The University of Lincoln has clinched the top spot on The Guardian's 2024 list for pharmacy and pharmacology studies. This marks a significant advancement
from its second-place position in the 2023 rankings, where Ulster University had secured the leading position. Interestingly, Ulster has moved down to claim the
second spot this year.
Forty universities were assessed using eight criteria, which encompass student satisfaction with teaching, the effectiveness of feedback from instructors,
student-to-staff ratio, expenditure per student (excluding academic staff costs), and the average UCAS scores of entrants under 21.
Also included were the effectiveness of teaching methods, the proportion of students securing graduate-level employment or pursuing further studies within
15 months of graduation, and the percentage of first-year students progressing into their second year.
Among the 40 universities in the ranking list, the University of Lincoln achieved a perfect score of 100 out of 100, followed by Ulster (96.2), Portsmouth (87.9),
Leeds (86.3), Glasgow (85.7), Sunderland (84.3), St George's (84.3), Aberdeen (81.3), UCL (81), and Queen's, Belfast (80.1).
Consumer health company Haleon, formerly known as GSK, claims that pain's emotional and life impact has grown by nearly 25 per cent in the past decade.
The company has launched a campaign #ListenToPain to personalise patients' pain management through a series of practical tools and resources.
The campaign was introduced on 28 September which focused on enabling the HCPs to maximise their time with patients and understand their pain experience - providing
them with an effective treatment plan.
The new data has been obtained through the fifth edition of the Haleon Pain Index (HPI). This social study measured the impact of individuals' everyday lives,
their
health, their feelings, their emotions, motivations and behaviours.
They have spoken to more than 87,000 people around the world since their first edition in 2014 - HPI 1 (The State of Pain), which later progressed over the years
from HPI 2 (Impact of Pain) in 2017, then HPI 3 (Managing Pain) in 2018, to HPI 4 (Treatment Journey), and finally HPI 5 (Pain and Inclusivity) in 2023.
The Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has proposed a new £30 million fund to speed up the adoption of innovative medical technology in the NHS.
He confirmed the plan today at the Conservative Party Conference 2023 in Manchester.
Mr Barclay said that virtual wards will help healthcare professionals embrace new technology to improve patient care.
He said: "It is vital that clinicians have access to the latest technology to save staff time, deliver high-quality care and help cut waiting lists - one of the
government's top five priorities.
"This investment will see the latest tech innovations rolled out across the NHS. From virtual ward beds to wearable medical devices, patients will be better
supported, and we will ease pressures on hospitals this winter.
"We're preparing for this winter earlier than ever before including delivering thousands more hospital beds and hundreds of new ambulances."
Boots has welcomed job applications from LloydsPharmacy staff impacted by the news of closure of all its branches located in Sainsbury's before the end of 2023.
The company is recruiting for more than 1,500 pharmacy roles nationwide. Vacancies span pharmacy roles at all levels - from Pharmacy Advisors (Dispensers) and
Trainee Pharmacists to experienced Pharmacists looking to develop their careers.
Sebastian James, Managing Director of Boots UK & ROI, said: "Pharmacies deliver vital healthcare in the heart of communities. News of the closure of LloydsPharmacy
branches within Sainsbury's stores will no doubt have an impact on many talented pharmacists as well as their patients.
"We have many roles available at Boots and welcome applications from LloydsPharmacy employees affected by the closures. Patients who are worried about their future
pharmacy provision can check our store locator online to find out where their nearest Boots store is - our pharmacy team members are ready to help."
There are over 2,200 Boots stores across the UK and 85% of the population live within 10 minutes of a Boots store.
Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee Steve Brine MP has called on community pharmacy contractors to join a newly launched a parliamentary 'call for
evidence' which will look into 'prevention' as a key to the future of the NHS.
A former pharmacy minister and keen supporter of the sector, Mr Brine has called on all community pharmacists to "make their contribution count" by taking part in a
major inquiry which will remain open for submission until Wednesday 8 February 2023 and will also involve general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals.
Community pharmacists can submit their proposals written under 750 words, outlining what they think are the issues around prevention the parliamentary body should
explore, why these issues deserve the Commons Select Committee's attention, and how government policy could be developed or improved to address them.
