Air Pollution has been one of the biggest problems that the humans have been facing over the years. This is not an issue for some specific country; it is important for people across the world to curb the issues related to air pollution. The Air pollution index has been at all-time highs for quite some time. The effects of air pollution can be severe and very impacting to your overall health.
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.
Independent pharmacies played a leading role in administering Covid-19 vaccines in the country, latest data compiled by the National Pharmacy Association has revealed.
According to the latest research conducted by the NPA and PharmData, independent community pharmacies were the biggest deliverers of Covid vaccines during January -
September 2021 as compared to corporate-run pharmacy sites.
The PharmData figures which looked at 610 pharmacy sites around the country showed that 85 per cent of them were independents, most of whom are NPA members.
NPA chief executive Mark Lyonette said: "These figures show us that flexible, locally engaged, entrepreneurial independent community pharmacies are making a huge contribution to the vaccine programme.
The NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard saluted the effort of over 100,000 Coid volunteers who alongside the NHS staff helped to deliver record-breaking numbers of jabs in December.
The "selfless volunteers" devoted around two million hours to help ramp up the vaccination programme in 2021- with over nine million doses delivered since December 12, when the prime minister announced the turbo-charged vaccination drive.
Pritchard said: "Alongside NHS staff, our selfless volunteers have worked tirelessly to protect the nation - in football stadiums, shopping centres, Christmas markets and countless other vaccination sites up and down the country.
"I want to give my personal thanks to everyone who has given up their time to help us beat record after record - continuing to make the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme the biggest and most successful in health service history.
Britain on Monday (January 10) put the biggest private health companies on high alert to deliver crucial treatments such as cancer surgery should Omicron
overwhelm National Health Service hospitals in England.
The United Kingdom's death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic stands at 150,154, the world's seventh worst official Covid toll after the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has bet on refraining from lockdowns to deal with the Omicron variant which in recent weeks has swept across the UK, albeit with death
rates significantly lower than previous waves.
In a sign of just how stretched the NHS could become, health secretary Sajid Javid ordered England's NHS to strike a three-month deal with private health companies to allow patients to get treatments such as cancer surgery outside.
"Millions of patients have already got their tests and treatment quicker thanks to our existing deal with independent providers," said David Sloman, NHS England chief operating officer and Covid incident director.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has welcomed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's leadership in introducing a new approach to the evaluation of antibiotics.
On Tuesday (12 April), NICE published a draft guidance to tackle antimicrobial resistance under which two new antimicrobial drugs - cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam - became the first to be made available as part of the UK's innovative subscription-style payment model.
Commenting on the announcement of the new draft guidance, Richard Torbett, chief executive of the ABPI, said: "This is an important milestone in the UK's global leadership on AMR. Antibiotics underpin modern medicine, but the increasing threat of antibiotic resistance remains one of the biggest global health challenges we face.
"To tackle this, it is critical that the appropriate frameworks are in place for companies to invest the billions of pounds required to discover the new antibiotics needed for patients.
NHS cancer check has set a new record, despite pressures on hospitals due to Covid-19, the number of people being treated for the cancer remained higher than
before the pandemic, revealed NHS.
Over the last 12 months almost three million people were referred for cancer checks which is up by over a tenth on the 2.4 million people referred before the
pandemic.
"Even at the peak of the Omicron wave, referrals for suspected cancer were at 116 per cent of pre-pandemic levels with around 11,000 people getting checked every
day over the last year," said NHS.
In order to meet increasing demand for cancer checks, NHS services across the country are expanding their diagnostic capabilities through one stop shops for tests,
mobile clinics and cancer symptom hotlines, ensuring people are diagnosed and treated as early as possible to give them a much better chance of beating the disease.
More than 30,000 people every month are being invited for lung cancer checks through NHS mobile trucks visiting at risk communities across the country, as part of
the biggest programme to improve early lung cancer diagnosis in health service history.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges co-hosted the NHS Education for Scotland annual virtual conference to discuss
the environmental impact of prescribing.
