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The University of Oxford on Tuesday said there was no evidence that vaccines would not prevent severe disease from Omicron, but that it was ready to rapidly develop an updated version of its vaccine developed with AstraZeneca if necessary. Earlier on Tuesday, the head of drugmaker Moderna said that Covid-19 shots were unlikely to be as effective against the variant, jolting global markets. The University of Oxford said that there was limited data on Omicron so far, and that it would carefully evaluate the impact of the variant on its shot, echoing an AstraZeneca statement last week. "Despite the appearance of new variants over the past year, vaccines have continued to provide very high levels of protection against severe disease and there is no evidence so far that Omicron is any different," it said in a statement.

Existing Covid-19 inoculations will struggle against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the head of vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned on Tuesday (November 30), as countries ramp up vaccination programmes and impose further restrictions in an effort to curb growing concern. First reported to the World Health Organization in South Africa less than a week ago, the new strain has rapidly spread from Africa to the Pacific, and from Europe to North America as dozens of countries have announced travel restrictions. While no deaths have yet been reported from Omicron, and it could take weeks to know how infectious and how resistant the strain may prove to vaccines, its emergence underscores how besieged the world remains by Covid-19, nearly two years after the first cases were recorded. Stephane Bancel, the head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna, told the Financial Times in an interview published today that data would be available on the effectiveness of vaccines in the two weeks' time, but that scientists were pessimistic.

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.

The Home Affairs Committee has called upon the government to revise its current drug policy, moving away from the exclusive 'abstinence only' approach towards a more practical strategy that highlights harm reduction. The HAC's recommendations also include the introduction of a national naloxone programme in England, with community pharmacies playing a central role in facilitating access. The committee published its comprehensive report on August 31, with key recommendations, including the 'urgent' reclassification of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic research; a pilot safe consumption facility program (long resisted by the Westminster Government despite Scottish lobbying); and enhanced provision and research on cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPMs). The report urged the establishment of a national naloxone programme in England, aligning with devolved nations. It also highlighted the role of community pharmacists and peer initiatives for effective distribution and administration. Furthermore, the report emphasises enhanced naloxone distribution for prison leavers. Naloxone is a medication capable of rapidly reversing heroin or methadone overdoses, potentially saving lives.

The NHS England has introduced a training programme for 1000 staff to broaden their community pharmacy roles, thereby improving patient access to services. Among them, 500 pharmacy staff will be trained to supervise pharmacists during prescription training, while the remaining 500 will provide support for various training, including pre and post-registration programmes for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. According to the NHSE, pharmacist and pharmacy technician roles are rapidly evolving due to healthcare changes and increased demand for clinical services in community pharmacy. "There are 3,000 independent prescribing training spots available for 2023/24. Educational supervision is a crucial part of this to enable the ongoing transformation and skills development of the growing pharmacy workforce." The NHSE-funded training, scheduled to begin next month, will ensure that those involved in educational supervision, including Designated Supervisors (DSs), Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician education supervisors and Designated Prescribing Practitioners (DPPs), can effectively support learners.

Skelmersdale-based online pharmacy Chemist4U has secured a £12 million investment from Pitalia Capital, an equity investment company led by Anil Pitalia. Chemist4U is part of JCCO Healthcare, which also houses the weight management platform myBMI. Anil Pitalia is a health enthusiast, who heads SpaMedica, a company providing cataract surgery to the NHS. This investment will propel the group's expansion, with John Davies, Managing Partner of Pitalia Capital, joining the board, the company said. Moreover, it will facilitate the extension of services by myBMI in the realm of weight management. "Our goal is for Chemist4U to emerge as one of the largest NHS dispensing facilities in the country, while also providing vital support to our partners through our rapidly expanding outsourced dispensing services division," said said James O'Loan, Chief Executive Officer of both Chemist4U and myBMI, who joined Chemist4U as a superintendent pharmacist in 2012 before becoming CEO in 2018. Meanwhile, Anil Pitalia, Head of Pitalia Capital based in Bolton, cited the compelling growth potential as the driving force behind his investment in Chemist4U's next-day medicine delivery service.

