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Professor Ryan Donnelly, esteemed for his groundbreaking contributions to pharmaceutical science, has been awarded the prestigious Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Harrison Memorial Medal for 2024. This distinguished accolade, presented in honour of the renowned pharmaceutical chemist Col EF Harrison, serves as a testament to Professor Donnelly's exceptional achievements. Currently holding the position of Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology at Queen's University Belfast's School of Pharmacy and Director of Research, Professor Donnelly has garnered acclaim for his pioneering work in developing advanced polymeric drug delivery systems. Specialising in transdermal and intradermal drug delivery methodologies, his research aims at optimising patient outcomes through innovative pharmaceutical technologies.

Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society publishing arm, has announced its partnership with Datapharm Ltd. Under the new partnership, Electronic Medicines Compendium (emc) the latest product to be added to MedicinesComplete, the online medicines information platform from Pharmaceutical Press. MedicinesComplete users can easily search emc information, with direct links to the trusted, clinical guidance from the British National Formulary (BNF). "emc through MedicinesComplete will include printable, ready-to-use patient information leaflets written by manufacturers to use at the point of care, and users will have access to an unlimited number of searches. In addition, emc will also include the full Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) document, which accompanies all regulator approved medicines in the UK," said the RPS. Available to all countries outside the UK, emc will be launched early next year on subscription through MedicinesComplete. UK access is available on request.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Professor Parastou Donyai as chief scientist. She will take up the role in June. Parastou is a pharmacist with a PhD in pharmacy. She also has a postgraduate diploma in Psychological Research Methods as well as a degree in Psychology. She is currently a professor of Social & Cognitive Pharmacy at the University of Reading and her research examines the psychology of medication use, discontinuation and decision-making processes. Prior to this, Parastou also spent more than five years as a senior lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Kingston University and St. George's University of London. Her longstanding research interest includes continuing professional development in pharmacy. Commenting on her appointment, Parastou said: "It is a real privilege for me to be the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's next chief scientist. "As a pharmacist, scientist and academic, I look forward to working with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's members and key stakeholders to uphold the value of science across the breadth of our profession."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has re-joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) after reflecting its commitment to international collaboration and the advancement of the pharmacy profession. RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "Members told us they wanted to see us re-join FIP to further our commitment to international partnerships which support education and advocacy to develop and progress the pharmacy profession.". "We fully recognise the importance of international collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and best practice with our peers across the world. "FIP are refocusing their membership offer and we're delighted to work with them on opportunities for professional development and increased visibility and recognition for the pharmacy profession." Paul Bennett, RPS CEO said: "Now that we have re-joined, our teams across RPS look forward to reinvigorating the close collaboration we have previously enjoyed with our colleagues both within FIP itself, and across the breadth of FIP Member organisations to further our vision and mission".

