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Pfizer has recalled all stocks of Accupro - including 5mg, 10mg, 20mg, 40mg film-coated tablets - as a precautionary measure due to the identification of a nitrosamine above the acceptable limit. "Following testing, N-nitroso-quinapril, has been observed at a level above the acceptable limit. Nitrosamines may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them above acceptable levels and over long periods of time. The recall is at pharmacy and wholesaler level," the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committees (PSNC) reported. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said: "All strengths of quinapril (Accupro) tablets have been recalled with a resupply date to be confirmed. Pfizer are the sole supplier of quinapril tablets in the UK. Alternative ACE inhibitors remain available and can support an uplift in demand."

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published plans to amend current pharmacy legislation on dispensing errors and clarify how registered pharmacies are governed. The Department's response to a public consultation on rebalancing medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation programme first proposed in summer 2018 was delayed due to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme aims to clarify and strengthen the organisational governance arrangements of registered pharmacies, specifically to define and clarify the core purpose of the Responsible Pharmacist and Superintendent Pharmacist roles. It will also give the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) powers to define in professional standards how those roles are fulfilled.

Britain's billionaire Issa brothers and Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani are preparing to face off in the final battle for Boots UK ownership, according to Bloomberg. In the first round, Issa brothers have submitted the highest offer, the people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. "The brothers are going up against Ambani, who's been working on a bid together with buyout firm Apollo Global Management Inc." The source said: "Bidders are now sizing up Boots' billions in pension guarantees - which they'll have to take on - as they figure out how much they can pay for the business." They're also working around the clock to arrange financing in a difficult market, which has gotten that much tougher due to the war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and rising interest rates, according to the people.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched a new Innovative Medicines Fund on Tuesday (June 7) under which £340 million has been made available to purchase potentially life-saving drugs early. This will allow NHS patients in England to have early access to potentially life-saving and cutting-edge treatments Health secretary Sajid Javid said: "I want NHS patients to be the first in the world to access the most promising and revolutionary treatments that could extend or save their lives. "The launch of the Innovative Medicines Fund delivers another manifesto pledge and will fast-track cutting-edge medicines to adults and children to give people renewed hope for a better future." A total of £680 million has been ringfenced for the Innovative Medicines Fund and Cancer Drugs Fund - £340 million each - to fast-track medicines to NHS patients. DHSC said: "The Innovative Medicines Fund will provide quick access to novel treatments, including potentially lifesaving gene therapies for serious conditions with few treatment options. It often takes longer for pharmaceutical companies to collect data on a medicine's clinical and cost effectiveness for rare diseases due to the smaller patient cohort.

Violent and abusive behaviour against pharmacists is impacting on recruitment and retention of staff in the sector, according to the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA). The trade union for pharmacists told BBC Breakfast TV on Wednesday (May 8) that its members have continuously raised workplace safety concerns due to an alarming rise in the incidents of abuse and violence against pharmacy staff. The PDA union has been calling for adequate risk assessments and preventative safety measures to be put in place in pharmacies whist adopting a zero-tolerance approach to violence and abuse. With several significant and worrying incidents involving PDA members, including a pharmacist being threatened with a knife recently, further research was conducted in April 2022 to establish the extent and impact of such behaviour on pharmacists. Forty-four per cent of the respondents in the survey reported that they or someone that they worked with had experienced physical or violent abuse in the last month.

