The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has re-joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) after reflecting its commitment to international
collaboration and the advancement of the pharmacy profession.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "Members told us they wanted to see us re-join FIP to further our commitment to international partnerships which
support education and advocacy to develop and progress the pharmacy profession.".
"We fully recognise the importance of international collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and best practice with our peers across the world.
"FIP are refocusing their membership offer and we're delighted to work with them on opportunities for professional development and increased visibility and
recognition for the pharmacy profession."
Paul Bennett, RPS CEO said: "Now that we have re-joined, our teams across RPS look forward to reinvigorating the close collaboration we have previously enjoyed
with our colleagues both within FIP itself, and across the breadth of FIP Member organisations to further our vision and mission".
Amid media speculations that a large pharmacy multiple was putting all its stores at risk of closure, PSNC supremo Janet Morrison said the sector was in
crisis and in danger of a significant collapse.
Addressing delegates via a video link at Sigma Pharmaceutical's 13th Annual Community Pharmacy Conference held last week (March 4 -9) in Punta Cana, Dominican
Republic, she said while "a lot of consolidation or sales" would continue, a lot of the smaller, independently-owned community pharmacies - which had to work harder
and harder to make ends meet - were just "hanging on in there".
"But I don't know how much longer people can go on," she said, adding that the risk of actual closure was rendering the remaining pharmacies so fragile that "they
may not be able to pick up the slack of many thousands of patients" who would need repeat prescriptions.
"The disruption is frightful and awful. We have got 53 per cent of the population on repeat prescriptions, so that matters."
Her comment on the opening day of the conference was a sober reminder that the sector - which relies heavily on income from prescriptions - couldn't afford to
"carry on with the current format of a contract and the current amount of money" it was paid to deliver numerous tasks which have been heaped on it to share the
burden of a crippling NHS.
The Medicine and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recalled all pholcodine-containing medicines from the UK pharmacy due to concerns of its
potential to cause a severe allergic reaction in some people having general anaesthesia for surgery.
The decision was made following the conclusion of a review of post-marketing safety data by the MHRA. The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has considered the
evidence of an increased risk of the very rare event of anaphylaxis when exposed to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) and advised that pholcodine-containing
medicines should be withdrawn.
MHRA has advised pharmacists to consider recommending appropriate treatment alternatives for patients who present with a new dry cough or who are currently taking
pholcodine.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) President Professor Claire Anderson said: "If you are taking a cough medicine (including tablets and syrups), check the packaging,
label or Patient Information Leaflet to see if pholcodine is a listed ingredient - if it is, and you have any questions, you can talk to your pharmacist who can
suggest a different medicine suitable for you.
Representatives from the national community pharmacy bodies will brief the MPs on the severe challenges facing community pharmacies on Tuesday (21 March) at a
roundtable summit.
The roundtable summit will include discussions on the urgent action needed to address the current severe challenges being faced by community pharmacy, as well as the
sector's role in the upcoming Primary Care Recovery Plan, said PSNC.
The Parliamentary event this week has been coordinated by PSNC as part of the joint #SaveOurPharmacies campaign which exceeded 30,000 signatories in a week.
The Association of Independent Pharmacies (AIM), the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and PSNC will take part at the
event.
A spokesperson for the #SaveOurPharmacies campaign group said: "30,000 signatures in a week indicates a high level of underlying public support for community pharmacy
and it's a good start to the #SaveOurPharmacies campaign. A petition by itself won't change the world, but it works as a kind of drumbeat for the campaign, giving
forward momentum, and it's a really easy way to express your opinion.
We hope the new window poster - along with all the resources available at saveourpharmacies.co.uk - will help as many pharmacies as possible to drum up support from
their patients, and we're really grateful to Communications International Group for helping us to print and distribute this.
Two pharmacies in Rotherham are set to merge into one, if plans are approved by NHS England.
Weldricks Pharmacy has applied to merge its two Swinton branches, on Church Street and the Crown Street Surgery.
If approved, the branch on Church Street will be modernised, and additional consulting rooms will be added, while the Crown Street site will be closed.
Rotherham Met Borough Council's health and wellbeing board are set to make a representation supporting the plans, and say that analysis by public health "outlines
the very minimal impact that this change will have in terms of pharmacy access in the borough based on the service offer, opening hours and walking times to this
branch and the main pharmacy."
