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The lessons from Covid crisis applied in the future through collaboration can create a better integration between GP practices, hospitals and community pharmacies, Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has proposed. Stating that a more integrated healthcare system could enable pharmacists to provide effective and more efficient care to patients, the PDA proposed a model where at least two pharmacists would be working in each community pharmacy, empowered, and enabled with two-way referral pathways, having more clinical input and full access to patient records. "Such an environment could not only help to improve communications between health professionals and increase access to services for patients, but would support the NHS to operate more effectively."

Pharmacy wholesaler PHOENIX UK is investing over £13 million to build a new state-of-the-art distribution hub in Wakefield. The 260,000 sq. ft facility is expected to be operational next year and will service community pharmacies, hospitals and dispensing doctors across the North East of England and Yorkshire. In a statement on Tuesday (July 5), PHOENIX UK said the completed hub will feature 22 dock level loading bays and seven access doors to enable the productive arrival and distribution of medical products. It will also be highly energy efficient, including the use of Solar PV on its roof. The car park will also offer 46 electric vehicle charging bays. Speaking at an official opening event held on 30 June to mark the expansion of the company's distribution capabilities, group managing director of PHOENIX Steve Anderson said: "Over the last few years, we have seen an outstanding growth in customer demand for our core services outpacing the market: Wakefield is a prime example of how we are committed to investing in the future by expanding our UK-wide operational capabilities to offer all our customers across the country the best possible service they need, want and deserve.

Paul Rees MBE has joined the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) today (27 November) as its new Chief Executive. Current NPA Chief Executive Mark Lyonette, who is retiring, will remain at the NPA for some weeks in order to ensure a smooth handover. Previously, Paul has worked as the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the seven years. On joining NPA, Paul said: "It is a great privilege and honour to take up the position of NPA Chief Executive. The association is the voice of independent community pharmacy and is core to the sector's future success in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. "I am delighted that the NPA has placed its trust in me and I intend to deliver for NPA members, for the sector and for society at large, which relies on there being a vibrant community pharmacy network in villages, towns and cities across the four nations of the UK." When Paul's appointment was first announced in September, NPA Chair Nick Kaye said that they identified him as an "excellent fit for our organisation" after a rigorous recruitment process, and also thanked Mark for his "great work as chief exec since 2018."

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.

Community pharmacy may have to share workload as NHS emergency service - 999 - has faced the busiest ever month in October with staff attending to a record 1,012,143 calls, data released today (November 11) has revealed. Of the total, 82,000 were life threatening call-outs, an increase from 61,561 in October 2019. Besides, major A&Es treated over 1.4 million people during October and the NHS Covid Vaccination Programme delivered more than 7.5 million jabs, including more than 5.9 million top-up jabs. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said the latest data show that "pressure on the health service remains incredibly high," therefore, people with minor illness should "contact their local pharmacists." He encouraged people to come forward to take Covid and flu jabs.

Boots is planning to invest more than £3.5 million to accelerate its capacity to offer prescribing services in its stores across England. The company is inviting 500 of its pharmacists to apply for a bursary which will cover the cost of pharmacist independent prescriber (PIP) courses starting this September. The value of the bursary is up to £7,000 per pharmacist, and it will enable time off work for those who need it to complete the training. The move by Boots will support its current pharmacists to gain this qualification via courses accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). From 2026, all qualified pharmacists will be able to prescribe as part of new curricula for pharmacy degrees. Under current GPhC guidelines and with an independent prescribing qualification, pharmacists can prescribe autonomously for any condition within their clinical competence. Marc Donovan, the chief pharmacist at Boots, said the ambition of the company was "to have a pharmacist prescriber available at every store".

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) England director, Ravi Sharma, has resigned after four years on the job. He will be leaving the RPS in October to join Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, part of the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust group, as head of pharmacy. RPS will be commencing the recruitment of a new director for England shortly and in the interim Ravi will be working with Paul Bennett, the RPS CEO, to help in delivery of key objectives and in the appointment of his successor. Paul commented: "Ravi has made a significant contribution to the organisation during his time with us. His drive and enthusiasm for advancing the recognition of the role of the Society itself and of pharmacists and professional practice is probably best reflected by his desire to ensure a real focus on personalised medicines and his work on equality and diversity, workforce wellbeing, and most recently the development of a new vision for pharmacy in England.

