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The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has raised concerns over the impact that high medicine price rises are having on contractor. Recently, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has granted the final list of price concessions for December 2022. The latest additions bring the total number of concessionary prices granted for the month of December to 198, surpassing the previous record of 159 granted in September 2022. PSNC has heard from hundreds of community pharmacy contractors who are paying inflated prices for antibiotics used for the treatment of Strep A and who have rightly been concerned about the lack of certainty around the final reimbursement prices for these medicines. It added: "We welcomed the involvement of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to look into the pricing of antibiotics. But the number of reports we are getting from contractors about medicines price rises are just not acceptable and this goes far beyond the antibiotic crisis."

At the recent European Antibiotics Awareness Day, doctors have been discussing the overuse of antibiotics and the dangerous effects of this common phenomenon.

In the treatment of many infectious diseases can not get away without antibiotics. Except that many of these drugs have numerous side effects, while not always effective ... Much more useful and cheaper to use natural antibiotics to strengthen your immune system as they are safe for the microflora of the gastro-intestinal tract, not provoking the development of fungal infections and does not damage the mucosa of the oral cavity. - See more at: http://www.immunesystemboosters.info/2013/08/strengthen-immune-system-with-natural.html#sthash.qq5hXpY5.dpuf

The European Commission launched an initiative to deal with the ongoing supply crisis on Tuesday (24 October). The following announcement comes after the shortage of key antibiotics last winter identified by the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The "European Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism" is a proposed short-term measure that involves a Member State's need for a given medicine to other Member States to redistribute medicines from their available stock. Additionally, the Commission intends to cooperate with member states to improve components of pharmaceutical reform with an aim to strengthen supply security. They are setting up a few actions apart from the launch, a list of critical medicines to analyse the supply chain by early 2024; regulatory flexibilities; strengthening security of supply; and availability of antibiotics and treatments for respiratory viruses by next winter.

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has acknowledged the efforts of community pharmacies, wholesalers and procurement teams in securing supply of antibiotics for the treatment of Group A Streptococcus infection in Northern Ireland. "Locally community pharmacies, wholesalers and procurement teams have been working tirelessly to secure stock deliveries into Northern Ireland. The Department acknowledges the immense efforts from all involved," it said. "To put this in context, it is estimated that around one month's worth of stock based on normal demand was exhausted in less than 48 hours last week." "While demand is well in excess of what is usual for this time of year, the system has been working hard to replenish stocks as quickly as possible, as such wholesalers are still receiving and making deliveries, with more scheduled over the coming days."

In a collaborative effort to combat the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), UWE Bristol and Bedminster Pharmacy have secured grant funding from the UKRI Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) for a groundbreaking 4-month project. This initiative aims to revolutionise antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices at the community pharmacy level, addressing the pressing need for evidence-based approaches in tackling AMR. With antibiotic misuse contributing significantly to the rise of AMR, the project underscores the vital role of community pharmacies in promoting responsible antibiotic use. Mr Ade Williams, Superintendent Pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy, emphasised the significance of this endeavour, stating:

Ear infection treatments are based on antibiotics and ear tubes - both have risks and side effects. Find out more about natural, non-medication, surgery free ear infection treatment for children and adults to guarantee safe healing and pain relief. Most conventional doctors will convince you that there is no other option. Instead of giving antibiotics every time your child has an ear infection, Eardoc device can strengthen your child's health so that the whole pattern of getting sick stops.

Primary-care medicine is as much art as it is science, but clinicians sometimes rely too heavily on the former when it comes to prescribing antibiotics. Nowhere is this truer than in the treatment of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Most cases of bronchitis are caused by viruses, but many clinicians prescribe antibiotics at their patients' insistence. Patients may explain that they are going on a long-planned vacation and just can't afford to be sick, or they are getting married that weekend and desperately need to get over an annoying cold.

How Do You Treat an Ear Infection There are a few treatments that can be considered for ear infections. Some are natural and some are drugs and antibiotics. When starting a treatment, make sure the treatment is for the problem and not the symptoms. Many antibiotics treat symptoms (and act like pain killers) instead of taking care of the problem in the ear infection - the fluids and air accumulated in the middle ear. Taking the pain away does not mean that the problem will be solved. It is much recommended to take a holistic comprehensive approach, taking care of the symptoms. Read more here on how to treat the ear infections without seeing a doctor.

By the time your child will reach his 3rd birthday, he had already suffered at least once from an ear infection - this is what the statistics provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services say. But is this real? Has your child really suffered from an ear infection or that pain is due to another condition? And, most important, are antibiotics the only way to cure this condition? We're going to find out together!