They say the current opening hours will remain the same, and there will be no disruption to services during the consolidation.
A statement from Weldricks adds that the decision to merge is down to funding cuts, and the company could go out of business if operating costs are not reduced -
'despite having been a local, family-owned business for almost 100 years'.
Community pharmacies in Cornwall have delivered more than 8000 face-to-face consultations over last 12 months.
Walk In Consultation Service (WICS) began 12 months ago when pharmacies in Cornwall started offering face-to-face consultations for a wide range of minor ailments,
and NHS treatment as required - the first service of its kind in England.
Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Scilly Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) Chief Officer Nick Kaye joined Operations Manager Drew Creek in Parliament recently by invite
of Steve Double MP, St Austell and Newquay to meet with Minister for Health Neil O'Brien MP to present the service to them and Senior Civil Servants from DHSC and
NHSE with a view to rolling this service out nationally.
The data from these consultations show that over 6000 GP appointments were averted as a result of the service being available. After each consultation a record was
sent to the patient's GP for information.
Simon Harris bought an average-sized store from a national chain and turned it into a profitable business in just over a year - a great example of how to
start up a pharmacy and become successful. His formula was quite simple - recognise the available opportunities, take some calculated risks and reap the rewards.
Simon went into pharmacy because he felt it was a profession that would allow him to "help people" and have a direct impact on their lives. "I also thought it was
a profession which would allow me to have my own business one day."
Since qualifying as a pharmacist from Bath University in the late 90s, Simon did his pre-reg at a large Boots store in Broadmead, where we had some "great experience"
as a pharmacist manager.
He decided to take a year out and went around the world with his "now wife" and ended up working as a pharmacist for a pharmacy group Down Under which had a contract
with the sports industry, i.e. Australian Open and the Australian Football League.
"It was quite an experience because at the time I knew nothing about Aussie football but I ended up being their pharmacist after a short conversion course."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the appointment of Michael Matheson MSP as Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care in
Scotland.
Commenting on the announcement Laura Wilson, Director of RPS Scotland, said: "I would like to congratulate Michael Matheson on being appointed to this position.
NHS recovery is vitally important, and pharmacy has a huge amount to offer this agenda.
"Our current priorities include enabling pharmacists to take leadership of prescribing in all care settings, tackling health inequalities and advocating for change,
implementing shared patient records between healthcare professionals to provide high-quality, person centred and safe patient care, improving pharmacists' wellbeing
and tackling the climate emergency by encouraging sustainable and green prescribing across Scotland.
Indian authorities have cancelled or suspended licences of some domestic drug companies as part of action taken against 76 pharmaceutical firms this month for
selling adulterated or fake products, a government source said on Thursday.
India is known as the 'pharmacy of the world' and its pharmaceuticals exports have more than doubled over the past decade to $24.5 billion in 2021-22.
But that image has been dented by the death of at least 70 children in Gambia and 19 children in Uzbekistan in Uzbekistan last year linked to drugs made by
India-based pharmaceutical companies.
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed a crackdown but did not give details of companies against which action had been taken.
"There are more than 10,500 pharma companies in the country. Companies who make spurious medicine will not be spared," Mandaviya told reporters at an event.
Licences of some Indian drug companies have been cancelled, some were suspended while others have been put on notice during the past 15 days, the source, who had
direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters news agency.
Boots witnessed a 'record-breaking' performance for beauty driving retail sales with a growth of 16 per cent in the three months to 28 February 2023.
The beauty category delivered a record January, and premium beauty saw its biggest ever sales week in December. Skincare reported three consecutive weeks of record
sales in December driven by the 'expert skincare' category in which brands including No7, La Roche-Posay, CeraVe and Eucerin proved popular.
Boots beauty transformation strategy continued with 19 new beauty halls opened in Q2 and the 170th store to receive a beauty makeover opening at Westfield White City
post-period end. Boots now stocks over 500 big name and cult beauty brands and exclusively sells the UK's leading skincare brand, No7.
The business reported its eighth consecutive quarter of market share growth with gains across all categories, led by beauty - the stand-out performer of the quarter.
Footfall, basket size and the number of Advantage Card customers all increased, as more people chose to shop at Boots. The Christmas period was particularly strong
with retail sales in the five weeks to 31 December up 17.4% and outperforming the market.
