Group items tagged

An alliance of companies has pledged to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatments for pandemics, as the friction around intellectual property rights for Covid-19 interventions between the pharmaceutical industry and developing nations endures. At the heart of the plan is a commitment to set aside part of the production of vaccines and treatments upfront for vulnerable populations in low-income countries when the next pandemic arises, given how fragmented access to Covid tools has left many populations unprotected. In order to do better next time - and without knowing which companies will develop the first drugs and vaccines for the next pandemic - having the industry collectively make this commitment is potentially transformative, said Thomas Cueni, head of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). The pledge, called the Berlin Declaration, was made on July 19 by members of the global pharmaceutical industry group that include many of the companies involved in developing Covid interventions, such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Moderna, Pfizer and Merck. The declaration is not legally binding. However, if a company that signed on reneges on its vow, it would face grave consequences in the court of public opinion, said Cueni.

The UK pharmaceutical industry experienced a substantial increase in public trust and favourability during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new poll. This trend appears to be persisting with the study showing a generally favourable view of the sector. The recent survey, conducted by Ipsos and commissioned by Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), represents the third instalment in a series that began in 2021. This ongoing study targets members of the public, healthcare professionals, and parliamentarians. The study once again underscored a favourable perception of the sector with 67 per cent of respondents recognising that the pharmaceutical industry produces safe and effective medicines using cutting-edge technologies. Moreover, a majority agrees that it is a highly innovative field. Seven out of 10 people also trust the sector's readiness to address future pandemics, even as media attention on pharmaceutical companies returns to pre-pandemic levels. However, concerns arise regarding limitations in accessing new medicines due to cost pressures.

Moderna has joined one of the UK's leading pharmaceutical industry body, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to expand its footprint and investment in the UK. The biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines will strengthen its footprint with the new state-of-the-art vaccine research, development and manufacturing facility in the UK. It will create valuable new jobs and build on the strength of the UK's life sciences ecosystem. The company is best known for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now developing a range of mRNA-based vaccines for a number of conditions. The ABPI represents companies of all sizes who invest in discovering the medicines of the future, including some of the world's largest, most innovative, and most successful pharmaceutical firms. Darius Hughes, UK General Manager, Moderna, said: "We are delighted to join the ABPI - this alliance is an important part of our long-term commitment to the UK and supports the wider significant investments in manufacturing, research and development we are making in this country.

GSK Consumer Healthcare has recently unveiled a three-year programme to support the pharmacy profession with additional practical resources, mental health provisions and proposed policy changes as part of its new report Standing with Pharmacists in the Age of Self-Care. The new report summarises findings from a roundtable hosted by GSK Consumer Healthcare in collaboration with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) earlier this year, which convened the pharmacy community, policy experts, and industry leaders to discuss the critical role of pharmacy in the age of self-care following the Covid-19 pandemic. "We've seen Covid-19 have a significant impact on consumers' understanding of self-care, leading to an increased focus on wellbeing and everyday healthcare. During this time, pharmacies played a vital role in providing care and advice to their patients - particularly with many other health facilities closed. Our research shows that more than half of Europeans are planning to consult their pharmacist more often than before the pandemic. Yet in general, pharmacists remain under-utilised, despite being the most widely distributed health resource in Europe," said Tess Player, global head of expert at GSK Consumer Healthcare.