One of the conclusions drawn from the conference on Thursday (April 28) stressed on environmentally sustainable prescribing should be embedded in undergraduate
and postgraduate health care education.
Delegates at the session said they or their teams needed more education. They also needed more information and resources when prescribing to be able to consider
environmental issues.
Sharon Pfleger, Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health at NHS Highland, told the session: "There's a lot of work to be done to reduce carbon emissions. The
NHS has identified the use of metered-dose inhalers as its second biggest cause of carbon emissions as the propellant gases have significant global warming potential.
India will make tests mandatory for cough syrups before they are exported, a government notice showed on Tuesday, after Indian-made cough syrups were linked
to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia and Uzbekistan.
Any cough syrup must have a certificate of analysis issued by a government laboratory before it is exported, effective June 1, the government said in a notice dated
May 22 and shared by the health ministry on Tuesday.
India's $41 billion pharmaceutical industry is one of the biggest in the world but its reputation was shaken after the World Health Organization (WHO) found toxins
in cough syrups made by three Indian companies.
Syrups made by two of these companies were linked to the deaths of 70 children in Gambia and 19 in Uzbekistan last year.
"Cough syrup shall be permitted to be exported subject to the export sample being tested and production of certificate of analysis," said the notice issued by the
trade ministry.
The health ministry did not immediately respond to a query on whether testing would be required for cough syrups sold in the domestic market.
Switzerland is experiencing medicine shortages due to supply chain issues linked to COVID lockdowns in China and war in Europe, the country's pharmacists
association said.
"We have the biggest problems with children's medications, especially fever-reducing syrup," Enea Martinelli from pharmaSuisse told Swiss broadcaster SRF.
"There are also shortages of blood pressure medications, psychiatric medications and Parkinson's medications," he said.
Pharmacy bodies are "bitterly disappointed" that the latest deal on the national contract makes no commitment to "fresh funding", with one organisation calling
it "the biggest dis-service ever done" to community pharmacy.
The only commitment made in monetary terms was one in which NHS England agreed to write off a sum of £100m in excess margin earned by contractors in previous years.
This allowance, which can't be seen as new cash injection, was said to have been made in recognition of the pressures facing the sector.
The figure - reached after what the the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee called "a tense period of negotiations" with the Department of Health and Social
Care and NHS England - will cover the final two years of the current five-year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework.
The deal was announced by PSNC chief executive Janet Morrison at an annual LPC Conference in Manchester on Thursday (22 September). Welcoming the attendees, she
assured everyone that the committee was well aware of the pressures the sector was facing.
"I heard how contractors are feeling and their frustrations over growing pressure and lack of financial support from the government. They confirmed that many now
are unable to deliver the full range of services, and others are struggling to maintain core levels of services. And the ongoing impact of capacity and workforce
crisis is critical, leading to temporary closures.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) brought together a wide range of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy organisations from across Scotland at
the Scottish Parliament on Monday (3 October) to support people living with disabilities.
The meeting was chaired by Jeremy Balfour MSP, Convener of the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group on Disability, and the meeting was also attended by the Chief
Pharmaceutical Officer Alison Strath.
Attendees of the meeting committed to bold actions to support people living with seen and unseen disabilities to work in pharmacy.
Last year, a survey of RPS members identified that living with a disability was considered to be the biggest barrier to working in pharmacy.
This year, RPS is running a disability in pharmacy awareness campaign, to highlight some of the barriers and challenges raised by RPS members and to work with
stakeholders across pharmacy to overcome these. Yesterday's conversation at the Scottish Parliament was a significant step in achieving this.
Danish drug developer Novo Nordisk on Wednesday (February 1) warned of supply constraints on its best-selling drug.
The company, which develops diabetes and obesity drugs, said it expected "periodic supply constraints" this year, partly driven by higher than expected demand for
its blockbuster diabetes drug, Ozempic, and manufacturing constraints.
"Supply of Ozempic cannot keep up with demand in some markets," Novo's Chief Financial Officer Karsten Munk Knudsen told journalists on Wednesday, but said Ozempic
was available in the United States, the firm's biggest single market.
