The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has initiated a recall of three batches of Quantum Pharmaceutical's Diltiazem HCl 2% Cream, which is an
unlicensed medicine. MHRA issued a precautionary recall of the cream due to a change in the product's appearance that affected its thickness.
Pharmacists are instructed to halt supply, quarantine remaining stock, and contact Quantum Pharmaceutical to return affected batches M1402497, M1402574, and M1402680.
Patients using this product may encounter application issues with the cream due to its consistency. However, MHRA said that this has not impacted the product's
effectiveness or posed any risk to patient safety.
The MHRA also reported that medac GmbH (t/a medac Pharma LLP) is conducting a recall of two batches of Sodiofolin 50 mg/ml solution for injection/infusion
(400mg/8ml vial) with batch numbers G220393B and G220393C. This class 2 medicines recall is a result of particles detected during long-term stability tests.
Data crunched by an online pharmacy delivery company paints a concerning picture for the pharmacy sector in England.
Gophr's 'Prescription For Pressure' initiative reveals a challenging time for the sector and is supported by separate analysis by the BBC showing that the number
of pharmacies in England is at its lowest since 2010.
In addition, new powers being introduced for pharmacists to prescribe common prescription drugs and perform routine tests create an even greater workload for already
overstretched pharmacists.
Gophr's data reveals that:
* Each pharmacy in England serves an average of 6,078 people.
* In 2022, pharmacists dispensed 1.043 billion prescriptions, 26.3 million more than 2021.
* A single pharmacy in England dispensed 248 prescriptions a day on average in 2022.
Based on the most up-to-date statistics from the Office for National Statistics, NHS England and Statista, Gophr's calculations show that pharmacists have around 116
seconds to dispense a prescription, which is less time than the 180 seconds it takes to make a Quarter Pounder at McDonald's.
Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim said on Thursday (Aug 17) it would conduct three late-stage studies for its obesity drug candidate after it showed up to
19 per cent weight loss after 46 weeks in a mid-stage trial.
The private company plans to start enrollments for the trial of the drug, survodutide, which it co-invented with Danish biotech company Zealand Pharma, before
the end of the year.
The trials will evaluate the drug's safety and efficacy, Boehringer said, and added that it would provide further details on the studies before initiation.
Boehringer and Zealand are among global drugmakers racing to grab a share of the potential $100 billion market for obesity treatments within a decade.
Survodutide works by mimicking a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which suppresses appetite, as well as imitating another gut hormone called
glucagon that helps break down fat.
Digestive issues such as constipation, dysphagia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be precursors of Parkinson's disease, according to research published
in the journal Gut.
Gastrointestinal symptoms are thought to precede the development of some cerebrovascular disease, including brain aneurysm or Alzheimer's disease, and it has been
suggested (Braak's hypothesis) that gut conditions may precede the development of Parkinson's disease too.
To test this hypothesis, researchers used data from a US nationwide medical record network (TriNetX) to compare 24,624 people who had been diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease of unknown cause with those who had been diagnosed with other neurological conditions - Alzheimer's disease (19,046) or cerebrovascular
disease (23,942) - or with none of these (24,624; comparison group).
ProstaStream is a natural supplement designed to treat enlarged prostate. It is solely made from natural ingredients that have gone through several tests to make sure it is pure and safe to use. it was made to keep the organ solid by containing fixes meant to help maintain your prostate's and body's excellent health.
Winter is imminent and with dropping temperatures viruses are bound to be more prevalent, exacerbating health problems among the vulnerable and immunocompromised
patients. This can cause serious complications, and therefore, it's important to know the symptoms, methods to manage them and when to refer.
A healthy person can usually manage the illnesses with over-the counter medication. Colds, flu and Covid-19 are caused by different viruses. As some of their
symptoms
overlap, it may be hard to tell the difference. However, some key differences are shown in the following figure.
It is also possible to suffer from cold/flu and Covid-19 simultaneously, which can complicate matters. As per NHS guidelines, anyone with fever, cough, loss/change
in sense of taste and/or smell has to self-isolate and request a Covid test.
Pharmacy Advice
The pharmacy team should advise patients with symptoms to take rest, ensure adequate hydration and take balanced nutrition. Supplements such as Vitamin C, Vitamin
D and zinc can also help to boost the immune system and can be recommended.