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has confirmed it will respond to UK Commission's 'call for evidence' on pharmacy professional leadership. The commission wants to ensure the professions are well equipped, with a voice to help shape the future, and enabled to develop through sharing and learning from best practice. The UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership has been set up by the chief pharmaceutical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It will produce recommendations for the future of pharmacy professional leadership in the UK. 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's Medical School. The commission will be hosting a webinar and has urged the associations and individuals to take part in 'call for evidence' which has been launched to inform and develop its work. A webinar in England will take place on Wednesday 7 September 6:30 - 8 pm. In Scotland it will be organised on Tuesday 6 September 7-8:30 pm and in Wales it will be hosted on Thursday 8 September 7-8:30 pm.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has confirmed that the recall of blood pressure drugs amlodipine and olmesartan by the Food and Drug Administration is only for the US market and will not have any impact in the UK. MHRA also clarified that the manufacturer of these drugs, Macleod Pharmaceuticals, does not supply amlodipine medicines in the UK. It was published online in both the Daily Record and Daily Express on the morning of Monday, March 21, that the drugs had been recalled in the US by the FDA due to deviations from standard manufacturing protocols by the manufacturer. RPS intervened to ensure the articles were edited to make clear that this is not an issue in the UK after confirmation from the MHRA. Amlodipine tablets from Macleod Pharmaceuticals aren't available for wholesale distribution in the UK.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has awarded Professor Abdul Basit with the RPS Harrison Memorial Medal for an outstanding contribution to advancing pharmaceutical science. Professor Basit graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Pharmacy from the University of Bath, and received his PhD from The School of Pharmacy, University of London. Currently in position as Professor of Pharmaceutics at the UCL School of Pharmacy, he is internationally recognised for leading in the field of drug delivery, microbiome medicines, three-dimensional printing of pharmaceuticals and digital health. He has also founded three start-up companies. Professor Basit has an impressive track record of publications, and a lifetime grant and investment income of over £100million pounds. His research has led to a series of transformative drug delivery systems, translated into the design of new technologies and improved therapies, many of which have been commercialised and launched worldwide including a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. To date, more than a million patients have benefited from inventions created and developed in the Basit Research Group.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced the results of the 2024 elections for its three national Pharmacy Boards. For the English Pharmacy Board, the newly elected members include Claire Anderson, Martin Astbury, Steve Churton, Ciara Duffy, Sue Ladds, Mike Maguire, Tase Oputu and Ankish Patel. Matthew Prior has been elected for a period of one year to fill the casual vacancy on the Board. Seven candidates have been elected unopposed to the RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board. They include: Jonathan Burton, Lucy Dixon, Laura Fulton, Catriona Sinclair, Amina Slimani-Fersia, Richard Strang and Audrey Thompson. Only seven nominations were received for the eight substantive vacancies on the board. Helen Davies has been elected to the RPS Welsh Pharmacy Board to represent the Primary Care sector. Meanwhile, Rafia Jamil and Geraldine McCaffrey have been elected unopposed to fill the two vacancies in the Hospital sector.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has informed the Welsh Parliament about the workforce crisis in the pharmacy sector and the need to prioritise staff well-being and training requirements to help Covid recovery plans. Providing evidence to the Senedd's Health and Social Care Committee's inquiry into waiting times, the RPS director in Wales Elen Jones emphasised that the pandemic brought the pharmacy workforce under immense pressure. She emphasised on "the need for workforce planning that allows pharmacists enough time to learn, teach and embed new skills," which would help in maintaining a motivated and sustainable workforce. Jones presented the evidence alongside colleagues from the Royal College of General Practitioners, Community Pharmacy Wales and the Royal College of Nursing.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has opened a survey which asks its members how they would want to take part in and learn about decisions made by the RPS. The RPS said the survey was a core part of the independent review of member participation and communications led by communications consultancy Luther Pendragon. It said: "We will be asking our members to join focus groups to give their opinions on how participation can be developed and strengthened, and how RPS communications about decisions it has taken on behalf of the profession through its governance boards can be improved. We will also be asking our elected members and key external stakeholders for their views over the coming weeks." The Luther team will then build a series of recommendations for RPS and develop a corporate communications strategy which will include action plans to enable greater participation. RPS president Claire Anderson said: "We want to hear from as many of you as possible through our survey to inform how the organisation works with and engages with you, our members.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched a new position paper on 'How pharmacy can do more to tackle health inequalities'. The RPS paper aims to help pharmacists and pharmacy teams to take action against health inequalities. It is designed to provide a reference source for pharmacy teams to use over time to continually improve services. RPS said: "Like all health services, these pharmacy services do not always reach everyone. Often it is people who are suffering the greatest inequalities that find it most difficult to access the services that are currently available. This can be for a large number of reasons including poverty, education, being part of a group vulnerable to exclusion, language and power." Therefore, the RPS paper focuses not on "what" services pharmacy provides but "how" they are provided, with an aim of making them more accessible for people who are currently struggling. Claire Anderson, President of Royal Pharmaceutical Society said: "It's fantastic that pharmacy teams in every sector of pharmacy across Great Britain are providing care that can improve health inequalities, with many patients able to access pharmacy services very easily. Brilliant examples of this shine through in the paper.

