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The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has announced that Pinder Sahota has decided to step down as President of the ABPI. ABPI stated that he has made this decision to "avoid an ongoing process around a Novo Nordisk ABPI Code of Practice breach becoming a distraction from the vital work of the ABPI". Richard Torbett, Chief Executive, ABPI, said: "Pinder is a passionate advocate for the industry, and I want to thank him for his valuable contribution as ABPI President. "I fully respect Pinder's decision to step down as ABPI President which will in no way affect the ongoing case relating to Novo Nordisk. Any breach of the ABPI Code is taken extremely seriously and it is essential that all regulatory actions are robust, fair and transparent." ABPI Vice-President, Susan Rienow, Country President of Pfizer, will temporarily take on the roles and responsibilities of the ABPI President until a new President is chosen by the ABPI Board.

The menopause is a natural aging process, whereby a woman's oestrogen level drops thus disrupting periods until they eventually stop. A woman is said to be in the menopause when her periods have stopped for 12 months. The age when this usually occurs is between 45-55 but symptoms can begin prior to this. Symptoms vary and not all women experience them all. They include hot flushes, vaginal dryness, joint and muscle pain, insomnia, reduced libido, urinary problems such as bladder weakness or Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), but this list is not exhaustive. Up to a third of women declare that the menopause affects their quality of life. It is obvious that such physical changes can have an effect on ones well-being. Women going through the menopause are at increased risk of developing depression, low self-esteem and problems with concentration (often called brain fog). There are lots of misconceptions in the public and workplace around menopause as it is a little discussed topic. Did you know 45 per cent of women feel their menopause symptoms have had a negative impact on their work and 47 per cent of women have said that they won't tell their employer if they need to take a day-off from work because of menopausal symptoms? So, with women making up nearly half of the UKs workforce, have you thought about what support your workplace offers for you? And if you are an employer, what could you be doing to support your colleagues who need help during this time?

Three batches of Mexiletine hydrochloride 50mg, 100mg and 200 mg hard capsules manufactured by Clinigen Healthcare has been recalled. Pharmacists are urged to quarantine the said batches and return it to the supplier by or before 12 August. Clinigen Healthcare Ltd has initiated a recall of three batches of Mexiletine hydrochloride hard capsules due to a potential risk of under dose or overdose, which could have consequences for the safety of patients. The manufacturer has confirmed that no alternative batches of Mexiletine hydrochloride 50mg, 100mg or 200mg hard capsules will be available until later in the year, therefore the recall of these batches from patients should only be considered where patients have access to appropriate alternative products. See below for more information on resupplying patients with alternative products. "Patients should be advised not to stop any treatments without consulting their relevant healthcare professional. The risks of suddenly stopping medication for ventricular arrhythmias is higher than the potential risk presented by too much or too little of the active ingredient in the capsule."

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has urged community pharmacy to plan and ensure patients are able to access their prescription if they have to close in an emergency situation for a short period. It has prepared a guidance which can be undertaken by pharmacy in the event of a closure and the contractor's business can resume easily and effectively once the emergency has passed. In its guidance, PSNC has stated a few actions that can be taken by pharmacy in advance: Plan ahead - be ready before a closure is needed. Don't wait until your pharmacy needs to be closed before you consider how you will manage and what you can put in place to mitigate the impact. Make sure your business continuity plan is up to date and relevant to the current situation. For example, try not to rely on family and friends as part of your plan; if you're having to isolate because of infectious illness, your close contacts may need to do so as well. Ensure your SOPs are accurate, up to date and easy-to-find for someone completely unfamiliar with your pharmacy. Emergency numbers will be crucial. Normal, everyday business continuity issues are still going to arise and anyone on-site needs to know how to address them:

There are several benefits to losing weight, including higher self-esteem, better mood, improved sleep pattern, and better health in general. In addition, you can prevent various health concerns associated with obesity, such as heart problems and diabetes. There are different ways to help reduce weight, including lifestyle changes. It requires discipline, perseverance, and commitment to reach your goal and maintain it. The first step to making these changes can be challenging, but you must push yourself and keep moving forward to achieve your objective. If you are a beginner, the weight loss tips can be overwhelming, and some may be too hard to do that it could demotivate you or make you give up. So, we listed some tips for losing weight that are ideal for beginners. Set your goal Although you may want to lose weight immediately, the truth is that it will not happen overnight. Remember that it did not take one day to gain all those extra pounds, so you cannot lose them instantly. Setting your expectations straight is essential, so you won't be disappointed if you do not see an immediate result. You need consistency to be where you want to be, so make sure you have a clear objective. You can set smaller goals that you can achieve within a shorter period, then set another goal after that until you reach your ideal weight. You will feel motivated by these small wins, making you want to keep going.