The submissions will then be used to help the committee decide where it should focus its attention in the later stages of the inquiry on prevention, which is a vital
part of the NHS Long Term Plan.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called for a 'firm commitment' to prosecuting those making profits through the sale of DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol).
It has also urged the social media companies to 'remove content promoting or selling DNP to further reduce harm'.
Legislation to regulate DNP will come into effect on 1 October 2023. On Monday (23 January) it was announced that DNP will be included in the 1972 Poisons Act.
President of RPS Professor Claire Anderson said: "DNP is unfit for human consumption and its main use is in the manufacture of explosives and pesticides. It is
sold by unscrupulous dealers to vulnerable individuals wanting to lose weight but has a dangerous effect on the metabolism and has led to 32 deaths since 2007 in
those taking it as a 'diet drug'.
"Including DNP in the Poisons Act is a positive move as it will restrict its availability, but what's really needed is an outright ban to reduce the risk to the
public. Australia has already classified DNP as a substance of such a danger to health as to warrant prohibition of sale and we'd like the UK to follow suit.
The Health Education England (HEE) has allocated £440,000 to help upskill pharmacists working in adult critical care across England.
UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) has confirmed with HEE that UKCPA critical care courses meet the criteria for this funding, for courses that complete before
31 March 2023.
"The funding is expected to exceed demand and so it is likely that bids for these UKCPA courses will be approved by HEE, as they meet the learning outcomes in the
new RPS/UKCPA/FICM specialist critical care curricula (in development)," said UKCPA.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has designated four pharmacists in Scotland as its fellows in recognition of their services to the profession.
Pharmacists Paul Forsyth, Alasdair MacIntryre and Peter Mulholland were presented with their certificates at a recent celebration and networking evening at RPS
Scotland's building on Melville Street, Edinburgh, while the fellowship of the fourth pharmacist, Findlay Hickey, will be celebrated in 2023.
The evening also saw RPS Scotland director Clare Morrison and General Pharmaceutical Council Scotland director Laura Fulton welcome a group of newly qualified
pharmacists to the profession.
Commenting on the evening's celebration, Morrison said: "It was an absolute pleasure to welcome pharmacists to our building in Edinburgh, the home of pharmacy in
Scotland. The mood was so vibrant as people came together to celebrate and to network.
David Webb, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, acknowledged that the "pressure in the system is high", but urged everyone to "keep our eye on the
design" of the NHS plan, adding that the "the objective is to bring the different parts of primary care together" in the patient interest.
Speaking during the opening keynote session at the the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) conference held on Thursday (13 October), he added that the NHS plan
intends to bring different parts of primary care together to help patients.
He said the new integrated care boards (ICBs) are a key strategic framework as they provide the "potential to form partnerships to deliver integrated services across
larger populations".
"ICBs will want to work with Local Pharmaceutical Committees to plan for the local population and the new community pharmacy clinical leads in ICBs, who have been
funded by NHS England, are there to advise."
He explained that once an ICB takes over the commissioning of pharmaceutical services (which they are all due to do by April 2023), it could use its funds to
commission a local enhanced service as an add on to an advanced service. For instance, a CVD risk assessment could be added to the blood pressure check service.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has announced that the new Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) for this year will officially begin on October
10.
From previous scheme £75m funding is also available and contractors will be able to claim an 'Aspiration payment' if they wish to, later this year.
PSNC, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have agreed the arrangements for the 2022/23 PQS, as well as those for the 2023/24 PQS, with a focus
on supporting recovery from Covid-19 and wider national health priorities.
The committee said: "In our negotiations on the scheme, PSNC has managed to reduce the scope of this year's PQS so that the estimated contractor costs and time
required to complete the criteria will be below those associated with the original NHS proposals for the scheme."
"A further reduction in scope has also been agreed due to the delayed start of the 2022/23 PQS. PSNC hopes that this, along with arguing for more realistic targets
across the scheme, will help reduce the impact on contractor workload, at what continues to be a very busy and pressured period for the sector."
Pharmaceutical companies AbbVie and Eli Lilly have withdrawn from Britain's voluntary medicines pricing agreement, an industry body said on Monday.
