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.
In its submission to the Treasury ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review this autumn, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) says it is essential for the government to deliver "meaningful investment" for the UK's Life Science Vision.
Richard Torbett, chief executive of the ABPI, has written to the UK's chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, making a case for investing in the life sciences sector while stressing on the contribution it has made to global public health during the pandemic.
The government's pledge to invest £22 billion per year in R&D by the end of this parliament is an essential foundation for life sciences growth, but the sector also needs the right incentives to encourage private business investment, it said.
ITV on Tuesday (Aug 15) said it had agreed to invest in pain relief brand Flarin Holdings Ltd, making it the British broadcaster's first consumer healthcare
investment.
The company has agreed to subscribe for £2 million worth of shares in Flarin, with an option to subscribe for two more tranches of 1.5 million pounds each.
In return, Flarin would get advertising space across ITV's channels and ITVX.
ITV said its investment will "help Flarin build mass market brand awareness by bringing the brand to millions of consumers via ITV platforms. This will be a step
change in the size of the campaign and the approach to scaling the Flarin brand to date."
Director of ITV AdVentures, Sheena Amin, said: "It's fantastic to be announcing our latest Media for Equity investment into Flarin. With its innovative and
patented lipid technology, Flarin offers many unique benefits to those suffering from joint and muscular pain compared to any other product on the market.
Flarin is already one of the fastest growing analgesics in the market and I am confident that we will see the company grow to new heights following a brand
building campaign across ITV."
The UK must act swiftly to fend off competition if it wants to build the world's leading life sciences sciences hub, a new report suggests.
A year on from the launch of the government's life science vision, the report commissioned by the the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said
although achieving the ambition remained feasible, the UK would need an attractive business environment because its competitor countries were becoming more adept
at attracting investment.
To achieve the ambition of the vision, the PwC-produced report suggested raising pharmaceutical R&D investment in the UK to build a 'stronger manufacturing and
research infrastructure', alongside better investment in, access to and uptake of innovative medicines.
It said the UK would also need to adopt a renewed approach to the priority healthcare challenges identified in the government's 'Life Science Vision', which would
mean cutting the overall burden on health of dementia, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease and mental health.
The report quantified the size of the prize if the vision was implemented in full and the UK could emulate the successes of leading EU countries, which included:
£68 billion in additional GDP over 30 years, owing to increased R&D investment
£16.3 billion additional annual GDP from increased pharmaceutical exports
Supporting 85,000 additional jobs
Up to 40 per cent decrease in disease burden across the whole UK - for areas like cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions and Cancer.
Reduced variation in speed of access to new medicines within three months of licensing for all NHS patients.
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The government has launched a consultation into radically changing the Statutory Scheme for branded medicines (known as the Statutory Scheme).
The consultation comes as delicate negotiations for replacing the alternative Voluntary Scheme are underway, potentially undermining these talks, while also further
damaging industry confidence in the UK as a viable place to research, launch and supply medicine.
The government proposals seek to hold average revenue clawback rates under the Statutory Scheme at historic highs of between 21-27%, compared to the pre-pandemic
averages of 9.4% for the Statutory Scheme (2019-2021), and 6.88% for the Voluntary Scheme (2014-2021). The accompanying cost-benefit analysis ignores any negative
impact this may have on medicine supply and wrongly claims it will boost investment.
The consultation comes on the heels of government data last week showing UK life sciences foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 47% between 2021 and 2022, down
by £900m year on year. This large fall in investment coincided with a rise in the main UK clawback rate under the Voluntary Scheme from 5% to 15%, and led to the
UK falling from 2nd to 9th out of 18 comparator countries for life sciences FDI in 2022. The Voluntary Scheme clawback rate now sits at a record 26.5% in 2023.
Pharmacy wholesaler PHOENIX UK is investing over £13 million to build a new state-of-the-art distribution hub in Wakefield.
The 260,000 sq. ft facility is expected to be operational next year and will service community pharmacies, hospitals and dispensing doctors across the North East
of England and Yorkshire.
In a statement on Tuesday (July 5), PHOENIX UK said the completed hub will feature 22 dock level loading bays and seven access doors to enable the productive arrival
and distribution of medical products.
It will also be highly energy efficient, including the use of Solar PV on its roof. The car park will also offer 46 electric vehicle charging bays.
Speaking at an official opening event held on 30 June to mark the expansion of the company's distribution capabilities, group managing director of PHOENIX Steve
Anderson said: "Over the last few years, we have seen an outstanding growth in customer demand for our core services outpacing the market: Wakefield is a prime
example of how we are committed to investing in the future by expanding our UK-wide operational capabilities to offer all our customers across the country the
best possible service they need, want and deserve.
