An international specialty pharmaceutical group, Essential Pharma has announced the completion of two transactions with fellow UK-based Rosemont Pharmaceuticals.
The company completed the divestment of its oral liquid portfolio to Rosemont, and acquired a series of attractive, niche products with "geographic expansion potential."
Commenting on the announcement, Essential Pharma chief executive Steen Vangsgaard said: "The Rosemont products bring additional niche products into our portfolio with international expansion potential.
"The divestiture of our UK oral liquid products streamlines our portfolio, allowing us to focus and accelerate our strategic growth ambition of building a leading international specialty pharma platform."
Under the divestment deal, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals will acquire the product portfolio of licences, registrations and trademarks, as well as related commercial rights, to a number of oral generic products which are used to treat a range of conditions in various therapeutic areas.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) says initial tests of the antibody-based Covid-19 therapy it is developing with US partner Vir suggest the drug is effective against
the Omicron variant.
A GSK statement on Thursday (December 2) said that lab tests and a study on hamsters have demonstrated the sotrovimab antibody cocktail to work against viruses
that were bio-engineered to carry a number of hallmark mutations of the new variant.
The tests are continuing to confirm the results against all of the Omicron mutations, with an update expected by the end of the year, it added.
The antibody is designed to latch on to the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus, but Omicron has been found to have an unusually high amount of mutations on that protein.
"Sotrovimab was deliberately designed with a mutating virus in mind," said Vir chief executive George Scangos, adding that the drug was targeting a region of the spike protein that was highly unlikely to mutate.
Shortage of pharmacists remains a big challenge for community pharmacies as the chief executives of the national community pharmacy bodies met with senior NHS England and NHS Improvement officials to discuss the precarious situation in October-end.
In the last few months, several pharmacy contractors have reported increased staff shortages that caused difficulties in maintaining services, leading to temporary closures in some instances.
The sector is also facing chronic shortage of other staff including van drivers and pharmacy technicians.
During the meeting, NHS England's director for primary care, Ed Waller, and chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge held talks with leaders from across the pharmacy sector on a variety of topics.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard joined over 17 million people in England by taking her Covid-19 booster dose on Monday (December 6) whilst encouraging people to take their top-up jab.
The NHS boss got a dose in each arm as she also received her flu vaccine from pharmacist Bhaveen Patel at the Junction Pharmacy in Brixton.
Pritchard later posted a video on Twitter, thanking the team in the south London community pharmacy.
Ahead of the first anniversary of the NHS delivering the first Covid-19 vaccine in the world on Wednesday (December 8), Pritchard thanked the "incredible efforts" of NHS staff and volunteers who worked hard to protect millions of people.
Almost 100 million jabs have been delivered in England since December 8, 2020, including over 17 million booster vaccines.
Expressing her delight after taking the booster dose, Pritchard said: "The booster jab was quick, easy and I now have extra protection against the virus."
Calls have been made for more pharmacies to help with the rollout of the county's coronavirus booster jabs.
Around 25 pharmacies in Kent and Medway have been distributing vaccines to thousands of patients.
This represents just seven per cent of the 320 pharmacies in the county.
The call comes despite staff shortages and growing workload pressures, such as carrying out non-essential tasks, which include patient satisfaction surveys.
Shilpa Shah, the chief executive officer at the Kent Local Pharmaceutical Committee, said: "We have workforce issues, but are pulling together to deliver essential patient services and Covid vaccinations at the same time."
Pharmacies are one of several health organisations working hard to ensure that everyone aged 18 and over will be offered a booster vaccination by the target of January 31, which has been set by the government.
With the UK government mandating a gender pay gap reporting by corporates and there is a lot of push for ethnicity pay gap report, there is a need for a similar push for having disability pay gap records, said Jay Muthu, director of Organization and People Capability at Entain Group.
"I think we need to kind of lobby the government to make that happen, but unfortunately a lot of disability organisations are still fighting for the basic rights,"
Muthu said during a panel discussion on Disability Inclusion In The Workplace held during the Pharmacy Business Diversity Conference on Thursday (December 9).
The session, moderated by the conference chair and BBC presenter Clive Myrie, also had Kate Nash OBE, founder and chief executive officer of Purple Space, which is the world's only professional development membership hub for disability employee resource groups.
Muthu said: "The challenges are from both sides. There is obviously the societal stigma (attached with disability). There are corporations not being aware and not
wanting to educate themselves, and then there is the government not really implementing the right kind of mechanisms to make it happen.
A Nottingham-based pharmacist has been struck off the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register for bringing "the profession into to disrepute" by stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds in a bid to settle his gambling debt.
Peter Sameh Saad (33) spun a web of lies and duped a friend out of more than half a million pounds to fund his addiction and pretended he had "serious if not terminal" testicular cancer.