Shortages of human growth hormone would also cause sales in its rare disease franchise to drop by a "mid-single digit" percentage in 2023, as its Norditropin drug
would be out of stock in certain markets, Knudsen said.
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Pharmacy Business will be hosting their annual awards event in the pharmacy calendar with a glittering ceremony to celebrate the very best of community pharmacy.
The 23rd edition of the Pharmacy Business Awards will be on Wednesday 4 October 2023 in central London.
The awards attract the biggest names in pharmacy, with heads of pharmacy organisations, CEOs of leading manufacturers and wholesalers, health officials and
government ministers in attendance.
We look forward to bringing together the shining lights of community pharmacy, who show the nation the unique services they continue to provide.
All entries must be made on the official online entry form.
Please select from the award categories by expanding the drop-down boxes below then click 'Enter now' by selecting the category you would like to enter.
You can enter three categories.
To complete your entry, agree to the terms and conditions then click the 'COMPLETE' button at the bottom of the page.
All submissions must be made by Monday 7th July 2023. Please note only submitted entries will proceed to the judging stage.
Nomination date 7th july 2023
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.
Pharmacists, along with workers from other public sector workplaces, marched on 8 September demanding that the Scottish government take all available action
to mitigate the biggest reduction in living standards workers will have experienced for generations.
Pharmacists Defence' Association (PDA) members participated in the Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC) march to let the government know that "Scotland demands
better".
Paul Flynn, PDA national officer, said: "Pharmacists will be unwelcomely familiar with diminished purchasing power and a squeeze on household budgets for patients,
colleagues and pharmacists but what we will see this year and into 2023 will make previous experience pale by comparison."
The march organised by STUC saw thousands of workers, activists and concerned individuals march through the centre of Edinburgh's Historic Old Town in good spirits
while bearing flags and banners, chanting, singing, and calling for change in Scotland.
The Health and Social Care Select Committee (HSCC) on Tuesday held the first session in their pharmacy inquiry, with a panel of experts discussing the key
issues facing community pharmacies in the country.
Representatives from community pharmacy associations highlighted some of their biggest challenges and their vision for the future, as well as actions that
government and NHS England can take to address those challenges for a better future for the sector.
Opening the session, the Committee's vice-chair, Rachel Maskell MP, asked the representatives if they felt the government was ambitious enough in what it
believes community pharmacy can do to address NHS pressures, or are pharmacists being held back by issues around workforce funding, contracting, and technological
changes.
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive, Company Chemists' Association (CCA), expressed that the government is not ambitious enough, saying "there's always opportunity
to be more ambitious".
Health secretary Sajid Javid visited Medicine Chest Pharmacy in London on Friday (January 28) and thanked pharmacy teams across England for delivering well over 20 million Covid-19 jabs.
According to the latest research conducted by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and PharmData, independent community pharmacies were the biggest deliverers of Covid-19 vaccines during January 2021 to September 2021 as compared to corporate-run pharmacy sites.
As of January 2022, pharmacies across the whole sector had delivered 22 million Covid jabs, with the majority of them being independents of whom most are NPA members.
In a video message released after the visit, Javid said: "Today I am here at Medicine Chest pharmacy in London to thank them, all pharmacies, the NHS, for the fantastic job they have done particularly over the last few months to get our country boosted. It's because of this phenomenal success that today we are able to return to Plan A as we see Omicron in retreat and we learn to live with Covid."
Rowlands pharmacy has launched a new weight management service across its UK network, challenging perceptions around weight loss and providing expert support
to those in need.
The launch comprises a pilot roll-out across 100 Rowlands branches to increase consideration of pharmacies for weight management-based advice.
Commenting on the launch, Nigel Swift, managing director of Rowlands, said: "One of the biggest challenges facing many adults looking to address any weight concerns
is knowing where and how to start. Our new weight management service is designed to help all those setting out on a new weight loss journey but also those who have
struggled to find a plan that works for them."
"Our pharmacy teams offer comprehensive healthcare advice and a variety of weight management products with a friendly approach that naturally puts customers at ease,
and we're looking forward to welcoming all those looking to take their first step with us."