Companies are increasingly arguing that it is no longer possible to justify the UK's "voluntary scheme" to global boardrooms and investors as repayment rates in
2023 have surged to 26.5 per cent of revenue, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said in a statement.
"The current scheme has harmed innovation, with costs spiralling out of control, and the UK falling behind other major countries to be left as a global outlier,"
said Laura Steele, president and general manager for Eli Lilly's Northern Europe division.
ABPI said it was seeking early talks with the government to set out a new future settlement.
In December, the industry body had said the government raised the amount manufacturers of branded medicines within the voluntary scheme will be required to return
to almost £3.3 billion in sales revenue from an earlier amount of £1.8 billion.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Laura Wilson as Director for Scotland commencing 23rd January 2023.
Laura, is currently Policy and Practice Lead for RPS in Scotland. She is accountable for bringing national RPS policy to life for members in Scotland, while
contributing to the GB wide professional leadership agenda.
She will work closely with the Scottish Pharmacy Board, senior NHS officials and other key stakeholders across the breadth of the pharmacy profession and beyond
to ensure pharmacy is on the forefront of healthcare in Scotland.
She joins the existing team of RPS Country Directors, which includes Elen Jones, Director for Wales and James Davies, Director for England and will report directly
to the Chief Executive.
Laura Wilson said: "I am delighted to be appointed Director for Scotland having worked as part of the RPS Scotland team as the policy and practice lead. It will
be an honour to continue the fantastic work started by former Director Clare Morrison to bring Pharmacy 2030, our vision for pharmacy in Scotland in the future,
to life and supporting pharmacy teams to deliver person centred care.
The pharmacy bodies have expressed a deep concern over Lloyds Pharmacy's announcement on plans to close all pharmacy branches located in Sainsbury's before
the end of 2023.
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "This significant shrinkage by the second largest pharmacy chain is an
extremely worrying development and one of the clearest signals yet of just how much all community pharmacies are struggling to make ends meet. We know that many
are at breaking point."
She added: "We understand that LloydsPharmacy will be in touch directly with affected staff and patients at this difficult time. As these pharmacies close, other
pharmacies locally will be braced for even more pressures as they try to cope with increased demand."
"The announcement by LloydsPharmacy will be of concern to staff, patients, the public and the community pharmacy sector alike," Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive
of the Company Chemists' Association (CCA).
Pharmacists, and other employees, working at pharmacies owned and operated by LloydsPharmacy in Sainsbury's have been told that the group of more than 200 pharmacies
will be closed this year as LloydsPharmacy will be ending their relationship with the supermarket chain.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has refused to accept the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)'s decision to get rid of
'transitional payments' from February 2023.
The pharmacy negotiator said that 'any reductions in payments at this point will be impossible for community pharmacy contractors to manage financially.'
"We are also continuing to be clear with officials and ministers that CPCF funding needs an urgent uplift to help businesses to cope with soaring costs being driven
by inflation and the workforce crisis. We put a comprehensive business case to the government for this uplift in the last CPCF negotiations."
The latest 'transitional payments decision' by the Department follows the announcement last year that the value of the these payments would be phased down over the
second half of 2022/23 and will be based on the latest monitoring and analysis of funding delivery.
PSNC says it submitted a fully-costed bid for a 'Pharmacy First' service in its last round of negotiations alongside the case for an uplift to core CPCF funding.
Both of these were refused.
AmerisourceBergen, a leading pharmaceutical solutions organisation announced its intent to change its name to 'Cencora' to better reflect its bold vision and
purpose-driven approach to creating healthier futures.
Steven H. Collis, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of AmerisourceBergen said: "Over time, we have established ourselves as a trusted industry partner
that prioritizes innovation, advocates for patient access and advances strategic partnerships across the global pharmaceutical supply chain. To further bolster our
position, we must continue to adapt and evolve within our dynamic industry as we pursue the goal of enhancing health outcomes. Building a unified brand is fundamental
to our identity as a global healthcare company. We believe our new name better reflects who we are today and our impact across pharmaceutical care."
AmerisourceBergen intends to begin operating as Cencora in the second half of calendar year 2023. The change to Cencora is aligned with the organisation's growth
strategy and continued emphasis on innovation. AmerisourceBergen has focused on supporting pharmaceutical advancement and access for patients, manufacturers, and
providers across the global healthcare supply chain.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) on Thursday (February 2) called for the government to scrap its plans to raise the repayment rates
for drugmakers, to avoid possible setbacks in the sector.