Ninety-six per cent of community pharmacists surveyed in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Workforce Wellbeing survey said they were at 'risk of burnout'. A higher number of respondents working in community pharmacy (20%) reported not being offered breaks compared to all other sectors (8%) and were more likely to experience verbal or physical abuse from patients and the public (69% vs an average 44%). The annual Workforce Wellbeing survey also revealed that 88 per cent of pharmacists surveyed are at high risk of burnout due to winter pressure. Therefore, RPS is calling for workforce planning for pharmacy to address skill mix and staffing levels so that workloads can be effectively managed. Top factors causing poor mental health and wellbeing revealed by the survey include inadequate staffing (70%), lack of work/life balance (53%), lack of protected learning time (48%) and lack of colleague/senior support (47%). This is the fourth survey RPS has run in partnership with the charity Pharmacist Support on the state of mental health and wellbeing in pharmacy. The findings demonstrate continued pressure on pharmacists and trainees across the workforce, especially in community pharmacy where 96% of those surveyed said they were at risk of burnout.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has rejected Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England's proposal on price concessions reform and relief measures to ease pressure on pharmacies. The Committee called the proposal 'insufficient' to meet the sector's needs considering the impact of the current crisis, reflecting on the economic pressures that accelerated through the autumn and winter. The Ministers and other decision-makers have shown their interest in the potential role of community pharmacy, particularly in using a Pharmacy First approach and making use of PGDs and the skills of independent prescribers. But the Committee had made clear to them that without new money this is all a pipedream. "We need an urgent injection of funds into the sector, otherwise we will continue to see a degradation of services and eventual collapse of the network. The Committee is clear that there is no further place for warm words while pharmacy collapses," said PSNC. The Committee reflected that the 5-year CPCF agreement had been based on working together to create the capacity and context necessary to deliver the shift towards greater service delivery. Not only has that capacity-release not happened due to slow progress by Government, but pharmacies have also been burdened with these additional, and insurmountable, challenges.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued draft guidance on 'Evusheld' which is not recommended for vulnerable adult with high risk of severe Covid-19 on Thursday (16 February). The draft guidance is open for public consultation until 9 March 2023. The committee will consider any comments received at a meeting currently due to take place on 4 April 2023. It comes after last month's decision by the US drug regulator to withdraw its emergency use authorisation for Evusheld as a preventative treatment for Covid-19, which said there was insufficient evidence that Evusheld is effective against the dominant variants of Covid-19 in the US. NICE's independent appraisal committee has reached the same conclusion having considered evidence which shows Evusheld is unlikely to prevent infection with most of the variants circulating in the UK now and in the near future. It has also announced that it is developing a new review process to update recommendations on the cost-effectiveness of Covid-19 treatments so they can be made available more quickly to patients if they show promise against new variants and are found to be cost-effective.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has been in dialogue with the senior management of NHS Property Services to bring down the rent for community pharmacies based in NHS health centres. Association said: "Community pharmacies based in NHS health centres are struggling to make ends meet due to expensive rental rates." It is calling for pharmacies to have the ability to renegotiate rental rates part way through a contract. Gareth Jones, Director of Corporate Affairs at the NPA, said landlords need to take into account that pharmacy spending power is shrinking and the previous formula used to set rental rates is no longer fit for purpose. "It no longer makes sense to calculate based on historical assumptions about how many prescriptions the co-located GP will generate for the pharmacy," he said.

The result from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)'s survey showed that pharmacists witnessed 'the cost of living is having an impact on whether people can afford prescription medicines in England'. RPS has long campaigned to remove prescription charges for people with long-term conditions in England because they create a financial barrier to patients receiving the medicines needed to keep them well. The charge currently stands at £9.35 per item prescrib9ed and an annual rise usually occurs in April. Prescriptions are free for people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. One in two pharmacists who responded to the survey said they've seen an increase in the last six months in patients asking them which medicines on their prescription they can 'do without' due to affordability issues. One in two pharmacists had seen a rise in people not collecting their prescription, whilst two out of three pharmacists reported an increase in being asked if there was a cheaper, over-the-counter substitute for the medicine they had been prescribed.

WHAT IS PROTEINASE K MADE OF? Proteinase K is known enzyme belonging to the class of serine proteases that cleave adjacent to the carboxylic group peptide bonds of aromatic and aliphatic amino acids. It's also exhibited a very broad cleavage specificity. The enzyme was discovered in extracts of the fungus Engyodontium album. HOW DOES PROTEINASE K WORK? In molecular biology, main application of proteinase K is to digest proteins during nucleic acids purification in order to remove protein contaminants: - Proteinase K quickly inactivates nucleases (enzymes that digest nucleic acids) that degrade DNA or RNA molecules during the cleansing. - Proteinase K is activated by calcium. It does not affect the activity of the proteinase, but protects again autolysis, improves thermal stability, and regulates substrate binding capacity. To increase the stability of Proteinase K, thereby enhancing its action, Urea as well as SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) or elevated temperature at 37-60C is commonly used. Inactivation of Proteinase K is occurring at temperature above 65C. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PROTEINASES? Proteinase K is used to break down proteins in cell lysates (tissues, cell culture cells) and to release nucleic acids due to its action described above. Proteinase K application purpose: DNA isolation from various tissues; Removal of DNAses and RNAses: Proteinase K and RNases can act together in the lysis buffer to degrades contaminating RNAs and proteins;