Millions of people take dietary supplements every day, hoping to improve their health in some way. But how much do you know about these supplements? Are they safe? Do they work? And are there any risks associated with taking them?
Here are six important things to know about dietary supplements if you're one of the people who take them.
NOT ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE REGULATED
Since dietary supplements are not drugs, they do not need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be sold. This means that some
products may not contain what is stated on their labels or may even include ingredients that could be dangerous. Therefore, it's important to always read labels
and do your research before committing to one.
Furthermore, make sure you purchase your supplements from a reputable source. This means that you should look for companies that have been independently tested and
certified to provide high-quality products.
MAKE SURE THE SUPPLEMENT IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Before taking any dietary supplement, check with your doctor or healthcare professional first. This is especially important if you have a medical condition or are
on medication, as certain supplements may interact in unwanted ways. Just because something is labeled as "natural" doesn't necessarily mean it's good for you or
that you even need to take it. Before taking any supplement, talk to your doctor about whether or not it could be beneficial for you and how much you should take.
Lapses in strategies to tackle COVID-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new variant to emerge, as parts of China witness a
rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday (December 2).
The comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mark a change in tone just months after he said that the world has never been in a better position
to end the pandemic.
"We are much closer to being able to say that the emergency phase of the pandemic is over, but we're not there yet," Tedros said on Friday.
The global health agency estimates that about 90% of the world's population now has some level of immunity to SARS-COV-2 either due to prior infection or vaccination.
"Gaps in testing … and vaccination are continuing to create the perfect conditions for a new variant of concern to emerge that could cause significant mortality,"
Tedros said.
COVID-19 infections are at record highs in China and have started to rise in parts of Britain after months of decline.
Amgen's experimental obesity drug demonstrated promising durability trends in an early trial, paving the way for a larger mid-stage study early next year,
company officials said ahead of a data presentation on Saturday (December 3).
The small Phase I trial found that patients maintained their weight loss for 70 days after receiving the highest tested dose of the injected drug, currently known as
AMG133.
Amgen shares have gained about 5% since the company said on Nov. 7 that 12 weeks of trial treatment at the highest monthly dose of AMG133 resulted in mean weight
loss of 14.5%.
At 150 days after the last dose, maintained weight loss had dropped to 11.2% below original weight at the start of the trial, according to findings detailed at a
meeting of World Congress of Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Los Angeles.
Patients treated with AMG133 did have side effects including nausea and vomiting, but most cases were mild and resolved within a couple of days after the first dose,
Amgen said.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA)'s Health Education Foundation (HEF) has funded a major study that aimed to test the SPUR tool and evaluate how effective
it was at measuring medicines adherence.
The study has been published in the British Medical Journal Open.
Dr Joshua Wells, a fourth year PhD candidate at Kingston University, who was awarded the NPA bursary, was the lead researcher for the SPUR UK study, under the
guidance of Professor Reem Kayyali.
Created by Observia, a health research group, SPUR is a self-assessment questionnaire which helps to detect a patient's risk of medicine non-adherence and aims to
accurately articulate the reasons for health behaviour.
As well as funding from HEF, the study was made possible via a partnership with Kingston University and Kingston Hospital.
HEF chair of Trustees, Dr Ian Cubbin, said: "We are delighted that NPA's Health Education Foundation has played a part in such an important study. This research could
lead ultimately to a far more personalised, tailored approach to medicines optimisation - recognising that people's medicines behaviour can be highly individual to
them."
Community pharmacy bodies have said that the current crippling financial pressures and severe staff shortages will limit the sector from fully supporting the
new health secretary's ambition to improve patient care in England.
Thérèse Coffey announced her plans on Thursday (September 22) which would be looking to reduce the country's reliance on general practice by expanding the range of
services available from community pharmacies and allowing pharmacists more "prescribing powers".
"Pharmacists will be able to manage and supply more medicines, without a prescription from a GP. We will look to go further on enabling pharmacists with more
prescribing powers and making more simple diagnostic tests available in community pharmacy," she said in her foreword to Our Plan for Patients.
However, the National Pharmacy Association has lamented that the plan stops short of promising any fresh funding for community pharmacies to deliver patient care
and develop clinical services.
NPA vice-chair, Nick Kaye, said: "The life is being choked out of independent pharmacy businesses by the continuation of a fundamentally under-resourced contract
in England.