Health leaders have said that delivering faster and more productive patient care would be difficult unless NHS capital budgets are nearly doubled to
at least £14.1 billion from the current spending of £7.7 billion.
The NHS Confederation has highlighted the impact that low levels of capital investment have had over the last decade in its report published today (29 November).
The report, 'Investing to save: The capital requirement for a more sustainable NHS in England', revealed that the UK has lagged behind other comparable countries
in terms of health capital investment for more than five decades, resulting in less productivity.
It revealed that the NHS now has the sixth lowest number of CT and MRI scanners per million people of the OECD countries.
The Green Party has previewed its upcoming manifesto with a bold proposal for the National Health Service (NHS) and social care system, promising an
unprecedented level of investment to restore and enhance these critical services.
By 2030, the Greens aim to inject over £50 billion annually into health and social care, accompanied by an additional £20 billion capital investment to modernise
healthcare infrastructure.
Green Party Co-Leader Adrian Ramsay emphasised the urgency of these reforms, stating, "Our NHS is at breaking point following 14 years of underfunding."
"Patients are stuck in hospital corridors, people can't see their GP or NHS dentist when they need to, and staff are severely overstretched."
The manifesto highlights a comprehensive approach to revitalising the NHS, including:
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is set to cease all its remaining financial investments in fossil fuels latest by the end of 2022.
The decision taken today (November 17) at the RPS Assemble, is part of the organisation's "continued drive to become an environmentally responsible organisation."
Calling it a significant move, RPS president Claire Anderson said: "RPS will divest from fossil fuels as soon as possible.
"RPS will instruct its investment managers immediately to ensure that we will be completely disinvested by the end of 2022 and hopefully sooner."
Environment and human wellbeing have always been a core consideration of RPS investment, however it was not enough to offset the negative impacts of climate change, the organisation said.
The government has earmarked £200 million to enhance NHS resilience and expedite patient care during the upcoming winter season. This extra amount will
bolster the health service during its busiest period, while protecting elective care so we can keep cutting waiting lists, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
On August 13, the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary met with clinical leaders and NHS Chiefs to strategise and refine planning for urgent and
emergency care, while prioritising the preservation of waiting list targets for the upcoming winter season.
"Patients can be reassured that I will always back the NHS, so that those who most need help and support will get the care they need," Sunak said. "Winter is
the most challenging time for the health service, which is why we've been planning for it all year - with huge government investment to fund new ambulances, beds
and virtual wards."
"This £200 million investment, assured by the Department of Health and Social Care as new and additional funding, should aid NHS leaders in their preparations and
mitigation for what will be a seriously difficult winter period," said Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of NHS Confederation. "The priority now is swift allocation
of funding to local systems for optimal utilisation."
Moderna has joined one of the UK's leading pharmaceutical industry body, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to expand its footprint and
investment in the UK.
The biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines will strengthen its footprint with the new state-of-the-art vaccine research,
development and manufacturing facility in the UK. It will create valuable new jobs and build on the strength of the UK's life sciences ecosystem.
The company is best known for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now developing a range of mRNA-based vaccines for a number of conditions.
The ABPI represents companies of all sizes who invest in discovering the medicines of the future, including some of the world's largest, most innovative, and most
successful pharmaceutical firms.
Darius Hughes, UK General Manager, Moderna, said: "We are delighted to join the ABPI - this alliance is an important part of our long-term commitment to the UK and
supports the wider significant investments in manufacturing, research and development we are making in this country.
A member of the English Pharmacy Board and RPS Assembly, Sharon Isobel Tait Buckle (also known as Sibby) has been elected unopposed as the treasurer of the
Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
Sibby takes over the role from Andre Yeung, whose tenure ended in June 2022.
Sibby was first elected to the English board in 2012 and is the first woman to hold the post since RPS became the professional leadership body in 2010. She is
already part of the Finance and Investment Committee, where RPS budgets, pensions, assets, financial priorities and performance, reserves and investment policies
are scrutinised and agreed.
Commenting on her new role, Buckle said: "I want to build on the great contribution made by our previous Treasurer. Over the next two years of my tenure I will
monitor and challenge our financial performance, our focus on Environmental, Social and Governance factors (ESG), investment strategy and performance and our
financial governance.
Labour MP Barry Gardiner has raised concerns that the £645 million cash injection announced by the government for community pharmacy is, in effect, 'frozen
funding' for the next two years.
Speaking on Tuesday (May 9) on the BBC's Politics Live, Gardiner said funding for community pharmacies "was cut before 2015, then it was frozen and now the latest
announcement says that it's going to be frozen for a further two years."
He said with a current national contract, which already represented a 25 per cent funding cut in real terms, it was not appropriate to ask for community pharmacy
"to take on more work" without adequate support.