Cutting the red tape that blocks pharmacists to alter the HRT prescription could 'quickly fix' the problem of women unable to access their HRT medicines, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) told Daily Mail. RPS has suggested that allowing pharmacists to prescribe alternative HRT treatment amid nationwide shortage of HRT medicine could help the women who are struggling to access these medicines. Thorrun Govind, chair of the English Pharmacy Board, told MailOnline 'changes in prescription rules need to be changed urgently.' She added, 'For the pharmacists on the ground, they need the ability to get rid of this bureaucracy. When you think about it - who's best able to offer an alternative - that tends to be the pharmacist.' MailOnline quoted Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, as said, 'We welcome the Health Secretary meeting with key suppliers and manufacturers to find solutions to the current shortages. But cutting the red tape holding pharmacists back could provide a 'quick fix' that would allow 'women to access their HRT medicines more speedily'.

Nine in ten people surveyed by Ipsos on behalf on NHS positively rated the advice they received from their local pharmacies. The results from Ipsos found that the vast majority of patients (91%) who had used a community pharmacy in the previous year for advice about medicines, a health problem or injury, or what health service they should use said they received good advice. The research comes as more than 11,000 pharmacies in England can now access training to spot signs of cancer as part of a new drive to catch tumours earlier when they are easier to treat. Thorrun Govind, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society English Pharmacy Board, said: "Community pharmacists are working exceptionally hard to make sure that the public gets the right advice at the right time. This new data shows the public appreciate both the accessibility and quality of advice they receive from community pharmacists. "I am delighted that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is working with the NHS to deliver professional development for community pharmacists to further enhance their clinical consultation skills.

As part of its inclusion and diversity strategy, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched a campaign to challenge barriers to working in pharmacy for those with disabilities. A profession-wide survey on the subject conducted by the RPS, identified disability as the biggest barrier to working in pharmacy, highlighting the area of work to support pharmacists. The campaign will focus on reducing barriers to enter the profession, developing more accessible working environments and encouraging employers to collect data on disability in the workplace. The campaign, based on inputs from the RPS Ability Group volunteers with visible and non-visible disabilities, will run until the end of March. Following recommendation of the RPS Ability Group, RPS has written to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) the Higher Education Occupational Practitioners (HEOPS) to update the guidance on standards of medical fitness for pharmacy students.

To help transform care for patients, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is calling on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to remove the two-year post qualification wait for pharmacists before they are allowed to start their independent prescriber training. RPS proposes that entry to training should be based on whether pharmacists can evidence the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to undertake the training, and not the length of time a pharmacist has been on the register. RPS president Claire Anderson said: "We've campaigned strongly for better use of pharmacist independent prescribers, who are becoming essential to multi professional teams in all health care settings. "We want to ensure pharmacy remains an attractive career and has parity with the other professions. Pharmacist prescribing is now moving from being a skill only associated with advanced specialist levels of practice to a more generalist scope, providing a workforce that's more flexible with a shared set of capabilities.