While responding to the consultation on hub and spoke dispensing, trade unions for pharmacists have emphasised that the patient safety and care must be the priority in hub and spoke dispensing. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the opportunity provided by a change in legislation to enable community pharmacies to make use of hub and spoke dispensing but reaffirmed that patient care must be at the heart of future changes. With regards to patient safety, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) considers that only Model 1 is appropriate, with manageable risks related to patient safety, and is a model that has the potential to allow the whole sector to benefit fairly. In its response to the consultation on Hub and Spoke dispensing, PSNC highlighted that Model 2 in the consultation, a hub direct to patient supply of dispensed medicines, raises patient safety issues and it cannot be supported. RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "In all models, patients need to continue to have access to a pharmacist at the time of supply of medicines so they have the opportunity to discuss, ask questions or raise concerns, and receive appropriate information with counselling and advice.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) Board has elected 14 Board members on Friday (30 March) that will govern the association for next two years. Four new Board members have been elected while five previous members left the Board after serving their terms. The period April 2023 to March 2025 will see the completion of the transition to the new Board structure. The Board will meet again on Monday (24 April) to elect the Chair and other appointments. Gareth Jones, Returning Officer for the NPA Board elections, said: "The NPA has undertaken a process of significant modernisation of organisational governance over the past years. Key elements of this process include adopting modern new Articles of Association, reforming the structure of the Board and introducing term limits. The process of electing the Board has also been changed so that half of the Board will be up for election every two years - which supports continuity and reduces the risk of a loss of organisational memory." "Recognising that the Board would already be losing a lot of organisational memory in 2023 with five members of Board standing down, the Board determined that three individuals should be co-opted onto the new Board as the process of transformation continues. In March 2025, anyone that has served 12 years or more will be required to stand down."

LloydsPharmacy has offered three per cent increase in base pay backdated to 1 April for its store pharmacists, the union of Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDAU) who represented them has announced. "We are pleased to announce that following a consultation of its members, the PDAU has informed the company that agreement can be reached on the company's latest offer, made in July 2022," said the PDAU. The offer made by the company also includes introduction of an overtime rate of 1.5 times basic pay for each hour worked after contracted hours. This will run for a trial period and be reviewed as part of the next pay round. "All pharmacists will receive an initial £1,000 payment under the proposed LTIP scheme, paid in April 2024. This will be to all in the bargaining unit and will not be dependent on meeting any criteria such as targets," said PDAU.

AstraZeneca said its antibody cocktail against Covid-19 would - unlike its vaccine - be priced commercially as it negotiates supply contracts with governments around the globe. "We are looking at a commercial pricing strategy. That is part of our negotiations with governments," Iskra Reic, Astra's executive vice president for vaccines and immune therapies, said in a media call on Thursday. She added that the group's main objective was to make the shot affordable and broadly available.

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."

Two weeks prior to the closing of the hub and spoke consultation, issues around patient safety, costs and competition as well as practicalities such as what to do with uncollected medicines were discussed in a webinar on hub and spoke dispensing on Wednesday (May 26). The webinar was organised by Sigma Pharmaceuticals in association with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). NPA director of corporate affairs Gareth Jones chaired the event and was joined by Sigma's Hatul Shah and Raj Haria as well as NPA vice chair Nick Kaye and NPA head of advice and support services Jasmine Shah. Kaye said: "There are still many 'unknown unknowns' with hub and spoke and the jury's still out on any potential benefits. I have lots of reservations about cost and it worries me how efficient this is for the business and the long term sustainability for the sector as a whole. Above all we need to think about the patient at the centre of all this and the potential confusion for them." Jasmine Shah felt patient safety was going to be the key in regards to whether the spoke and the hub would hold the ultimate responsibility and "who is going to take the accountability as far as patient care goes". She added: "It is most important that GPhC standards and NHS requirement are both met in identifying all the risks associated with the arrangement with hub and spoke and ensuring that (patient safety) measures are in place. Everything that needs to be looked at is by putting the patient at heart of the arrangement and seeing what is the safest way for them to receive care from both spoke and hub."

Teva UK has begun replacing its existing packaging with a new design which is "clearer and easier to read". The new look is "unique, recognisable and distinctive." It "enhances safety and provides a recognisable and distinguishable pack range." One of the UK's leading generics manufacturers, Teva UK supplies more than 500 generic pharmaceutical products to retail and hospital pharmacies. The company says each product within the portfolio is distinguishable by colour, ensuring no two different packs have the same drug and strength colours and with additional product information on the side of the pack and a simplified back, it makes it even easier to identify the correct product when dispensing and supports patients when taking their medication. "Our medicines impact the lives of millions of people every day and our packaging is often the first touchpoint for our patients and our customers", said Kim Innes, general manager of Teva UK and Ireland.