Boots further expanded its value offering in the quarter, announcing its biggest ever savings as part of its continued focus on the affordability of life's essentials.
This included the addition of 60 new products to the Boots Everyday label as well as the extension of its Price Advantage scheme, which has to date resulted in £30
million of customer savings and now includes discounts on over 800 products every month.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) Board has elected 14 Board members on Friday (30 March) that will govern the association for next two years.
Four new Board members have been elected while five previous members left the Board after serving their terms. The period April 2023 to March 2025 will see the
completion of the transition to the new Board structure.
The Board will meet again on Monday (24 April) to elect the Chair and other appointments.
Gareth Jones, Returning Officer for the NPA Board elections, said: "The NPA has undertaken a process of significant modernisation of organisational governance over
the past years. Key elements of this process include adopting modern new Articles of Association, reforming the structure of the Board and introducing term limits.
The process of electing the Board has also been changed so that half of the Board will be up for election every two years - which supports continuity and reduces the
risk of a loss of organisational memory."
"Recognising that the Board would already be losing a lot of organisational memory in 2023 with five members of Board standing down, the Board determined that three
individuals should be co-opted onto the new Board as the process of transformation continues. In March 2025, anyone that has served 12 years or more will be required
to stand down."
The current structure of global incentives to develop new antibiotics is insufficient and requires urgent resolution revealed a new report 'Incentivising new
antibiotics' by the Office of Health Economics (OHE).
OHE analysis demonstrates that on a global level, it is estimated that an effective 10-year incentive would require £3.5bn ($4.2bn) to adequately cover the entire
research and development process for a new antibiotic.
The report considers how health systems in the UK and around the world can stimulate the research and development (R&D) of new antibiotics.
In 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England initiated an Antimicrobial Resistance pilot with the aim of incentivising
pharmaceutical companies to develop new antibiotics by addressing the issues associated with reimbursement, which historically has deterred companies from pursuing
AMR research.
Generic and over-the-counter drugs company Stada has asked the German government to seek assurances from Ukraine that the company can continue operations
there even though it also does business in Russia.
In a March 21 letter to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Stada CEO Peter Goldschmidt said there was a risk Kyiv might withdraw the company's market
authorisation.
Stada "still has no longer-term certainty that we will be able to sell our products in Ukraine in the future," the letter said, with the subject line: "Please
prevent the exclusion of international pharmaceutical companies from the Ukrainian market." The Economy Ministry did not have an immediate comment on the letter.
Habeck promised investment guarantees for German companies during a trip to Ukraine on Tuesday (April 4) as part of his goal to speed up reconstruction in the
war-torn country.
Goldschmidt said restricting Stada's operations would be bad for Ukraine.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has advised pharmacies to continue providing rota services on Easter after learning that many pharmacies are
unwilling to provide the services on Easter holidays.
"It is extremely regrettable that community pharmacy representatives have advised that access to rota pharmacies in some parts of Northern Ireland will be reduced
over the Easter holidays," department said.
They have also stated that despite a commitment of recurrent investment, support for new patients assessed by Trusts as requiring blister packs may be restricted.
These actions have the potential to impact on patients and other parts of the Health and Social Care system.
The department has also called the CPNI's demand to increase the funding up to 50 per cent in the sector "unrealistic" in the current financial climate.
It said: "Financial pressures across the entire NI public sector are severe with an extremely challenging health budget anticipated for 2023/24."
"The Department is therefore facing a significant funding gap just to maintain existing services and the whole Health and Social Care system is an extremely
unpredictable and fragile position. The core funding envelope available to community pharmacies in NI has increased by 16% over the past three years."
Bas Vorsteveld has been elected as the new president of PAGB, the trade association representing the manufacturers of branded OTC medicines, self care medical
devices and food supplements.
Vorsteveld, who is vice president and general Manager of Haleon GB and Ireland, succeeds Neil Lister, managing director UK & Ireland and vice president at Perrigo.
PAGB said the appointment comes at a crucial time for the consumer healthcare association as it looks to expand the role of self-care, secure a long-term favourable
business environment for members, adapt to environmental challenges and continue to deliver excellent services for members.
