in mixing patterns. "Large future waves of infection that need active management to prevent detrimental pressure on the health and care sector are, at least, a realistic possibility (high confidence) or likely (medium confidence)," SPI-M-O said in a consensus statement published on Friday.

AAH Pharmaceuticals Ltd (AAH) has exceeded the milestone of delivering over 70 million COVID-19 vaccination doses across England, since it was awarded a contract in December 2020. In addition, AAH has delivered over 100 million ancillary items to more than 3,000 healthcare providers. David Bound, chief executive officer of AAH, said: "This is a huge milestone for AAH as we work tirelessly to support our communities. It's also a ringing endorsement of our delivery drivers, warehouse operatives, and specialist logistics teams and the determination, dedication, and passion they continue to show throughout this extraordinary period." The vaccination programme was also recognized by the Supply Chain Excellence Awards. Chris Emmott, senior project lead - Supply Chain, commented: "I'm incredibly proud that AAH was chosen for this job, particularly as we had the skills, the experience, and a great team to help facilitate the needs of the country. To get ready for a project like this, everybody's worked very long hours, they've worked weekends to get everything ready.

Essential Pharma, an international speciality pharma group, has procured an establishment and manufacturing licences in Switzerland and Malta. Following a successful inspection by Swissmedic, the company has been granted an establishment licence in Switzerland, which will allow the company to significantly enhance its supply chain efficiency for a wide range of important medicinal products. It will apply to transactions for both finished and unfinished pharmaceuticals, allowing importing, exporting, wholesaling and trading abroad. Essential Pharma has also received a manufacturing and importation authorisation (MIA) in Malta, following a successful Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection by the Malta Medicines Authority. The MIA will allow the company to import medicinal products into the European Union where manufacturing has taken place in a third country. This will allow greater flexibility in how the business manages the flow of medicines across its territories. These approvals strengthen the company's geographical expansion, improve its operational efficiencies, and enhance its offering as a global business partner. They will also provide new strategic opportunities for the company and will play a fundamental role in driving value creation through functional improvements to scale and productivity.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has finally published its response to the 2022 consultation on hub and spoke dispensing. Considering the consultation evidence and further discussions, the government has expressed its intention to progress the proposals for enabling hub and spoke models across different legal entities as soon as possible. This will be achieved by using the enabling powers outlined in Part 2 of the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 (MMDA) to amend the Medicines Act 1968 and the HMRs. Furthermore, the DHSC has decided to proceed with the implementation of the two models of hub and spoke dispensing that it consulted on. The government response to the consultation reads: "Having considered the responses, the government intend to proceed to implement the necessary changes to medicines legislation to remove the current restrictions that prevent the hub and spoke dispensing models from operating across different legal entities found in section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968.

Ceuta Group, a global brand building business providing end-to-end outsourcing services in the health and wellness industry has appointed David Wright as a non-executive board director. With extensive experience of leading global consumer healthcare companies, David joins Ceuta Group following five years as CEO/President of global pharmaceutical company, HRA Pharma and six years as Global Head of Boehringer Ingelheim's consumer business. During his time at HRA Pharma and Boehringer Ingelheim GmBH, David led both companies through substantial organisational and strategy re-design which led to sustainable growth and profitability. The company said: "David has a strong belief that combining the right structure, operational priorities and processes, with a strong focus on company culture, are critical factors in building successful businesses. This approach saw him lead a period of transformation at HRA Pharma resulting in the company's successful acquisition by Perrigo Company plc." David will take an active role on the Ceuta Group Board supporting and building the company's strategic vision and priorities. He will also help shape the company's growth plans on an operational level to ensure Ceuta Group continues to meet client's needs today and into the future.

Generic and over-the-counter drugs company Stada has asked the German government to seek assurances from Ukraine that the company can continue operations there even though it also does business in Russia. In a March 21 letter to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Stada CEO Peter Goldschmidt said there was a risk Kyiv might withdraw the company's market authorisation. Stada "still has no longer-term certainty that we will be able to sell our products in Ukraine in the future," the letter said, with the subject line: "Please prevent the exclusion of international pharmaceutical companies from the Ukrainian market." The Economy Ministry did not have an immediate comment on the letter. Habeck promised investment guarantees for German companies during a trip to Ukraine on Tuesday (April 4) as part of his goal to speed up reconstruction in the war-torn country. Goldschmidt said restricting Stada's operations would be bad for Ukraine.

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.