Boots has expanded its partnership with Deliveroo to cover 125 stores in the UK, offering delivery of a wide range of health and beauty products up and down
the country.
The company announced last year that it had entered into an exclusive partnership with Deliveroo to provide 400 plus health and beauty products to consumers at their
doorsteps.
The pharmacy multiple has been delivering over-the-counter cough, cold and flu symptom relief products, paracetamol, vitamins and digital thermometers through
Deliveroo.
The partnership has been part of the business' continued investment in digital technology to provide customers with a more convenient and personal shopping experience.
Popular and new products available on Deliveroo include cough, cold and flu symptom relief products, paracetamol, vitamins, digital thermometers, period and sexual
wellbeing products including sanitary towels, condoms and pregnancy tests among other health and beauty products.
Boots is now available via Deliveroo for the first time to customers in major cities including Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Bristol, Sheffield, Coventry, Plymouth,
Exeter, Middlesbrough, York, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Water is the lifeblood of any business - employees must stay hydrated and productive, and it's needed for many industrial processes. That's why businesses
need to filter their water and remove any harmful contaminants.
Here are six major reasons why businesses should filter their water.
HEALTH HAZARDS
Unfiltered water can contain harmful contaminants like bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause serious health problems. If these contaminants get into the
water supply, they can make employees sick and lead to absenteeism. In some cases, these contaminants can even be deadly.
Therefore, if you notice that your employees are getting sick more often, it could be because of the water they're drinking. Other signs could be discolored water,
strange taste or odors, or water that contains sediment. Regular water testing and investing in a quality water filtration system can help to remove these
contaminants and keep your employees healthy.
On the other hand, there are regulations and guidelines in place to make sure that the water supplied to businesses is safe. The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) regulates public drinking water, and businesses are required to follow these regulations.
In his maiden speech delivered to community pharmacy since becoming new minister with responsibility for the sector, Will Quince MP said he's determined to be
"your champion" and "voice in government".
Addressing delegates on Wednesday (Oct 12) as chief guest at the 22nd Pharmacy Business Awards in central London, he praised community pharmacy for delivering 25
million Covid-19 vaccines, five million flu jabs, 200 million lateral flow testing kits and millions of medicines throughout the pandemic.
"These local efforts became the national success story," he told over 600 attendees at a gala dinner held at the iconic Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel
overlooking the Houses of Parliament.
'We need you now'
Quince, who was appointed minister of state at the Department of Health and Social Care on 7 September 2022, added: "Just as we needed you in the pandemic, we
need you now," highlighting the vital role of community pharmacy in realising the secretary of state (Thérèse Coffey)'s vision, particularly in regard to her
much talked about 'Plan for Patients'.
Boots has partnered with Uber Eats to deliver beauty essentials and healthcare products to customers' doors in 30 minutes.
Medicines for minor ailments such as coughs, colds, hay fever, mild pain, rashes as well as COVID-19 test kits can be ordered through Uber Eats.
Boots is partnering with the doorstep delivery company with a pilot in 14 of its stores around the UK, with 13 of those stores giving customers within range
access to third-party doorstep delivery of Boots products for the very first time.
Uber Eats customers within range of participating Boots stores can choose from more than 900 products available for delivery straight to their homes or workplace,
including toiletries, medicines for minor ailments, food and drink options, and best-selling beauty and gifting options perfect for a last-minute gift or treat.
Paula Bobbett, Chief Digital Officer at Boots said: "We are hugely excited to be launching our partnership with Uber Eats. As the first health and beauty retailer
on its platform, we can offer an extensive range of product options to customers for delivery straight to their door. Whether it's medicines for mild illnesses or
last-minute gifts, beauty items or top-ups of a favourite skincare brand, we can meet all our customers' needs both quickly and conveniently."
The new board of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has adopted 10 principles for transforming the contractual framework in England.
The board met for the first time in April, believes that the current Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework is failing NPA members, the wider sector, the NHS,
Government and patients.
The association's new vice chair, Jay Badenhorst, said: "We can't wait until the current framework limps to its finish line in 2024 before giving serious thought
to the new race we must all run in the future."
"Before negotiations for a new contract begin in earnest, we want to make our position clear to all of those who will be involved in its development. Years more
of the same would be totally unacceptable. Tinkering at the edges of the current arrangements as the basis for a new deal could not achieve the transformation
that is needed."