AAH Pharmaceuticals (AAH) has announced the appointment of Brain Chambers as Chief Commercial Officer. "I'm proud to lead the commercial functions in AAH in my new role and broader area of responsibility." Said Brian. "I'm committed to delivering on great value for our customers and building and strengthening our supplier partnerships." Brain is associated with AAH Pharmaceuticals for more than 14 years. He joined the organisation as Business Development Manager in October 2008. His previous role in the organisation was on Sales and Marketing Director. He posted on LinkedIn: "This is a big move for me personally, but that's a side hustle. What is the main play here is AAH becoming a standalone independent wholesale business focussed on only the AAH customer and our core business and this is just one part of that.

Bambuterol 10mg tablet, used in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is facing supply disruption as sole supplier of the medicine, Astra Zeneca, is discontinuing its production, according to an update by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The available stock of the medicine is expected to be exhausted by the end of June 2022. Meanwhile, other oral β2-agonists, which are the preferred route of administration, remain available, DHSC said.

Dr Amanda Doyle has been appointed as NHS England as director of primary and community care. Prior to her new role, Amanda had joined NHS England and NHS Improvement as North West Regional Director on 2 August 2021 and previously she was the Chief Clinical Officer for West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Blackpool CCG and Fylde and Wyre CCG. Amanda was also the Integrated Care System Lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria, leading a large health and care transformation programme across the patch. She has been a GP for more than 20 years, practising in a large practice in a deprived area of Blackpool, which, in addition to primary medical services, provides a range of urgent care services for patients across the Fylde Coast. Amanda was the Co-Chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners from 2013 to 2018. She was Senior Responsible Officer for the primary care component of the Long Term Plan and was involved in the leadership of the health inequalities, prevention and personalisation elements.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has backed a new framework from NHS England to reduce inappropriate prescribing of addiction-causing medicines. It believes that the new framework is a positive step towards improving patient care by supporting medicine reviews and shared decision making to help people reduce their use of medicines that are no longer providing much clinical benefit. The society has also welcomed investment in innovative approaches to supporting patients and urged all pharmacists to refer people to such schemes. Director for England at RPS, James Davies said: "Pharmacists are well-placed to help reduce inappropriate prescribing of high strength painkillers such as opioids and other addictive medicines. "Pharmacy teams can also often spot repeat purchases of over the counter medicines by patients so are well placed to intervene and give advice on the management of chronic pain. Whilst opioids can play an important part in helping people with chronic pain there has long been a need for alternative approaches that are safer and more effective for patients.

Consumer goods giant Unilever signalled on Monday (January 17) it would pursue a deal for GlaxoSmithKline's consumer healthcare business, calling it a "strong strategic fit" after its £50 billion offer was refused. GSK confirmed on Saturday that it had rejected three approaches from the Dove-soap maker, adding it intended to stick to its own plan to spin off the business as a separate company later this year. "GSK Consumer Healthcare would be a strong strategic fit," Unilever said in a statement as it unveiled a strategy update in the wake of the weekend's takeover news. Unilever said it was "committed to accelerating the company's growth and repositioning the portfolio into higher growth categories. "As a result of the reporting of Unilever's interest in GSK Consumer Healthcare, we are today bringing forward a planned update, setting out the strategic direction that the company is pursuing," Unilever said.

In the fast-evolving world of medicine, staying updated with the latest research trends is crucial for healthcare professionals and researchers alike. This helps ensure that patient care is based on the best available evidence and keeps professionals at the forefront of innovations and advancements. Here are six essential tips on how to stay informed about the latest medical research trends. 1. Utilize Trusted Sources The vast amount of information available online can be overwhelming, making it essential to discern credible sources from unreliable ones. Here are some strategies to help: Identify Reputable Journals and Databases: Publications like The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and JAMA are renowned for their rigorous peer-review processes. Databases like PubMed and Google Scholar are also excellent for accessing a wide range of scientific papers. Check for Peer-Reviewed Articles: Peer review ensures that research has been evaluated by experts in the field, enhancing its credibility. Look for Author Credentials: Research conducted by established experts in the field is more likely to be trustworthy. Evaluate Institutional Affiliations: Research from reputable institutions and organizations often signifies high-quality work.