"It is difficult to imagine a more heinous fraud than one predicated on feigning a cancer diagnosis", a GPC panel ruled.
Saad committed three frauds on a total of £536,689.95 between September 2018 and May 2019.
First, he tricked a friend, whom he knew through his local church, into sending him around £288,200 by claiming that his newly-purchased pharmacy in US was "seized" by the authorities over visa issues and that he "had some difficulty making the mortgage payments".
Later Saad conned the same friend, named only as 'Person A' in court documents, into sending him a total of £127,150 by lying about a non-existent cancer diagnosis and private treatment.
Finally, he extracted a further £121,339.95 from an investments and credit group (named Company A) of which his friend was chief executive after inviting him to set
up a 'pharmaceutical warehouse', a plan that "impressed Person A and he agreed to invest in the business."
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.
The Department of Health and Social Care aims to amend the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, thereby enabling pharmacy technicians to provide and administer
specific medicines through a patient group direction. In line with this initiative, the Department introduced a six-week consultation to assess whether registered
pharmacy technicians should be authorised to dispense medicines using a PGD.
The proposals, backed by all four Home Nations, apply exclusively to registered pharmacy technicians. Meanwhile, this coverage will extend to include pharmacy
technicians in Northern Ireland upon their achievement of registered professional status.
"The proposed statutory instrument, presently applicable in England, Scotland, and Wales would offer 'clear benefits,' especially in areas such as vaccination
and the provision of oral contraception and EHC," the DHSC said.
According to the Department, facilitating registered pharmacy technicians to execute PGDs might amplify their workload, yet it could simultaneously enhance
overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness for pharmacy teams by optimising the utilisation of skill diversity.
Day Lewis Pharmacy has enlisted Locate a Locum, a Belfast-based healthcare technology innovator, to deploy and manage a digital solution aimed at enhancing
locum staffing and management across its 267-pharmacy network.
"We sought a faster, user-friendly system for instant locum bookings, particularly for last-minute shifts," said Sam Patel, Executive Director at Day Lewis
Pharmacy. "This tool improves communication between potential locums and our coordinators, creating more opportunities to attract talent from across the country.
Our customers are our priority, and ensuring they have access to staff and advice when needed is our main focus."
Locate a Locum will implement a cloud-based digital solution across the Day Lewis Pharmacy estate, allowing locums to securely search, manage, request, and receive
payment for shifts, Day Lewis said in a statement. This platform enables locum staff to manage their work diaries, location preferences, and commitments, promoting
balanced work-life planning.
"The Locate a Locum platform allows for swift, complete payments to our locums and offers them instant booking, eliminating the need for shift confirmation wait
times," Patel added. "In a dynamic market with rising demand for pharmacy services, this platform is a game-changer, driving growth and unlocking potential."
A combination of factors, including the doctors' strike, medicine shortages, and funding scarcity, indicates that this upcoming winter could be the most
challenging period for both community pharmacies and the NHS, Community Pharmacy England has said.
In a September 4 blog post, CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison emphasised that the relentless pressures show no signs of easing. "Pharmacy businesses, like
numerous other sectors, are grappling with the challenges of staying afloat in the current economic climate, compounded by the detrimental effects of historical
funding cuts."
"The doctors' strike, despite ongoing assurances from the Health Secretary that their pay deal is final, will inevitably exacerbate the demand for both primary
and secondary care, leading people to turn to their local pharmacies for assistance," she added. "This, in turn, will heighten the pressure on community pharmacies."
"Whatever the coming winter brings I am sure of two things: that community pharmacies are going to be more critical to the health of the population than ever
before, and that your representatives here will be fighting on all fronts to get you the help that you need."
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 Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) has called upon all pharmacy organisations to unite and collectively represent the sector. While
underlining the need for the sector to adopt a straightforward manifesto that can be presented to the public, politicians, and decision-makers, the association
also advocated for a revitalisation of the 'Save Our Pharmacies' campaign, injecting it with renewed energy and a stronger sense of purpose.
AIMp pointed out that a lack of cohesion is one of the factors contributing to the sector's struggle in gaining attention. "The current trajectory of community
pharmacy is unsustainable," said Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of AIMp. "To tackle the significant challenges ahead, we must work together cohesively. The
most effective approach is to actively engage with Parliament, leveraging politicians from across the political spectrum to advocate for our cause."
Meanwhile, the association urged various pharmacy bodies to unite in support of the Pharmacy All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to enhance its effectiveness
and broaden its influence, rather than working independently.
Community Pharmacy England, Company Chemists Association, and the National Pharmacy Association have all expressed their disappointment at a recent press
statement made by Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies.
The CPE, CCA and NPA refuted AIMp's claim that pharmacy bodies operate independently, emphasising the importance of employing various channels and strategies
to shape public policy.