Former chair of the NPA, Andrew Lane, listed some of the principles in a speech to industry leaders in January, but this is the first time the approach has been
agreed in its entirety, following months of testing with NPA members.
Diabetes drugs that also promote weight loss such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, becoming a darling of celebrities and investors, are being studied to tackle some
of the most difficult-to-treat brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.
Diabetes regimens, from Ozempic to old mainstays like insulin and metformin, appear to address several different aspects of the metabolic system implicated in
Alzheimer's disease, including a protein called amyloid and inflammation, researchers say.
The hope is that improving glucose utilisation and tamping down inflammation in the entire body - including the brain - could slow progression of debilitating
diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Several scientists interviewed by Reuters news agency pointed to mounting research supporting testing diabetes drugs against neurodegenerative diseases.
Results are years away and success uncertain. But interest has been buoyed by recent positive data on Alzheimer's drugs developed by Eisai with partner Biogen and
by Eli Lilly demonstrating that removing sticky amyloid plaques accumulated in the brain can slow cognition decline caused by the fatal mind-wasting disease.
Those successes followed decades of futility that had left many questioning the validity of the amyloid theory behind most experimental Alzheimer's drugs.
Denmark's Zealand Pharma and Boehringer Ingelheim said their experimental obesity treatment achieved up to 14.9% weight loss in a mid-stage trial, lining up
a potential contestant in the booming obesity drug market.
In a statement on Wednesday (May 10), the partners said that the Phase II dose-finding trial met its primary endpoint of weight loss after 46 weeks.
Paola Casarosa, head of therapeutic areas at Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim told Reuters the partners are in discussion with regulators about the design of a
planned follow-up trial in the third and last phase of testing.
The enormous demand for weight-loss treatments such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, or potentially Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, could support as many as 10 competing products
with annual sales reaching up to $100 billion within a decade, mostly in the United States, industry executives and analysts said.
Lilly said about a year ago that Mounjaro was shown to reduce up to 22.5% in weight after 72 weeks of treatment in a much larger late-stage trial.
Microplates are an important part of many laboratory experiments. They are often used to measure the results of a process or to test a product. When working
with microplates, it is important to use the right closure and sealing method to ensure accurate results. This article will discuss the different types of closures
and seals available, as well as how to choose the right one for your needs.
HEAT SEALING METHOD
One of the most common methods for sealing microplates is the heat seal method. This method uses a heating element to melt the top layer of the plate, which then
bonds to the bottom layer. Heat sealing is a quick and easy way to seal a microplate, and it is often used for plates that will be stored for long periods. For this
reason, heat sealing is the preferred method for sealing storage plates. Heat sealing is also one of the most cost-effective methods for sealing microplates. If you
are interested to learn more about heat sealing, you may be surprised to find that there are many pieces of heat sealing equipment for sale at a very reasonable
price. You just need to take the time to find the right one for your needs. As much as possible, choose the one with adjustable temperature settings so you can
find the perfect heat for your microplates. More often than not, 225 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for heat sealing.
NHS England has secured a deal for 'Dexcom ONE Real Time-Continuous Glucose Monitoring' device which will help type 1 diabetes patients to keep track of their
glucose levels at all times without having to scan or take a finger prick test.
Once the patients receive their starter pack - which will include information on the product and usage, a sensor and transmitter - from the hospital or GP surgery,
they can go to the community pharmacy for their repeat prescription.
The wearable arm gadget sends information to a mobile app and allows diabetes patients to keep track of their glucose levels.
"Traditionally, continuous glucose monitors are more expensive than their flash monitor counterparts - which record glucose levels by scanning a sensor - but thanks
to the NHS agreeing on a new cost-effective deal with manufacturers DEXCOM, they will now be available for NHS patients on prescription at a similar price," said NHS.
Dexcom ONE Real Time-Continuous Glucose Monitoring, uses a sensor no bigger than a bottle cap that attaches to the arm for up to 10 days and measures glucose levels
from just under the skin.
The wider rollout of the technology will help diabetes patients manage their condition better - reducing hospitalisations and associated diabetic illnesses which will
ultimately ease pressure off the NHS.
Karen Baxter, vice president, UK & Ireland, Benelux, France and Spain at Dexcom: "The addition of Dexcom ONE to the NHS England drug tariff is enormous progress
towards improving the choice of diabetes tech, providing an alternative to burdensome finger pricks and scanning.