This is the million dollar question, because everyone living on this planet experiences anxiety disorder one or more times in their life. In simple words, anxiety can be easily defined as the feelings of fear, panic and uneasiness caused by a situation or things. People suffering from this disorder cannot concentrate on their studies or work due to intense emotions that they cannot control. Therefore, it is important to treat this disorder with the best available medical treatment. Anxiety symptoms can appear unexpectedly and without any reason and gradually become stronger until a person realizes that something is wrong and needs proper attention. The best way to control the symptoms of this disorder is to use the anti-anxiety tablets Alprazolam 3mg, which you can buy online from Pharma Health Online.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has appointed Sunil Kumar, an independent contractor from Darlington, as the Regional Representative for the North East and Cumbria region. "Kumar will represent all independent contractors in the region at the PSNC Committee until 31st March 2023, which is the end of the current term for all Regional Representatives," said PSNC. PSNC's North East and Cumbria region covers the areas of Community Pharmacy County Durham; Community Pharmacy Cumbria; Gateshead & South Tyneside LPC; North of Tyne LPC; Sunderland LPC and Tees LPC.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the charity Marie Curie have developed a consultation on 'professional standards for palliative and end of life care for community pharmacy'. The consultation will be open for four weeks for community pharmacists, organisations with a role in community pharmacy or palliative/end of life care, or patients or carers with first-hand experience of palliative and end of life care to share their views until 1st December 2022. Through this consultation, Society aims to that ensure the standards are clear, relevant, current, and fit for purpose from the perspective of the community pharmacy team, the wider health team and patients/carers. "The final standards will be published in 2023 and will help community pharmacies across the UK to self-assess and continuously improve their palliative, end of life and bereavement care," said RPS.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has published the Drug Tariff Category M price list for July which reflects an increase in reimbursement level of approximately £5m per quarter. An adjustment of -£23.8m was announced, in light of the results of the margin survey (latest result up until end of December 2022), and the phasing down of the additional £100m agreed across years 4 and 5 as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework and uplifts for underlying market prices (between January - March 2023). Community Pharmacy England has agreed the adjustments based on the analysis of margin delivery and on current projections for 2023/24. It said: "The objectives are to ensure full delivery of agreed margin and smooth delivery as much as possible. As always, the impact on individual pharmacies will vary depending on dispensing mix."

The new board of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has adopted 10 principles for transforming the contractual framework in England. The board met for the first time in April, believes that the current Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework is failing NPA members, the wider sector, the NHS, Government and patients. The association's new vice chair, Jay Badenhorst, said: "We can't wait until the current framework limps to its finish line in 2024 before giving serious thought to the new race we must all run in the future." "Before negotiations for a new contract begin in earnest, we want to make our position clear to all of those who will be involved in its development. Years more of the same would be totally unacceptable. Tinkering at the edges of the current arrangements as the basis for a new deal could not achieve the transformation that is needed." Former chair of the NPA, Andrew Lane, listed some of the principles in a speech to industry leaders in January, but this is the first time the approach has been agreed in its entirety, following months of testing with NPA members.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Fitness to Practise Committee decided to remove a pharmacist from the GPhC Register at a 'remote videolink' hearing held on 13 - 14 April. "The decision will not take effect until 12 May 2023 or, if an appeal is lodged, once that appeal has been concluded," the committee said. Kapil Ramesh Rabadia, a pharmacist first registered on 25 July 2011 with GPhC under registration number 2075823 was convicted of 'fraud by abuse of position' and 'being concerned in supplying controlled drugs' following a guilty plea on 13 September 2021. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for the fraud by abuse of position and six months in respect of supplying a 3 Class B drug. However, the interim suspension set out in the decision takes effect immediately and will lapse when the removal decision takes effect or once any appeal is concluded. Between May 2018 and June 2019, Kapil ordered codeine linctus and Phenergan in excess of 100 bottles of each for four men who threatened him with knives and guns. The men told the pharmacist that he needed to continue to make the supplies or "there would be consequences" for him and his family.

Pfizer's plan to sell its Haleon stake is not a surprise, the consumer health company's finance chief Tobias Hestler told Reuters on Wednesday (3 May). London-listed Haleon was carved out as an independent company in July and comprises consumer health assets once owned by GSK and Pfizer. Pfizer, which has a 32% stake in the maker of Sensodyne toothpaste and Panadol painkillers, told the Financial Times on Tuesday that it intends to offload that stake in a "slow and methodical" manner within months. Hestler said Pfizer has long been clear about its intention to sell off the stake, suggesting that the reason the potential of the selloff has gained traction is because the selling window opens around the time that Haleon's results are announced. "This will happen every quarter from now until they're sold off…this is just what's expected," he said, adding: "If I get a courtesy call the evening before they do it then that would be nice, but they don't even have to do that." Shares of the world's biggest standalone consumer health business were down more than 3% in early trading.

