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A new legislation has been introduced to allow authorised pharmacists along with other healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland to certify 'fit notes', health minister Robin Swann has announced. Pharmacists and some other healthcare professionals in England, Scotland and Wales are already allowed to sign 'fit notes'. Swann announced that 'fit notes' were also set to go fully digital in the future, meaning they would no longer need to be signed in ink. He said: "I am delighted to introduce this legislation in Northern Ireland. This change will make it easier for people and employers to get the advice they need so people can stay in work and will help free up doctors' time. "Too often we see people being faced with unnecessary challenges to get a fit note. More professionals being able to offer this vital service will speed up the process and support people to return to or remain in work."

Following intermittent shortages during the holiday period and amid continued high level of demand for lateral flow tests (LFT) in pharmacies, the industry has voiced concerns over supplies. Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England chair Thorrun Govind recently gave numerous media interviews over the issue, supporting pharmacists and reassuring the public. She said it is 'frustrating' for pharmacy teams who are unable to access enough test kits to meet the growing demand and highlighted that placing all supplies with a single distributor as a key issue. Many in the sector have raised questions about the government's strategy for LFT distribution after it emerged that the sole distributor to pharmacies closed for four days shortly after receiving 2.5 million tests. Alliance Healthcare, from whom pharmacies receive LFTs, reportedly took delivery of the tests on Christmas Eve and then shut.

The drug controller issued emergency use authorization to pharmaceutical businesses in India to produce generic versions of molnupiravir.

The UK government has awarded a £1.7 million contract to Ensilicated Technologies Ltd (EnsiliTech), a University of Bath spinout company dedicated to making vaccines safer, to develop the world's first thermally stable mRNA vaccine. mRNA vaccines have a huge potential to prevent infectious diseases and a range of previously unpreventable conditions, but currently, these vaccines require ultracold storage, needing to be kept at -70 or even -80 °C. The company's ensilication technology allows vaccines and other biological materials to be transported and stored without the use of refrigeration. Dr Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO at EnsiliTech, believes that the technology could save tens of thousands of lives every year. She commented: "We're so proud to have won this important government grant."