The High Court has dismissed the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA)'s claim on being excluded from ongoing negotiations between the government and industry to agree a new Voluntary Scheme for medicine pricing and access (VPAS). The association had sought a judicial review of the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) decision to negotiate a new Voluntary Scheme for branded medicines with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in April. Commenting on the result of the case, Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the ABPI said: "For over 60 years the ABPI has acted as the representative industry body for negotiations on the Voluntary Scheme for branded medicines - a responsibility we take extremely seriously - and one which has been reaffirmed by today's judgment. "While we were disappointed that the BGMA decided to take this action - we recognise their decision was driven by the extreme challenge placed on all parts of the industry from the surge in the branded medicine payment rates. "The solution to these problems must be a completely new and sustainable approach to medicines provision in the UK which rapidly brings industry revenue payments in line with comparator countries to unlock investment and growth."

In a rapidly evolving and competitive landscape, the pharmaceutical industry faces unique challenges when it comes to marketing its products and services. With stringent regulations, complex target audiences, and a need for trust and credibility, pharma companies need to employ effective marketing strategies to stand out in the crowd. In this blog article, we will explore some key marketing strategies for the pharma industry that can help boost their visibility, engage their target audience, and drive business growth. UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE LANDSCAPE The pharma industry operates in a highly regulated environment, where compliance and ethical considerations play a crucial role. Before diving into marketing strategies, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the industry's dynamics and the target audience. Researching the market, identifying patient needs, and studying the competitive landscape are vital steps in developing an effective marketing plan. EMBRACING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Digital transformation has revolutionized marketing across industries, and the pharma sector is no exception. Embracing digital channels and technologies can significantly enhance the reach and impact of marketing efforts. Pharma companies can leverage social media platforms, create engaging content, and build online communities to connect with patients, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders. Implementing robust digital marketing strategies allows for personalized messaging, real-time communication, and targeted campaigns that resonate with the target audience.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the way healthcare professionals work within the primary care setting. The advent of Covid-19 meant that we all had to rapidly modify the way we supported and met the needs of patients, some of whom saw the services they usually took for granted, virtually cease overnight. There are around 15 million people in England living with long-term health conditions including asthma. These people have the greatest healthcare needs of the whole population with 50 per cent of all GP appointments and 70 per cent of all bed days taken by this cohort of patients, and their treatment and care absorbing 70 per cent of acute and primary care budgets in England. This situation isn't going to improve any time soon. In the past, most people had a single condition, today multi-morbidity is becoming the norm. At the start of the pandemic, the Royal College of General Practice and British Medical Association issued guidance to practices on prioritising workload. This included the importance of maintaining long-term condition reviews in asthma, COPD and diabetes, along with appropriate transition of at-risk warfarin patients. These reviews were deemed as essential workstreams for patients considered to be at high risk. Traditionally, the unique skills set of a pharmacist has meant that we have played a major role in supporting these patients. I work with a team of over 90 clinical pharmacists who, in partnership with individual practices, PCNs, CCGs and STPs, help with the long-term management of people with chronic conditions. But the onset of Covid-19 meant that we now had to plug a potential gap in service provision, and quickly.

There are few conditions that bring the degree of isolation, embarrassment and self-consciousness that bowel and urinary incontinence does. In the UK, about 14 million adults experience bladder control problems and 6.5 million have bowel control difficulties. Additionally, there are just under a million children in the UK experiencing continence conditions at any one time. Over £200 million is spent on personal incontinence products; this is in addition to over three times the same amount spent by the NHS. With a rapidly ageing population and unaddressed contributing factors, the significant financial burden, but importantly, the impact on the quality of life and dignity is devastating. We also know that cultural and communication difficulties can create barriers making treatment access and symptom alleviation more difficult. Considering the demography that this has a greater impact on - patients with a learning disability, non-English speakers and disabled patient - it becomes apparent this is a form of health inequality. However, pharmacy teams are best placed to tackle this head-on. Incontinence is the inability to control your bladder or bowel, so you accidentally lose urine from the bladder (urinary incontinence) or faeces from the bowel (bowel incontinence).