Ear infection treatments are based on antibiotics and ear tubes - both have risks and side effects. Find out more about natural, non-medication, surgery free ear infection treatment for children and adults to guarantee safe healing and pain relief.Most conventional doctors will convince you that there is no other option. Instead of giving antibiotics every time your child has an ear infection, Eardoc device can strengthen your child's health so that the whole pattern of getting sick stops.

Two new medications which fight drug-resistant superbugs could soon become available to NHS patients in England after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said they offered value for money. NICE said Cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam will be the first antimicrobial drugs to be made available as part of a subscription-style payment model that incentivises research and development of antimicrobials by testing new approaches to evaluating and paying for them. As part of part of a project with the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care, the new payment model is designed to address the growing threat posed by antimicrobial resistance - a serious global problem - which develops when the pathogens that cause infection evolve to make antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs less effective or stop them from working altogether.

The NHS has signed the first-of-its-kind subscription deal for two antimicrobial drugs - cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam, manufactured by Shionogi and Pfizer respectively - that will help around 1700 patients per year with severe bacterial infections. Under this deal, pharmaceutical firms will receive a fixed yearly fee - capped at a level that represents value to taxpayers - in order to incentivise funding for innovation that can generate a pipeline of new antibiotics for NHS patients. NHS said the deal will help patients with serious infections that have evolved so much that antibiotics and other current treatments are no longer effective can be given a potentially life-saving alternative. The drugs will provide a lifeline to patients with life-threatening infections like sepsis, hospital or ventilator pneumonia and blood stream infection. Announcing the deal at NHS ConfedExpo, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard called the revolutionary subscription deal a game-changer and the latest NHS success in using its commercial power to benefit NHS patients in line with the NHS Long Term Plan. "Superbug-busting drugs on the NHS will save lives and strike a blow in the global battle against antimicrobial resistance," Pritchard said.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has allowed pharmacists to supply alternative penicillin to treat Strep A. It has issued Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for three penicillin medicines. "The SSPs will help mitigate local supply issues of oral penicillin and allow pharmacists to supply alternative forms of the medicine if they do not have the specific formulation stated on the prescription," said DHSC. SSPs have been issued across the UK for 3 penicillin medicines on Thursday (December 15. "Issuing an SSP allows pharmacists to legally supply a specified alternative medicine, removing the need for the patient to return to the prescriber - which saves time in GP practices and inconvenience for patients." "Demand for penicillin has risen recently as it is used to treat strep A and scarlet fever, and the increased demand means that some pharmacists are experiencing temporary and localised supply issues and may not have the specific formulation listed on the prescription."

A report released by the Independent Commission has blamed Brexit supply issues for medicine shortages. NHS is forced to pay extortionate prices to fulfil the demand for vital antibiotics, anti-depressants, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs. The report highlights the impact of affected medicine supply issues on community pharmacies and patients. Janet Morrison, the chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, backed the report and said that the "medicine shortages and market instability appear to be as bad as they have ever been". She also explained how the Ukraine conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and broader economic instability also play a major factor in the situation.

Pneumonia is a formidable respiratory infection that affects millions of people yearly. It remains a global health concern. Thankfully, science has armed us with an impressive arsenal against this potentially life-threatening condition: the pneumonia treatment antibiotics.

The Scottish government has issued a circular to inform community pharmacy contractors that the Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Clarithromycin 125mg/5ml oral suspension, an antibiotic product, due to expire on 15 December 2023, has been extended until Friday 12 January 2024. The extension is applicable to SSP053 which allows community pharmacists to substitute this product with Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension for patients presenting with an NHS or private prescription. Scotland's chief pharmaceutical officer, Alison Strath, has advised health boards to spread this information to community pharmacy contractors on their pharmaceutical lists and area pharmaceutical committees, as well as general practices. Community pharmacists have been advised to review and familiarise themselves with the new end date for the noted SSP.

Try the Eardoc, ear infection natural remedies. He explained that not every ear infection needs antibiotics. A person must always try to find out some natural remedies for the cure of ear infection, before consulting a doctor.

When treating ear infections in the middle ear, several alternatives are available. first, consult a doctor for his opinion. The doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics and pain killers. These will have a slow effect, and are harmful to the body in large doses. Some might try homeopathic therapy such as garlic oil or warm olive oil. One alternative which is new in the market is the Eardoc, a natural non-invasive device to treat the fluid in the ear and cure the infection. The Eardoc offers a quick relief and is easy to use.

Most conventional doctors will convince you that there is no other option. Instead of giving antibiotics every time your child has an ear infection, Eardoc device can strengthen your child's health so that the whole pattern of getting sick stops.