"We are so pleased to welcome Bas to the role of President. Bas has been actively involved with PAGB as a board member and we're looking forward to continuing our
work with him. I have already seen from Bas's time on our Board that he combines great sector knowledge with drive, energy and genuine passion for what we do and
we're so excited to have him as our President," Michelle Riddalls, chief executive of PAGB, said.
"Bas's input and guidance as our strategy evolves over the coming years will be vital as we respond to new challenges as they emerge and make the most of the
opportunities ahead."
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to convene a 'medicines supply taskforce', following weeks
of problems with antibiotics supplies.
The NPA's chief executive Mark Lyonette wrote a letter to Steve Barclay this week. It cited the precedent of the HRT Taskforce which this summer brought together
representatives from across the supply chain after months of supply problems affecting women.
"We strongly believe that this situation calls for a similar response from the government. It is imperative that we resolve this supply situation urgently and
therefore we request that you convene a Medicines Supply Taskforce, with all the relevant stakeholders in the supply chain, to urgently discuss and agree practical
solutions to address the disruptions to the supply of medicines. HRT and antibiotics are the most visible examples of a wider problem with medicines supply
which needs to be addressed."
NPA board members Olivier Picard and Reena Barai were among the stakeholders joining meetings convened by the HRT Taskforce this summer.
Erectile dysfunction is a very common form of medical condition that occurs in males over time. Usually, this problem is found in people who take too much
medication, and ED is probably a side effect of any one of them. However, in seventy-five percent of males, the cause of erectile dysfunction is unknown, and
finding the accurate reason for it is very complex. It can be a result of any neural complications, diabetes, or any surgeries that include the prostate of our body.
ED can also be treated by using a vacuum device and surgeries on the private parts. However, it can be eradicated completely without any surgeries,
and here are some tips that will help you in overcoming erectile dysfunction without surgery and lead a happy life.
DO EXERCISE
Exercise is a great way to overcome any health issues, and also to safeguard yourself from health issues in the future. Physical activity also helps you in
controlling obesity, which is one of the reasons behind ED. By not doing regular exercises, you expose yourself to various cardiovascular problems, which contribute
to ED. Studies show that light aerobic exercise for 30-40 minutes a day for at least four times a week for at least 6 months has considerably reduced ED in people.
STAY SLIM
Studies have shown that a person who has a waist near 42 inches is more likely to suffer from ED than a person with a waistline of 32 inches. Therefore, if you
are obese it's time that you lose some weight. Excessive fat in the body is the birthplace of various diseases. Obesity is also responsible for vascular problems
and diabetes which are two primary causes of ED.
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies has said pharmacists have been "struggling to obtain the very basic, most
common cold and flu medicine."
She told the PA news agency that the shortage wasn't around "just the branded medicines" but "also simple things like throat lozenges, cough mixtures or pain
killers - particularly the ones that are soluble."
Stating that the sector was finding it very difficult these shortages she said "those people who are in charge of supporting us with it are denying it."
"The demand has been high because this season we've seen higher cases of colds and flu and people are obviously trying very hard to look after themselves and making
sure that they use the relevant products to manage the symptoms.
German biotechnology company BioNTech has signed a deal with the Department of Health and Social Care to enrol up to 10,000 patients in clinical trials by the
end of 2030 for personalised cancer therapies, the German drug maker said.
The multi-year collaboration is focused on cancer immunotherapies based on mRNA or other drug classes, infectious disease vaccines, and investments into expanding
the company's footprint in the UK, BioNTech said in a statement on Thursday (January 5).
Under the agreement, the parties plan to utilise UK's clinical trial network, genomics and health data assets, aiming to enrol the first cancer patient in the second
half of 2023, the company said.
Orphan Drug development specialist TMC Pharma has appointed Gordon Cameron to its board as a non-executive director.
Mr Cameron has 25 years' board-level experience in biotech and pharmaceutical services sectors. He started his career with EY, then spent several years in investment
banking at Rothschild before becoming CFO, and then CEO, of international vaccine company Acambis.
For the past 15 years, Mr Cameron has been CFO of Quotient Sciences, an international Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation and Clinical Research
Organisation.
In 2004, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the British biotechnology industry.
Julie Matthews, chief executive officer of TMC Pharma, said that the new appointment would "enhance our strategic capability and tactical execution as we consolidate
our position as a global leader in the Orphan Drug development market."
