In Northern Ireland, around 123,000 people visit a pharmacy every day, making community pharmacies the most visited among all the health services available. With this in mind, the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and the Public Health Agency (PHA) have introduced a new initiative called Health+Pharmacy. Pharmacies with the Health+Pharmacy accreditation will work with [...]
Eisai and Charles River Laboratories have announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement which will see Charles River scientists work at Eisai's research and development facilities in Hatfield, UK. The collaboration will involve Charles River supporting Eisai scientists from Japan, USA and the UK on a range of synthetic and medicinal chemistry projects, including those seeking novel treatments for neurological diseases. [...]
In the wake of news of proposed funding cuts, a survey of Numark members has found that 62 per cent of respondent pharmacies are ‘Likely’ or ‘Highly Likely’ to stop prescription collection, delivery, MDS and other ‘free’ services they provide, with an inevitable impact on patients. A Numark member said, ‘We will become busy fools [...]
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has announced the appointment of three new members to its governing council. They include one registrant member, Joanne Kember, and two lay members, Mark Hammond and Deep Sagar. Commenting on their appointment, Nigel Clarke, Chair of the GPhC, said, ‘Council members play a crucial role in setting the GPhC’s strategic direction [...]
RPS in Scotland has published a Local Advocacy Toolkit ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections on 5th May. The toolkit gives members practical guidance on building relationships and influencing their MSP candidates. It’s designed to be used in conjunction with the recently-launched RPS in Scotland manifesto, Right Medicine – Better Health – Fitter Future. The toolkit also provides [...]
The campaign to secure the future of local pharmacies is to take on a new intensity with the launch of a petition to the Prime Minister. The national pharmacy bodies coordinating the campaign identified the need for a petition of this kind, to complement the parliamentary e-petition which has already gathered tens of thousands of [...]
Advice on switching and withdrawing antidepressants in MIMS has been updated to reflect the latest recommendations from the 2015 edition of the Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry. The MIMS table now includes specific advice on switching to and from clomipramine, fluvoxamine and vortioxetine. The updated quick-reference table is available online and will be included in the March [...]
As part of its ongoing commitment to progressing cancer research, Pfizer has announced that it will collaborate with Breast Cancer Now as part of its Europe-wide Breast Cancer Now Catalyst Programme. Pfizer is the first to collaborate with Breast Cancer Now on this new breast cancer research programme. The programme is based on a collaborative [...]
Mike Thompson has been appointed as Chief Executive of the ABPI, effective 1st March. At the end of 2015, he left GlaxoSmithKline after 20 years with the company, most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Strategy and Platforms, where he led teams of experts in areas such as multi-channel, payers, market research and [...]
Benepali (etanercept) has recently launched, providing prescribers with a biosimilar version of the TNF-targeting biologic etanercept. The 50mg prefilled pens and syringes are approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis in adults. Etanercept has been shown to slow the progression of joint damage and improve physical function in patients with rheumatoid [...]