The British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has elected Diane DiGangi Trench to be its new vice-chair. DiGangi Trench takes up the position replacing Xiromed's Peter Ballard and in 12-months' time will assume the association's chair role from Accord's Peter Kelly. With over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, DiGangi Trench has held a number of senior commercial roles including stints with Takeda and Astra Zeneca. She joined Sandoz in 2018 in the US, where she served as Vice-President, Market Access and Patient Services. In 2021, she became the head of Sandoz' UK business and in her two years in role, she has led the organisation through a post-COVID recovery and growth phase to prepare for the proposed spin out of the company from its parent, Novartis, expected later this year. She said: "It's a great honor to take on the role of Vice Chair of the BGMA. The success of the generics and biosimilar industry is essential to the functioning of the NHS. Generic medicines fill four out of five UK prescriptions and biosimilars enable the NHS to expand access to more patients. I am passionate about increasing the sustainability of our industry so we can continue to play our vital part in the health of the nation." Mark Samuels, BGMA chief executive, said: "We are extremely fortunate to be able to call upon the expertise of Diane who has already added significant value through her role on the BGMA board and leadership of a key strategic committee.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed Susan Rienow, country president of Pfizer, as its vice president. "As vice president, she will support the president, Pinder Sahota, general manager and corporate vice president of Novo Nordisk UK, in delivering his priorities. These are improving access to medicines, delivering economic growth and helping to find solutions to big societal challenges such as climate change, AMR, and inequalities," said ABPI in a statement. At Pfizer, Susan leads the organisation to bring the power of innovation, data and technology together to transform healthcare and improve outcomes for patients. She previously led Pfizer UK's vaccines business unit during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Throughout the past decade, digital transformation has been at the forefront of the agenda for the NHS which has been accelerated by the abundance of digitally enabled ways of working during the pandemic. While the last year has unquestionably heralded the spring shoots of transformation, there is so much to be done to build upon this and accelerate further. For example, do both pharmacists and patients comprehend the value of digital to drive change at a fundamental level? The issue is not simply ensuring that the temporary fixes inspired by the pandemic successfully transition to standard practice, but also rapidly building on that foundation to enable the greatest value from digitisation within pharmacy. Covid-19 has increased the need for digitally enabled and empowered ways of operating. From the backlog in outpatient appointments to postponed screening programmes and, crucially, the potential exodus of overworked and stressed pharmacists, the efficient, effective and intelligent care enabled by the right digital technologies is now critical.

From over-the-counter flu tablets to crucial antibiotics and antidepressants, medicines are running scarce in UK pharmacies this year, causing concerns among patients, the government, and the wider pharma industry. Drug shortages have accelerated over the past year due to a clutch of problems including the after-effects of the pandemic on supply chains, the war in Ukraine, and soaring input costs weighing on manufacturers. More recently, a sudden spike in respiratory infections - another by-product of Covid-19 that neither pharma companies nor the government were able to predict - has deepened the crisis, with 70 commonly taken drugs out of stock in Britain as of February. The problem is not unique to the UK. In a recent survey of groups representing pharmacies in 29 European countries, three quarters said shortages were worse this winter than a year ago, with a quarter reporting more than 600 drugs in short supply. The US is also facing significant shortages of popular prescription drugs like amoxicillin and Adderall, an ADHD medication. To some extent, the current disruption is laying bare wider challenges facing the industry for several years that were only exacerbated by the pandemic. The over-reliance on foreign suppliers for most active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is one of them. This model has left companies more susceptible to supply shocks, which have in turn increased in frequency and severity due to pandemic lockdowns, the war in Ukraine and other issues such as the shortage of shipping containers. Pharma's long and opaque supply chains, alongside regulatory complexities, also mean it is taking longer for drugmakers to reconfigure manufacturing and distribution in times of additional need.

Mental health has become a major concern worldwide and across all sectors,including pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry. The penetration of the issue exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic, due to mental fatigue, anxiety and most importantly the social distancing. Therefore, building an environment of trust and comfort is utmost essential to understand and tackle mental health challenges, said panelists in a discussion on Mental Health And Wellbeing In The Workplace, held during the Pharmacy Business Diversity Conference on Thursday (December 9).Talking in context of workplace, Monika Misra, head of Employee Health and Wellbeing, Europe and MEA, said: "We really need to create an environment of trust where we a have the manager, really trying to understand the unique challenges and needs of the individual, but be also ensuring that the individual feels comfortable to open up and have that conversation with their manager."

What initially began as two close friends taking a leisurely walk to escape their everyday routine has evolved into a meaningful endeavour to support the fight against cancer. Jamie Sparrow, Senior Vice President - Commercial, EMENA at Accord Healthcare, and Jamie Durbidge, Owner & Managing Director of Perennial Pharma, will be undertaking a 5-day walking challenge to support The Luke Hart Foundation in raising funds for Cancer Research UK. The two Jamies have been friends for more than 15 years and worked together at Mylan, now Viatris, where Jamie S served as Managing Director, while Jamie D held the position of Sales Director for some years. During the COVID pandemic when everybody was stuck at home, the two friends, both early risers, used to spend hours in the mornings walking and talking over the phone, about anything and everything - work, life, family, the Pharmaceutical Industry, politics, sport, and about challenges that people were having during the lockdown. After continuing this routine for several months, they eventually planned to transform their daily ritual into a "walking and talking" trip to reconnect, catch up on things, and enjoy some time together and with friends who wanted to join them.

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.