What skills does a pharmacist need these days? You'd think it would be sufficient to have a good understanding of pharmacy and the ability to offer a great patient service. Whilst this is true of course, the reality of the day to day role demands skills which most pharmacists have not been trained for as part of their formal qualification. At the very least, pharmacists find themselves responsible for running the pharmacy, managing people, managing processes and dealing with issues relating to customers, suppliers, surgeries, regulators and stakeholders. Even the most junior pharmacists quickly find themselves being accountable for the financial performance of their department and having to work within budgets or deliver on targets. Remarkably, despite the apparent lack of any formal training in these areas, pharmacists have been able to adapt and meet the challenges of whatever their job has thrown at them. Many pharmacists go even further, bringing out their inner entrepreneurial spirit to set up their own business. There are now over 6,000 pharmacy businesses owned by independent pharmacists, with this segment growing. Whilst pharmacists have historically adapted to their environments and picked up the necessary business skills, the rapidly changing landscape of pharmacy will require pharmacists to establish new skills to help ensure their businesses survive and thrive.

Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday (January 18) that it was pulling the plug on a late-stage global trial of an HIV vaccine after the shot was found ineffective at preventing infections. The failure of the trial marks yet another setback in the search for a vaccine against a virus known to mutate rapidly and find unique ways to evade the immune system, and comes more than a year after another of J&J's HIV vaccine failed a study. "It's not the outcome we had hoped for, unfortunately," said a spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a J&J partner in the trial. "The development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine has been a considerable scientific challenge, but we will learn from this study and continue forward." The trial involved administering two different types of a shot, which uses a cold-causing virus to deliver the genetic code of HIV, spread over four vaccination visits in a year. J&J used similar technology for its COVID-19 vaccine. The study, which began in 2019, was conducted at over 50 sites and included about 3,900 gay men and transgender people - groups that are considered vulnerable to the infection.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) temporary register which was expected to close on 30 September 2022 will continue for the next two years following a request from the secretary of state for health and social care. The temporary register was set up in 2020 after the then secretary of state asked the GPhC to use its emergency powers in order to rapidly register pharmacy professionals to assist in the national response to the Covid-19 emergency. The UK government has made this decision, which is referenced in its new 'Plan for Patients' in England to enable health professionals on the temporary registers to continue to support the health and social care system. The Government had previously announced that the temporary registers established by the health professional regulators were expected to close on 30 September 2022. The decision by the UK government to ask the regulators to keep the temporary registers means that pharmacy professionals on GPhC temporary register can continue to practise.

Being accepted and appearing attractive has always been among the most coveted goals in the world, which has given rise to the multibillion-dollar cosmetic and beauty industry. Fairy stories have been written about everlasting charm, and battles have been waged over attaining beauty. For the most part throughout history, people have continuously sought ways to improve their features using natural materials, and as technology advanced, they began to use technical methods like light therapy to accomplish the same goal. Chains of cosmetic clinics have sprouted up as a result of advances in technology and cosmetic materials, providing a variety of techniques to slow down the aging process or improve our appearance. So how can you set up your own beauty treatment and plastic surgery clinic to take advantage of this rapidly expanding market? Here are some pieces of advice! FIND QUALITY EQUIPMENT Your success depends on securing the greatest tools available for skin care and plastic surgery. Good quality equipment is a complete solution for distinguishing yourself from the competition. The initial step would be to locate different vendors. Using criteria like the cost of the equipment and replacement parts, the vendor's training, the company's reputation, the after-sales services, yearly maintenance, system performance, warranty, and extended warranties, you may narrow down your list of recommended suppliers. When selecting the appropriate medical supplies and equipment for your clinic, keep your budget in mind.