"It makes sense to use a variety of channels and tactics to influence public policy," NPA, CPE and CCA said in a joint statement issued on Wednesday (August 13).
"Limiting our work to just one Parliamentary channel would be naive and do a disservice to pharmacy owners."
On Aug. 12, AIMp highlighted that a lack of cohesion was one of the contributing factors to the sector's difficulty in gaining wider attention.
Dr. Hannbeck argued that it's counterproductive for each pharmacy organisation to maintain its own manifesto, essentially a lengthy wish-list that is often
unrealistic and unattainable. "This can conveniently allow those in power to easily employ a divide-and-conquer strategy," she said.
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."
Community Pharmacy England has submitted a full and detailed written response to the Health and Social Care Select Committee's pharmacy inquiry.
The Committee is expected to hold oral evidence sessions when Parliament returns in the Autumn. The commencement of this inquiry follows on from those held on
other primary care sectors, including Dentistry and General Practice.
According to the Committee website this inquiry 'will explore issues impacting different types of pharmacy, with a particular focus on community, primary care and
hospital pharmacy services'.
Key themes of CPE's submission include- Suggestions on future service provision; Challenges with the pharmacy workforce; Longstanding underfunding of the sector;
and Current pressures.
Janet Morrison OBE, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: "This is an extremely important opportunity for all who work with and in the Pharmacy
sector, to highlight not only the extreme challenges we face, but also ideas and suggestions for what more we can do to help patients and the public in the future.
The Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has called the recent announcement of six per cent pay rise for the public sector workforce as 'unfair' for the
community pharmacy sector.
On Thursday (13 June), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that pay scales for most doctors and dentists will increase by at least a
six per cent this year after the government accepted the recommendations from the independent pay review bodies in full.
Responding to the recent announcement Chief Executive Janet Morrison, said: "The public sector workforce pay rise will be welcome news for its recipients given
the huge inflationary pressures and the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis. But for community pharmacy owners - who have faced 30% funding cuts in recent
years and who are struggling to meet their rising wage costs - this feels unfair, and very far from good news.
At Community Pharmacy England we are fully focused on the current financial and operational pressures and fighting hard for a sustainable long-term funding
arrangement.
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has appointed Nick Kaye as its new chair on Monday (24 April).
He has taken over the chairmanship from Andrew Lane, who stood down last month after serving his maximum term.
Nick, who part-owns Hendra Pharmacy in Cornwall will serve for two years as NPA chair, after being elected unopposed at the first meeting of the new NPA board.
Jay Badenhorst, Managing Director and Superintendent Pharmacist for Whitworth Chemists in the North East of England, is now vice-chair.
Michael Guerin, the Managing Director and Superintendent Pharmacist of the Medicare group in Northern Ireland, continues as Treasurer.
Nick Kaye said: "As a third generation community pharmacist, I feel very privileged to serve the sector that I love so dearly in this way.
"Andrew will be a hard act to follow. But I can promise my unwavering commitment to independent community pharmacy, with Jay and Michael's 's support, plus that
of board colleagues and our dedicated executive team.
Wockhardt UK managing director Ravindra Limaye has been chosen for honorary British awards given to foreign nationals.
Limaye gets the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honour for his contribution to health, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The honours were announced on Thursday (13).
Limaye has been the chief executive of the UK arm of the Mumbai-based pharma and biotech company Wockhardt since 2019.
He previously worked for another Indian pharma company Biocon, overseeing its global commercial operations. He led the company's entry into global biosimilar
markets and spearheaded its operations in the US.
Computer Science
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Computer hardware
Computer hardware is the physical components that make up a computer system. It includes everything from the central processing unit (CPU) to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Understanding the different types of hardware and how they work together is essential for anyone who works with computers. In this article, we will explore the various components of computer hardware, including internal and external components, and the peripherals that connect to them. We will also discuss the importance of hardware maintenance, the latest advancements in computer technology, and factors to consider when choosing the right hardware for your needs. Whether you are a computer technician, a gamer, or simply someone who uses a computer for everyday tasks, this article will help you better understand the world of computer hardware.
Introduction to Computer Hardware
Computer hardware refers to the physical components that make up a computer system. It includes everything from the processor and memory to input/output devices such as the keyboard and monitor. In this article, we will explore the different types of computer hardware and their functions.
What is Computer Hardware
Computer hardware refers to the physical components of a computer system. It includes all the components that can be touched, seen, and used to interact with a computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Hardware is different from computer software, which refers to the programs and applications that run on a computer system.
History of Computer Hardware
The history of computer hardware dates back to the 1820s when Charles Babbage, an English mathematician, and inventor, designed the first analytical engine, which was considered to be the first mechanical computer. With time, more complex electronic computers were developed, including the first Intel microprocessor in 1971. Since then, computer hardware has continued to evolve, becoming