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has confirmed that the recall of blood pressure drugs amlodipine and olmesartan by the Food and Drug Administration is only for the US market and will not have any impact in the UK. MHRA also clarified that the manufacturer of these drugs, Macleod Pharmaceuticals, does not supply amlodipine medicines in the UK. It was published online in both the Daily Record and Daily Express on the morning of Monday, March 21, that the drugs had been recalled in the US by the FDA due to deviations from standard manufacturing protocols by the manufacturer. RPS intervened to ensure the articles were edited to make clear that this is not an issue in the UK after confirmation from the MHRA. Amlodipine tablets from Macleod Pharmaceuticals aren't available for wholesale distribution in the UK.

It's no secret that as pharmacists we are navigating a new and more demanding healthcare landscape. Our role has changed significantly since the start of the 21st century due to increased expectations from the public, advances in science and technology and changing workforce pressures. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for England has placed a higher focus on clinical service. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant acceleration in changing how we work day-to-day and the public perception of our role. Community pharmacy owners and staff have been under relentless pressure for the last two years. Dispensing volumes are continually increasing but dispensing revenues are being replaced by launching new services. We must find solutions to reduce the time it takes to dispense medication so we can focus on these new revenue generating services. To not just succeed, but to thrive, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and embrace the technology available.

The NHS England and Improvement has announced the emergency provisions introduced during pandemic to provide flexible opening hours for pharmacy contractors end today. The flexibilities were enacted in March 2020 when changes to the Pharmaceutical Services (Advanced and Enhanced Services and Emergency Declaration) Directions 2020 were made following a declaration of emergency at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, the flexibilities have permitted temporary opening hours and closures during a specified period due to a genuine Covid-19 related emergency. NHS England and Improvement has advised pharmacy contractors that the emergency declaration will not be extended further and will expire on 31 March 2022. Pharmacy contractors will therefore no longer have the option to close pharmacies within their agreed contracted hours with the NHS.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced 30 pence increase in prescription charges from £9.35 to £9.65 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. Board Chair for England at RPS, Thorrun Govind commented: "This is a kick in the teeth for people in England who are already struggling with rising bills and food prices. "Patients groups have warned that people are not collecting prescription medicines due to cost and pharmacists are seeing this worrying trend first-hand. "A Government impact assessment noted the risk of adverse effects of people not taking their medicines, resulting in future health problems for the individual, potential hospital admissions, and a subsequent cost to the NHS. "This decision seems to prioritise revenue generation over ill-health prevention and undermines the principle of an NHS free at the point of use.

The cardiac surgery cost in India is less expensive than a majority of nations within the world. That is more often than not due to numerous best centers for cardiac surgeries and the fact that valves used for the surgical treatment are commonly synthetic and are available within the limitation of the country.

