World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned against vaccine nationalism, as countries across the world secure early access to promising COVID-19 vaccines. The WHO director-general called on all countries to work collectively to end the pandemic, by sharing finites supplies “strategically and globally”. “No one country has access to research and development, manufacturing and
A fellowship programme is looking for digital pioneers to design and lead service transformation projects in England’s NHS as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. DigitalHealth.London opens applications to its Digital Pioneer Fellowship programme, supporting change makers employed by NHS organisations in London to design and lead transformation projects underpinned by digital innovation. Sponsored this year by Boehringer
NHS chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, has announced plans for a £160m initiative to roll-out ‘COVID-friendly’ cancer treatments for patients across the UK. The money will be used to pay for treatments, which do not have as big an impact on patients’ immune systems but require less hospital visits compared to other drugs. Thereby meaning
A health crisis, even those smaller than one of pandemic proportions, is a challenging occasion for any health worker. With the immense pressure to support the foundation of health in the community, many often forget to look after themselves. The ability to de-stress on a day off often feels so far away, and occasionally it
New data released by Health Education England (HEE) has shown that there were 3,441 GP specialty training places were accepted in 2020, compared to 2,891 a year ago. With one more recruitment round to go, HEE is now on track to beat its target for recruiting 3,500 doctors in training to general practice this year,
According to findings of the FAST trial, five larger radiotherapy doses after surgery, once-a-week sessions for five weeks instead of daily radiotherapy over the same time, totalling 25 doses, cause similarly low rates of side-effects in women with early-stage breast cancer in the long run. Fewer treatment sessions would particularly benefit patients at low risk
Researchers from Huddersfield University have stated that the benefits of using steroid-containing inhalers and nebulisers during the COVID-19 pandemic outweigh the risks, despite warnings to the contrary. Previously, the WHO advised back in March that steroids used in inhalers and nebulisers, such as those prescribed to people with asthma or COPD, could have a negative
Vertex has achieved an agreement with NHS England to reimburse its triple combination therapy Kaftrio (ivacaftor/tezacaftor/elexacaftor) in combination with Kalydeco (ivacaftor), should the medicine win European approval. The new expanded agreement includes reimbursed access to Vertex’ currently licensed medicines – Kalydeco (ivacaftor), Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) and Symkevi (tezacaftor/ivacaftor), as well as the triple combination therapy if
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has launched a public consultation on a “new-look, more user friendly” Code of Practice. The Code is designed to help govern the pharma industry’s conduct in the UK through self-regulation and reflects the sector’s commitment to operate in a professional, ethical and transparent manner. The ABPI is proposing to
NHSX, NHS Digital and Microsoft have signed a ‘landmark’ deal which will save the NHS ‘hundreds of millions of pounds’ and enable all eligible organisations in England to access Microsoft 365 digital tools. According to NHS Digital, the agreement ‘guarantees significant cost savings for both individual NHS organisations and the NHS as a whole’, and