Addiction is a complex disease that can be difficult to overcome. Many people don't realize how serious addiction is and often don't seek treatment until it's too late. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, it's important to learn as much as you can about the treatment process. This blog post will discuss six vital things that you should know about addiction treatment. RESEARCH THE VARIOUS TYPES OF TREATMENTS AVAILABLE One of the first things you should do when considering addiction treatment is to research the different types of treatments available. There are many different approaches to treating addiction, and it's important to find one that will work best for you or your loved one. Some common types of addiction treatments include 12-step programs, cognitive-behavioral therapy, detoxification, and medication-assisted treatment. The addiction treatment service providers behind Safe Harbor Treatment Center suggest that you should also consider the length of treatment, as some programs are more intensive than others. It's important to remember that no two people are the same, so what works for one person may not work for another. It's important to find a treatment that will address the underlying causes of addiction and help the individual to develop healthy coping mechanisms.

British health agencies have secured funding to develop a standardised approach to test the performance of vaccines being used or in development against monkeypox, days after the World Health Organization labelled the growing outbreak a global health emergency. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said it would give up to $375,000 to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to develop standard tools to assess the strength and duration of immune responses generated by current vaccines, and for tests used to detect monkeypox antibody levels. Apart from administration fees, these tools will be made freely available to the global scientific community, paving the way for a common standardised assessment between countries documenting vaccine performance against monkeypox, CEPI said. Until this year, the viral disease has rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic. But reports of a handful of cases in Britain in early May signalled that the outbreak had moved into Europe. So far, there have been more than 16,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries.

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.

To help manage the ongoing supply disruptions, the health regulators have extended to 28 October 2022, serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for 12 of the 13 hormone replacement therapies (HRT). "The only HRT SSP set to expire on 29 July 2022 is for SSP021 Premique low dose 0.3mg/1.5mg modified-release tablets. After 29 July, there will be no need to restrict quantities of Premique tablets as its supply situation has now stabilised," said PSNC. In addition, the dose equivalence advice and endorsement guidance for SSP024 and SSP025 have been updated. SSP024 and SSP025 have been updated by DHSC to provide greater clarity to pharmacists on the dose equivalences to determine the appropriate quantity to supply. Pharmacists are asked to refer to the latest SSP versions and endorsement guidance published on NHSBSA's website.

Healthcare has a strong relationship with technology. The modern structure of hospitals and medical facilities cannot function without the progress of technology. It is important to acknowledge the impact of technology to ensure that priority is given to the constant maintenance of innovation. Here are a few ways to understand how healthcare and technology operate together. TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS KEEPING UP WITH MEDICAL DEMANDS Healthcare has become increasingly dependent upon technology throughout the years. There is an almost infinite amount of equipment and machinery that is used on a day-to-day basis to help facilitate the care of patients. One aspect that needs to be acknowledged is the prevalence of smart technology within the hospital and healthcare spaces. Technology is being innovated, and it is only a matter of time until hospitals see such advancements be applied more often, as funding increases alongside the development of new machinery and equipment. These include the inclusion of artificial intelligence in order to assist and supplement healthcare professionals to do a better and more efficient job, providing better care for patients. Of course, such technology will need to follow trends of other industries first to ensure its safe use and application when dealing with patients.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Temazepam 10mg and 20mg tablets. "Temazepam 10mg and 20mg tablets are in limited supply until w/c 5th December 2022. Alternative benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics remain available and will be able to support increased demand," said DHSC. Temazepam 10mg/5ml oral solution remains available but cannot support an uplift in demand. DHSC suggested: "Where the above options are not suitable, unlicensed supplies of temazepam 10mg tablets may be sourced, lead times vary." The department confirmed that Target Healthcare, a specialist importers, have confirmed they can source unlicensed Temazepam 10mg tablets. "If there is currently no listing on dm+d for the imported product for prescribers to select using their prescribing systems an EPS prescription for unlicensed Temazepam 10mg tablets cannot be issued."

Dr Rod Hughes sets out how pharmacists can play a pivotal role in steering people with joint pain towards a prevention programme… Joint health supplements are big business in the UK, with millions of pounds spent over the counter every year. People turn to these supplements for various reasons, but most are seeking relief from the symptoms of arthritis, a group of painful long-term conditions thought to affect around 10 million people in this country. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting around eight million people in the UK. The condition is generally age-related, with joint pain and stiffness developing as the cartilage between the bones gradually wears away. OA changes and the inflammation involved causes difficulty moving and considerable pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) tends to affect younger people and is caused by the body's immune system attacking the joints. As a nation we tend to ignore our joints until they cause us problems, resulting in an increasing number of people taking long-term analgesics to control the pain or needing surgery to repair knees and hips. Treatment guidelines followed by doctors in the UK recommend that people with arthritis are advised to maintain a healthy weight and keep physically active, while strengthening their muscles and protecting any damaged joints during daily activities.

Scientists Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman from Hungary and the United States respectively won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries enabling the development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, the award-giving body said on Monday. The prize, among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden's Karolinska Institute medical university and also comes with 11 million Swedish crowns (about £823,500). "The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19," the body said. Kariko was senior vice president and head of RNA protein replacement at BioNTech until 2022 and has since acted as an adviser to the company. She is also a professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Weissman is professor in vaccine research at the Perelman School.