Many advertised the elderberry due to its immune-boosting effects during the pandemic. Elderberry has been sold to benefit colds and flu. Some exponents even asserted they benefit against COVID-19. You also may have heard that they can help with other ailments, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Still, no one-size-fits-all remedy for sickness like turmeric exists. Exponents of the elderberry say it is a versatile fruit of nature and is a solution to what ails you. About 30 types of elderberry plants exist worldwide. In the European version, it is Sambucus nigra, which means closely affixed to your health and healing. It dates back to 400 BC. Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) called the elderberry his "medicine chest." Now elderberry is viewed as one of the world's most healing plants in folk medicine. So what's the deal? Is the elderberry plant a godsend fruit that can give you super immunity? What are Elderberries? You're probably familiar with elderberries, which look like any other dark blueberry. But there are many plant species, and they all have unique characteristics that might surprise you. Sambucus contains over 30 species of shrubs in the Adoxaceae family, including honeysuckle and snowberry (Symphoricarpos). The elderberry grows throughout Europe, Asia, and North America-and even as far north as Alaska! It thrives in moist areas such as river banks, fields, and forest margins, where it can grow up to 8 feet tall (2.4 meters). Elderberry flowers from May through July, depending on region; clusters of white flowers grow on cymes at the ends of branches before turning into red berries by late summer or early fall. Historical and Regional Uses People have used Elderberries for decades since the fifth century AD. Still, if you see the plant's name, you'll notice that the Elder shrub was so revered that its very name shows the respect it was given. Being grown by Native American and European herbalists throughout history,

The Medicine and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recalled all pholcodine-containing medicines from the UK pharmacy due to concerns of its potential to cause a severe allergic reaction in some people having general anaesthesia for surgery. The decision was made following the conclusion of a review of post-marketing safety data by the MHRA. The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has considered the evidence of an increased risk of the very rare event of anaphylaxis when exposed to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) and advised that pholcodine-containing medicines should be withdrawn. MHRA has advised pharmacists to consider recommending appropriate treatment alternatives for patients who present with a new dry cough or who are currently taking pholcodine. Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) President Professor Claire Anderson said: "If you are taking a cough medicine (including tablets and syrups), check the packaging, label or Patient Information Leaflet to see if pholcodine is a listed ingredient - if it is, and you have any questions, you can talk to your pharmacist who can suggest a different medicine suitable for you.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has suspended the membership of Novo Nordisk for two years due to serious breaches of its Code of Practice. The action was taken by the ABPI Board following an investigation and appeals process conducted by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) which found Novo Nordisk to be in breach of the ABPI Code of Practice, including Clause 2 which deals with actions "likely to bring discredit on, or reduce confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry". Having considered the case and requesting a further detailed audit of Novo Nordisk's compliance processes, the ABPI Board decided to suspend Novo Nordisk from ABPI membership. Susan Rienow, President-Elect, ABPI, said: "The ABPI Board has carefully considered the PMCPA's case report into Novo Nordisk and the subsequent audit of their compliance procedures. "The Board expressed significant concern about Novo Nordisk's compliance activities and the very serious issues identified. As a result, the ABPI Board have taken the decision to suspend Novo Nordisk from ABPI membership.

Honey lemon ginger tea is a simple and delicious beverage that anyone can make. It has scientifically proven potential health benefits, including giving you an immune boost if you're sick and providing soothing relief if you're not. And it's easy to make! With these simple adjustments, anyone can make Honey Lemon Ginger Tea their own! 1. Start with fresh ingredients. To ensure the best-tasting tea, start with fresh ingredients. Find a bunch of organic lemons at your local grocery store and grab some fresh mint if you have it (if not, don't worry; it will still taste great). You can use regular honey or even raw honey if you'd like to slow down the aging process of honey in your body due to the high amount of antioxidants found in raw honey. If you have time to let this sit overnight before drinking it, I recommend doing so! That way, all those wonderful flavors come together perfectly while they soak into each other's pores. 2. Honey, lemon, and ginger ratios don't have to be exact. The recipe calls for a specific amount of honey, lemon, and ginger, but it's okay if you have a different measurement. The ratio of ingredients can be adjusted up or down according to your personal taste preferences. If you like more lemon than ginger, add more juice and less grated root in the same proportions as you would with the honey and tea leaves. The same goes for the other two ingredients-if you want more sweetness, increase the amount of honey (but keep an eye on how much liquid has been added). To make a large batch at once, I double all my ingredients except for hot water, which I triple before adding it to my teapot, along with loose-leaf green tea. 3. Consider using a large teapot or a pitcher. If you have the space to do so, use a larger teapot or pitcher for brewing and serving. This will help strain out the ginger and make it easier for you to pour it into mugs for multiple guests. You can also make a large batch at once and then store it in the fri