"I heard the prime minister earlier this morning (May 9) on TV saying 'we are investing more in pharmacies'.
"No you are not. You just concluded a contract that says for the next two years it will be absolutely flatlined."
He added that "there will be no more money" for community pharmacy and that steeply rising costs due to inflation were "eating into that contract's health".
Gardiner said community pharmacists "do a phenomenal job" but regretted that from a total of just 11,000, some 700 pharmacies have been lost due to funding cuts.
MedAdvisor will be investing $1.9 million (£1 million) into UK-based pharmacy dispensary app Charac, while securing a 7.4 per cent shareholding in the later
company.
Under this new agreement, MedAdvisor CEO Rick Ratliff will become a Non-Executive Director (NED) on the board of Charac.
Both MedAdvisor and Charac provide digital medication adherence solutions that allow customers to file prescription orders to their local pharmacy through mobile apps.
The investment is seen as part of MedAdvisor's cost saving strategy, as the Australian company has decided to discontinue its UK operations, and transfer its
existing pharmacy relationships to Charac.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) CEO, Janet Morrison said that the negotiations for the £645 million investment pledged to community pharmacies in 2023-25
have concluded.
The government's primary care recovery plan is to be announced in a "few weeks" and negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) from April
2024 will begin.
She said: "We have finished the substantive discussions on the recovery plan but detailed discussions about implementation are ongoing and we are awaiting final
clearance from the Government and the NHS.
"We hope that we will be in a position to make an announcement in the next few weeks and that negotiations on the CPCF from April 2024 will commence soon after
that."
Morrison reminded attendees that the Primary Care Recovery Plan is "to improve access to primary care by investing £645 million over the remainder of the year".
In response to a Scottish government consultation, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called for continued investment to develop community pharmacy teams and create additional capacity in existing services.
The consultation examines different ways patients access healthcare services in Scotland and focuses on sources of healthcare other than GPs that exist in the community.
The inquiry was discussed with NPA policy leads across the UK, NPA Scottish members and other Scottish pharmacy stakeholder organisations.
The NPA stated that services delivered during the pandemic has proven the importance of Scotland's 1,258 community pharmacies, and believes additional capacity for existing pharmacy services, and expansion of pharmacy Public Health Services is possible with continued investment from the government.
The government on Wednesday (March 2) announced an investment of £260 million to support research, development and manufacturing of new drugs, devices and
diagnostics.
Of the total funding, up to £200m has been allocated for research to better access NHS data through Trusted Research Environments and digital clinical trial services, enabling availability of crucial data with the highest levels of privacy.
This will allow the NHS to deliver new life-saving treatments to patients, tackle health inequalities and improve patient care, a government release stated.
The remaining £60m will support commercial-scale manufacturing investments by companies at the leading-edge of innovation, from cell and gene therapies and earlier
and better diagnostic technologies, to medical devices.
The funding for manufacturing investments will be distributed through the new Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), following the success of the earlier Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund.
Superdrug, one of the leading health and beauty retailers, is all set to invest in 25 new stores this year, expanding its bricks-and-mortar retail footprint.
It confirmed with Pharmacy Business that amongst its 25 new stores there "will be a mix of pharmacy and retail stores".
The venture is expected to create over 570 jobs nationwide, creating a seamless customer experience and providing vital support for high streets and local
communities.
The investment, part of the brand's O+O (Online + Offline) platform strategy to deliver its omnichannel ambitions, is driven by continued strong performance
figures. In Q4 2022 Superdrug reported increased volume and value sales and footfall across both sides of the beauty and health business. Whilst in 2021 revenue
rose 5.1% to £1,168million with a profit before tax increase of 141.3%.
The investment strategy has already seen Superdrug open new stores in Washington Gallery and Falkirk Retail Parks in February 2023 and in Braehead, the largest
Superdrug in Scotland, just last month.
"The UK remains genuinely world-leading for life sciences in numerous areas - yet we continue to underperform on our potential," said Richard Torbett, Chief
Executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
His statement is based on recent government data indicating that the UK is not fully capitalizing on its strong historical and institutional advantages in life
sciences across a range of economic, health, and research indicators.
The latest 'Life sciences competitiveness indicators 2024' report from the government's Office for Life Sciences revealed that while the pharmaceutical industry
leads in R&D spending with £9 billion in 2022, representing a fifth of total business investment, the country saw a notable decline in foreign direct
investment (FDI), industry clinical trials, and exports.
In 2023, FDI dropped by 21 per cent to £0.8 billion, following a trend that saw a 52 per cent decrease over the previous two years, including a £0.9 billion fall
in FDI the year prior.