4 DECEMBER 2024
Paul Rees steps down as NPA chief
executive
Paul Rees has resigned as CEO of the National
Pharmacy Association (NPA) to become interim
chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and
Midwifery Council
(NMC).
He will begin his
one-year contract with
the NMC on January
20, where he will
lead the development
of a multi-year
programme aimed
at transforming the
organisation’s culture
and performance.
Paul said: “It will be a real wrench to leave
and it’s been a decision I’ve had to wrestle with.
I have been deeply affected by working with the
NPA – community pharmacy will always have
a special place in my heart, even as I move into
another part of the healthcare sector.”
“Despite loving the NPA, the pull of helping
the NMC to eliminate racism and bullying
from within the organisation, embed a positive
and inclusive culture, and improve the quality
of patient care through the regulation of, and
support for, the UK’s 826,000 nurses, midwives
and nursing associates, is just too great.”
NPA chair Nick Kaye praised Paul’s
contributions over the last year, stating: “I’m
enormously grateful to Paul and the brilliant
NPA team who are doing so much to raise the
profile of community pharmacy, campaign for a
better deal and improve our outstanding support
to members.”
The NPA plans to appoint its next chief
executive early in the new year.
Pharmacy owners vote to withdraw
services
Community pharmacies are bracing
themselves to withdraw services from patients
after an industry ballot supported plans for
major action unless the government provided a
significant increase in funding for the sector.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA)
on 14 November announced the results of an
unprecedented collective action ballot in which
nearly all pharmacy owners, who participated in
the ballot, voted to limit their services, insisting
that a lack of additional funding is jeopardising
patients health and safety.
Over 63% of NPA members in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland took part in
the ballot– representing 3,049 independent
community pharmacies in England alone,
or 3,399 with Wales and Northern Ireland
included.
Nearly 98% of pharmacy owners in England
voted to reduce their opening hours to the
minimum required by their contract.
More than 93% voted to stop offering
“unfunded” free home deliveries of medicines,
and over 96 per cent voted to withdraw from
locally commissioned services, including
certain addiction support, emergency
contraception, and stop smoking services.
Commenting on the ballot result, NPA
chair Nick Kaye said: “Pharmacies don’t want
to reduce services but we will be left with no
option but to suggest that pharmacy owners
should consider acting on the clear ballot results
if government does not act to protect this vital
and much-loved part of our health service.”
Antibiotic-resistant infections exceed
pre-pandemic levels
The UK recorded an estimated 66,730
serious antibiotic-resistant infections in 2023,
surpassing the pre-pandemic figure of 62,314 in
2019, a new report from the UK Health Security
Agency (UKHSA) has revealed.
The English Surveillance of Antibiotic
Prescribing and Utilisation Report (ESPAUR)
published by the UKHSA showed that E. coli
– a common cause of urinary tract infections,
diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, accounted for
65 per cent of antibiotic-resistant bloodstream
infections in the last five years.
Antibiotic use rose by 2.4 per cent in 2023
compared to 2022, with prescribing levels
returning to those last seen in 2019. Penicillins
were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics
in both primary and secondary care.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, CEO of
UKHSA, said: “Increasingly the first antibiotics
that patients receive aren’t effective at tackling
their infections. That’s not just an inconvenience
– it means they are at greater risk of developing
a severe infection and sepsis.
“Our declining ability to treat and prevent
infections is having an increasing impact,
particularly on our poorest communities.”
Unauthorised shipment of weight
loss drugs from UK pharmacy seized
in the US
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
officers at the port of Cincinnati seized two
unapproved shipments of weight loss drugs,
including one from a UK pharmacy, last month.
On 5 October, CBP officers seized a
shipment declared as “cosmetic weight loss
product” and found containing Mounjaro
injectable pens of multiple doses (2.5mg, 5mg,
and 7mg).
The shipment, arriving from a UK pharmacy
and heading to a residence in Ohio, violated the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA),
according to a U.S. Customs and Border
Protection report.
Cincinnati CBP officers on 14 October
intercepted another shipment, which was also
destined for an Ohio residence.
This shipment from Hong Kong contained
20 vials of Semaglutide 10 mg and 150
Tirzepatide 30 mg, with a domestic value of
$45,450.
Imported drugs are required to meet FDA
standards for quality, safety, and effectiveness.
However, CBP has noted that very few
online pharmacies comply with U.S. pharmacy
regulations, posing health risks to consumers,
who purchase what they believe is a genuine
product at a much lower cost.
Accord’s Clara Carter named
chair of BGMA’s new women’s
networking group
The British Generic Manufacturers
Association (BGMA), the representative
trade association for off-patent medicines, has
established a new Women’s Networking Group
aimed at fostering learning, networking, and
career development opportunities for women in
the generic and biosimilar medicines industry.
Clara Carter, UK country manager of
generics at Accord Healthcare, has been elected
as the first chair of the group, and Elaine Holisz,
strategic engagement director at Advanz, as its
vice chair.
Clara expressed her enthusiasm for the
initiative, saying, “This
is a really important
association initiative
which will cover a
wide range of topics
and issues.”
“At its heart, I
want it to be about
identifying and
nurturing talent and
breeding confidence
in future industry
leaders. We will offer
mentoring and speaker opportunities among a
wide range of potential activities.”
With over two decades of experience in
the off-patent medicines industry, Clara is
committed to providing participants with
practical insights and guidance.
Parliamentarians urge Wes Streeting
to support pharmacies
A group of 20 parliamentarians have written
to health secretary Wes Streeting MP, calling
for urgent government action to address the
growing financial crisis facing community
pharmacies.
In the cross-party letter, supported by
Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the MPs
warned of a real risk of more pharmacy closures,
www.pharmacy.biz
NEWS Quarterly News Round-up