Drugmakers that are part of the government's voluntary scheme agreement, which makes branded medicines affordable for people, are required to pay a part of their
drug revenue to the government.
The Department of Health and Social Care plans to raise the revenue clawback rate to 27.5 per cent from 24.5 per cent.
The country's ongoing attempt to raise rates is likely to send the "worst possible signal" to global investors and boardrooms, said the ABPI.
"Hiking these clawbacks to such uncompetitive levels risks undermining the UK's offer to global life sciences companies," Richard Torbett, chief executive of the
ABPI, said in a statement.
Pharmaceuticals giants AbbVie and Eli Lilly withdrew from the UK's voluntary drug pricing agreement in January after the repayment rates surged to 26.5 per cent.
Danish drug developer Novo Nordisk on Wednesday (February 1) warned of supply constraints on its best-selling drug.
The company, which develops diabetes and obesity drugs, said it expected "periodic supply constraints" this year, partly driven by higher than expected demand for
its blockbuster diabetes drug, Ozempic, and manufacturing constraints.
"Supply of Ozempic cannot keep up with demand in some markets," Novo's Chief Financial Officer Karsten Munk Knudsen told journalists on Wednesday, but said Ozempic
was available in the United States, the firm's biggest single market.
Shortages of human growth hormone would also cause sales in its rare disease franchise to drop by a "mid-single digit" percentage in 2023, as its Norditropin drug
would be out of stock in certain markets, Knudsen said.
Novartis on Wednesday (February 1) predicted that core operating income would grow in a "mid single digit" percentage range in 2023 following stagnation last
year, as the Swiss drugmaker prepares to spin off its Sandoz generics business.
Full-year core operating income was broadly flat at $16.7 billion, it said in a statement, coming in slightly below market expectations of $16.8 billion.
Adjusted for overall negative currency effects, group sales in 2022 advanced 4 per cent to $50.5 billion as gains from heart failure drug Entresto and multiple
sclerosis (MS) drug Kesimpta were partly offset by competition from cheap generic copies of established MS drug Gilenya.
Novartis said it was on track to spin off its generics unit Sandoz in the second half of the year as part of its effort to sharpen its focus on its patented
prescription medicines.
Analysts have welcomed a programme unveiled in 2022 to trim costs and cut 8,000 jobs and plans to focus on fewer therapy areas and drug technologies. But the market
has been underwhelmed by prospects for medium-term growth from new drugs.
Jonathan Burton will receive the 2022 RPS Charter Award for his outstanding work for the Society and the wider profession in promoting the interests of pharmacy.
The award will be presented by the President at a future meeting of Fellows and Members to take place at the Society's Edinburgh office on 22nd March 2023.
Jonathan's main role is as a practising, patient-facing pharmacist within the community in NHS Forth Valley where he uses his advanced practice skills and independent
prescribing qualification to assess and treat acute ENT, dermatology, and respiratory conditions.
He was one of the first community pharmacist prescribers in Scotland and has always been at the forefront of innovation and service development.
Jonathan has demonstrated outstanding commitment and passion for the pharmacy profession throughout his career. He has excelled as a pharmacist in the Right Medicine
Pharmacy group, on local and national committees, in advocacy for the pharmacy profession and as a local and national leader who is highly regarded as an exceptional
role model for the profession.
The UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership set up by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales has published
its recommendations for the 'future of pharmacy professional leadership in the UK' on Monday (6 February).
The Commission is co-chaired by Nigel Clarke, Former Chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council, and Professor Dame Jane Dacre, Professor of Medical Education at
University College London Medical School.
The Commission proposes that closer collaboration between professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups as part of a Pharmacy Leadership Council
will enable and support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead.
The Council will be set up in 2023 to lead the implementation of the report's vision and recommendations over five years.
Commission Co-Chairs, Professor Dame Jane Dacre and Nigel Clarke: "The Commission has set out a collaborative approach to transform pharmacy professional leadership
and deliver sustained benefits for patients and the public and pharmacy professionals in the UK.
