Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published its general election manifesto highlighting some of the key challenges the next Government will face to support patients and the NHS. The manifesto calls on general election candidates to show their support to securing patient access to medicines, a better-connected NHS, enhancing accessible prescribing in local communities, and maximising health improvement through locally accessible pharmacy teams. Candidates are urged to called on the next Government, if elected, to support the pharmacy workforce to deliver patient care, unlock the potential of new advances in medicines, and continue to support funding for the UK science and research community. The manifesto highlights the need for investment in IT infrastructure to support a better-connected NHS to enable all health professionals to access and update a patient's record.

McKesson UK's CEO Toby Anderson has stepped down from the role with immediate effect after over three years with the company. Toby joined McKesson UK as CEO in September 2018 moving from health & beauty retailer A.S. Watson Group, where he spent 12 years in various roles. As CEO Asia and Eastern Europe, Toby was responsible for a rapidly growing business with more than 3,300 stores - including 1,500 pharmacies. Prior to that Toby spent 11 years in a number of senior roles with J. Sainsbury, the second largest grocery retailer in the UK, his last role being Head of Online. Dominik Meüser from AURELIUS Group said: "We are extremely grateful for the commitment Toby has demonstrated over the years to help us achieve the McKesson vision of becoming the UK's leading healthcare organisation. His leadership, during a period of great uncertainty, has given us the solid foundations we can now build on to deliver sustained success in the future.

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.

When I was asked by fellow independent contractors to join the Review Steering Group (RSG) back in late 2020, I said yes, because I wanted, fundamentally, to look for some ways to improve both LPCs and PSNC. Through my experiences with Greater Manchester LPC I had seen the sorts of changes that LPCs could make and the positive impact that those had on local engagement and in allowing us to do more to support contractors: I wanted to help share what we had learned with the rest of the country. I was pretty sure that the national negotiator could make some positive changes as well. It took longer than I had hoped. And it was a lot harder than I had imagined - not least because of the extent of some of the divisions within our sector - but after 15 months of hard work, I'm pleased with where we have got to, and I believe the 37 changes being proposed will help all contractors. Consensus is not a sexy word. It is not something that fires up our imaginations or that we put on our list of key work objectives for the year. It is also not something that might come naturally to us as independent contractors. But consensus is something that matters. It is the thing that allows us, as a vibrant and diverse group of businesses, to see beyond our differences and to fight together for outcomes that benefit every single one of us. Consensus is also the thing that the RSG has been relentlessly focused on throughout its work, and it's at the heart of what will give our LPCs and PSNC a stronger voice for community pharmacy in the future.

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.

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."

Britain's GlaxoSmithKline will receive $1.25 billion (about £921 million) from Gilead Sciences as part of a settlement between its HIV medicines unit and the US-based drugmaker, ending a long-drawn patent dispute. The settlement, announced by GSK on Tuesday (February 1), relates to Gilead's antiretroviral drug Biktarvy, a medicine used to check the AIDS-causing virus, which GSK said in 2018 infringed on its unit ViiV Healthcare's dolutegravir and other similar compounds. HIV medicines developed by ViiV, in which Pfizer and Japan's Shionogi also hold small stakes, are a major part of GSK's plan to support its lagging pharmaceuticals business as it readies to spin off its consumer healthcare arm. The payment is expected to be made in the first quarter this year, London-listed GSK said. Gilead will also pay a 3 per cent royalty until 2027 on sales of Biktarvy and on future US sales of any product containing its main component.

In continuation of the NHS Covid vaccine programme, Covid jabs for five and six-year olds will be available at the local vaccination centres or community pharmacies outside of school hours. Following the recent JCVI guidance that recommended all children between 5 and 11 would benefit from a non-urgent offer of the COVID vaccine, the NHS will send invitations to one million families with five and six-year-olds this week. "Invitations being sent to families this week will set out how easy and convenient it is to take up the offer of a vaccine as part of the NHS COVID vaccination programme by booking through the National Booking Service, or visiting their nearest walk-in site," NHS said. Between April 25 and May 1, there are already more than 33,500 children aged five to 11 booked in for their dose of the life-saving vaccine, with a further 50,000 slots still available. Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy Lead for the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme, said: "It is great to see so many families already booked in for their children to receive their Covid vaccine this week, helping to protect themselves against potential future waves of the virus.

A groundbreaking research project has revealed that the public is urging the government to prioritise primary and community care over hospitals. The study also found a strong public willingness to pay higher taxes to enhance NHS services. The Health Foundation and Ipsos UK conducted the research, combining nationwide polling with in-depth public deliberative workshops. These workshops, held in King's Lynn, Leeds, and London, constitute one of the most comprehensive public consultations about the future of the NHS in England. The study published on 16 May underscores the public's desire for a redistribution of NHS resources. If the NHS budget remains unchanged, 60 per cent of those polled believe the government should focus on improving access to community-based services like general practice and dentistry.

Rising chronic illnesses and an aging population are threatening to bankrupt the National Health Service, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said on October 11. Streeting announced a substantial £1.1 billion injection to strengthen the NHS with the goal of clearing the backlog and introducing additional clinics on evenings and weekends. The frontbencher outlined a reform agenda to ensure NHS is back on its head for the future of healthcare in the UK. Streeting said that a Labour government will not waste "money we don't have"- instead aims to revolutionise the NHS by shifting its focus from hospitals to communities. "Our emphasis is on transitioning from an analogue to a digital framework and prioritising prevention over sickness-oriented healthcare," he noted.

Responding to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report that indicated that NHS England's Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) needs improvements, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has expressed concerns that the plan may not adequately address the needs of GPs. Published in June 2023, the workforce plan estimated that the NHS's health workforce will need to grow from 1.4m full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in 2021-22 to between 2.3m and 2.4m FTE workers in 2036-37, an increase of 65 per cent to 72 per cent. However, the NAO report highlighted that the workforce modelling has significant weaknesses, including a complex design; manual adjustments; optimistic future assumptions and limited public communication of their uncertainty; and modelling outputs that could not be fully replicated. To improve the modelling, the report recommended exploring the uncertainty of these assumptions and considering potential outcomes if they do not materialize as expected. Additionally, it suggested including full integration of the different parts of the modelling pipeline to minimise manual adjustments.

Kelso Pharma, the growing UK based specialty pharma business, has announced its first product launch with the release to the UK prescription medicines market of Acepiro (Acetylcysteine) 600mg effervescent tablets. Acepiro 600 mg effervescent tablets are indicated in adults only and are being made available to hospital and community prescribers in 20 and 30 day packs, with the 30 day pack consistent with monthly prescribing. The NHS List Price for the 30 day pack is £4.40, with the 20 day pack priced at £3.65. Acepiro is being launched by Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals (SAP), which was acquired by Kelso Pharma one year ago, providing a new UK platform and springboard for future sales growth for the business. The new product complements SAP's existing portfolio of three medicines: CosmoCol (macrogol 3350 plus electrolytes) powder for oral solution - an osmotic laxative indicated for the treatment of chronic constipation and faecal impaction. Stirlescent (naproxen) 250mg effervescent tablets - containing naproxen, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).