The European Union's population shrank for a second year running last year, the bloc's statistics office said on Monday, as the region reels from over two million deaths from the coronavirus. According to Eurostat, the population of the 27 countries that make up the bloc fell by close to 172,000 from the previous year and over 656,000 from January 2020. "In 2020 and 2021 the positive net migration no longer compensated for the negative natural change in the EU and, as a consequence, the EU total population has been decreasing," it said, pointing to impacts from the pandemic. The number of deaths began outstripping births in the EU a decade ago, but immigration from outside the bloc helped offset the gap until the first year of the pandemic. The previous time the EU had registered a fall in population was in 2011 - the only other time since 1960 - but this rapidly picked up due to net migration.

The National Health Service (NHS) has said that the roll-out of blood-thinning drugs has helped save thousands of lives. In January 2022, the NHS launched a drive to rapidly expand the use of life-saving direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in people who are at increased risk of strokes. Since then, more than 24 million prescriptions have been given to such patients and around 460,000 more people have started taking the drugs. This prevented an estimated 17,000 strokes and 4,000 deaths in the last 18 months, as revealed by the new NHS data. Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, hailed the "lifesaving NHS rollout" at the King's Fund annual conference. It is part of a major NHS drive on "prevention" - to catch more killer conditions earlier and save more lives.

McKesson UK's CEO Toby Anderson has stepped down from the role with immediate effect after over three years with the company. Toby joined McKesson UK as CEO in September 2018 moving from health & beauty retailer A.S. Watson Group, where he spent 12 years in various roles. As CEO Asia and Eastern Europe, Toby was responsible for a rapidly growing business with more than 3,300 stores - including 1,500 pharmacies. Prior to that Toby spent 11 years in a number of senior roles with J. Sainsbury, the second largest grocery retailer in the UK, his last role being Head of Online. Dominik Meüser from AURELIUS Group said: "We are extremely grateful for the commitment Toby has demonstrated over the years to help us achieve the McKesson vision of becoming the UK's leading healthcare organisation. His leadership, during a period of great uncertainty, has given us the solid foundations we can now build on to deliver sustained success in the future.

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 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that monkeypox is to be listed as a notifiable disease in law from Wednesday (June 8). The new legislation means all doctors in England are required to notify their local council or local Health Protection Team (HPT) if they suspect a patient has monkeypox. Laboratories must also notify the UKHSA if the monkeypox virus is identified in a laboratory sample. Wendi Shepherd, monkeypox incident director at UKHSA, said: "Rapid diagnosis and reporting is the key to interrupting transmission and containing any further spread of monkeypox. This new legislation will support us and our health partners to swiftly identify, treat and control the disease. "It also supports us with the swift collection and analysis of data which enables us to detect possible outbreaks of the disease and trace close contacts rapidly, whilst offering vaccinations where appropriate to limit onward transmission."

Following centuries of stigma, the importance of mental wellness is finally matching that of physical healthcare. Conditions such as depression have become common topics in the media, particularly in the last few years as celebrities and experts warned against the pressures of social media. The bouts of isolation connected with the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue, with the British Medical Association declaring a UK mental health crisis at the end of 2022. This media attention has led to acknowledgement of the realities of mental health problems from the government and medical sector, and a recognition that these need to be approached differently to physical ailments when it comes to providing treatment. If you are motivated to be involved in this rapidly changing industry, consider these rewarding business ideas for developing a career in mental health. Become a counsellor Counselling is a broad term, but essentially it is the practice of having impartial conversation with patients about their life experiences with a view to overcoming emotional obstacles and trauma. Training can take three to five years depending on whether you are getting a degree or diploma, and there are many opportunities to specialise both during and after your education. Psychotherapy is a similar field, but this is a more academically focused course that tends to be concerned with long-term or particularly complex mental health issues. You will need a post-graduate qualification and several years of training to become certified.