Pharmacists with 'relevant experience in a pharmacy setting' can enroll for accredited independent prescribing course, as the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has decided to scrap the requirement of spending at least two years on the register and having previous experience in a specified clinical or therapeutic area before enrolling for the course. The GPhC Council meeting held on Thursday instead proposed that applicants must have "relevant experience in a pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber." This experience and awareness will act as the basis of their prescribing practice whilst training. The regulator noted that the majority of stakeholder organisations, including the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the statutory education bodies, were in favour of removing the requirement in a consultation on the topic. They highlighted that a specific two-year period was not in itself a robust indication of whether an individual was ready to become a prescriber. They also highlighted that the rapidly developing roles in the profession meant more pharmacists were likely to gain the necessary experience more quickly than in the past. A smaller number of organisations and a larger minority of individuals were opposed, citing that a specific two-year period gave pharmacists the time they needed to develop experience and confidence before being ready to enrol on a course.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has removed a pharmacist from its register who black-marketed 'zolpidem' along with another pharmacist between 2015 and 2016. Dean Zainool Dookhan, a pharmacist first registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain on 18 October 2004 and whose registration was later transferred to the General Pharmaceutical Council under registration number 2059808, was jailed last year for exporting 20,000 packets of zolpidem to the Caribbean. While hearing the case on 24-25 May, GPhC's Fitness to Practise Committee stated that "removal of the Registrant's name from the register is the appropriate and proportionate response to his convictions." "The public interest includes protecting the public, maintaining public confidence in the profession, and maintaining proper standards of behaviour. The Committee is entitled to give greater weight to the public interest than the Registrant's own interest in remaining on the register." "The Committee recognises the sanction has a punitive effect in that the Registrant's ability to practise and earn an income as a pharmacist and 28 his professional reputation will be curtailed; it will be five years before he can seek restoration to the register. However, that is the price he must pay for failing to comply with the fundamental tenets of his profession."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has stated that the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership lacks the essential transparency, efficiency, and diligence needed for success, urging a shift in its approach. The Commission's operational approach hinders its ability to meet the expectations of both the profession and the public, while prioritising government interests over their needs and preferences, RPS Chief Executive Paul Bennett (R) and President Claire Anderson have jointly said. In a blog post on September 7, the RPS leaders asserted that the Commission lacks transparency and is progressing slowly in implementing proposals that were published seven months ago. "Most pharmacy leaders are growing frustrated and increasingly impatient with the Commission's perceived lack of "meaningful progress" in enhancing leadership within the field," the pair noted. In June 2022, the four UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhOs) formed an independent Commission with leadership expertise drawn from various domains, both within and outside of pharmacy, to assess the future of professional leadership. The Pharmacy Minister Neil O'Brien recently revealed that the Commission's costs, funded by the offices of the CPhOs, amounted to £87,745.

Pharmacy professionals to be included as key stakeholders in the implementation, delivery and evaluation of a wide range of genomic services, said the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). RPS's statement has been developed in collaboration with pharmacy organisations who have co-badged the report, such as the British Oncology Pharmacy Association, the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association, Association of Pharmacy Technicians and the College of Mental Health Pharmacy. It looks at current and future roles for pharmacy professionals in genomic medicine across many aspects of practice such as person-centred care and collaboration, professional practice, education, leadership, management and research. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the UK have already established roles in the application of genomic medicine in some areas of practice, such as antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases, and the management of certain genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis. The society believes, the current role of pharmacy professionals in genomics can be expanded upon in the future to both lead and support many relevant aspects of genomic implementation. These are described across all healthcare sectors, within the Genome UK strategy produced by the UK Government, and within the implementation plans published in England, Scotland and Wales. Lead for Pharmacogenomics at RPS Sophie Harding said: "Pharmacy professionals are the gatekeepers of medication safety and efficacy across all areas of healthcare. They are skilled at interpreting complex scientific data and use evidence-based medicine to maximise the benefits of treatments for patients, whilst supporting shared decision-making with patients and the multidisciplinary team.

A roundtable organised by National Pharmacists Association (NPA) discussed how an enhanced role of community pharmacies could help people with obesity. Seven action points were recommended by the delegates at the virtual event which took place on March 31, in collaboration with Novo Nordisk. It was chaired by Professor Maggie Rae, president of the Faculty of Public Health and featured representatives from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Royal Society for Public Health, Patients Association, UK Health Security Agency, Diabetes UK and NHS England. The roundtable also heard testimony from a parent of a young adult living with obesity and a presentation of the personal experience of someone living with the condition by Sarah Le Brocq, director of campaign group, All About Obesity.