Healthcare - Today Stories

The publication in the Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance concluded that application of a nasal gel formulation of XF-73 in healthy volunteers was safe, well tolerated and generated minimal side effects Treatment with XF-73 was also associated with a rapid reduction in nasal Staphylococcus aureus in all subjects; nasal carriage of the bacteria is the source of the majority of post-surgical bacterial infections The same nasal formulation is being used in the Company’s phase 2b trial assessing the microbiological effect of XF-73 on nasal S. aureus in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery and at high risk of postoperative S.aureus/MRSA infection; headline results continue to be expected in mid-2020 Brighton, United Kingdom – 16 October 2019 Destiny Pharma (AIM: DEST), a clinical sta…

Clinical Professionals fully fund and train some of the UK’s brightest life science graduates with the aim of giving back and assisting in the future of the industry talent pool and future skilled professionals. The Parliamentary Review, co-chaired by former ministers Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, publishes its latest, highly anticipated edition this September. Featuring commentary from the prime minister and senior politicians alongside business and thought leaders across both the private and public sectors, The Review aims to share and promote best practice among executives and policymakers. Success for businesses of any size does not always come easily, and this year's edition of The Parliamentary Review is indispensable for anyone who seeks to make a name for themselves in industry.…

London, 10 October 2019 - The Dementia Discovery Fund (“DDF” or “the Fund”) this week welcomed more than 100 key stakeholders to its Annual Forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges surrounding the development of high-impact therapeutics for age-related dementias. Established in 2015, DDF is the world’s only global venture capital fund dedicated to delivering both high-impact therapeutics for age-related dementias and financial returns by investing in, creating, and supporting innovative companies. The Annual Forum, now in its second year and attended by representatives from innovative research companies, academia and the investment community, welcomed presentations from emerging companies who are supported by DDF investment and who are pursuing the development of highly promising…

A public focus group has responded positively to a smart pill bottle, Pill Connect, developed by eLucid mHealth to prompt patients to take their medications on time. Pill Connect also allows both trial investigators and doctors to effectively monitor medication and provide novel insights into adherence. The focus group, run by Research for the Future, was made up of seven volunteers aged over 50 years. The participants took part in a roundtable discussion on medicine management, followed by a demonstration and hands-on session with the Pill Connect bottle and app. In the final roundtable discussion, all participants said that the Pill Connect system was simple to use and that it was easy to remember how to use it. Other feedback from the participants included: 86% said they would like to…

Mark Geremia, VP and GM for Dragon Professional and Consumer, Nuance Communications.  Studies have found that on average one in every 10 people in the UK are dyslexic and struggle with literacy.   Encouragingly, in recent years there has been a new focus on education around dyslexia. Through in-depth studies and research alongside efforts to raise awareness – such as World Dyslexia Awareness Day - a new understanding of the condition is being established and outdated misconceptions are – thankfully – being challenged.   For many living with dyslexia, using AI-powered speech recognition software, such as Dragon, could open up a new world of possibilities.  For example, the keyboard can often act as a barrier, for those with dyslexia. Removing it ultimately provides a more fluid writing expe…

Living close to the sea could support better mental health in England’s poorest urban communities, finds a new study published today in the journal Health and Place. Researchers from the University of Exeter used survey data from nearly 26,000 respondents in their analysis, which marks one of the most detailed investigations ever into the wellbeing effects of being beside the sea. After taking other related factors into account, the study revealed that living in large towns and cities near to England’s coastline is linked with better mental health for those in the lowest earning households. Approximately one in six adults in England suffer from mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, and these are far more likely in people from poorer backgrounds. The findings suggest tha…

READING – 30 September 2019 – Sanofi announced today the UK launch of Suliqua™ (insulin glargine/lixisenatide), a once-daily titratable fixed-ratio combination of basal insulin glargine 100 Units/mL and GLP-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. Suliqua™ in combination with metformin is authorised for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve glycaemic control when this has not been provided by metformin alone or metformin combined with another oral glucose lowering medicinal product or with basal insulin.[2] Approval of the once-daily injection is based on two phase III studies, LixiLan-O and LixiLan-L.[3],[4] LixiLan-O showed Suliqua™ to be statistically superior in reducing blood sugar levels in comparison with both lixis…

From today, for the very first time, millions of people in the UK and world-wide can access a new app purposefully designed to help them cope with the physical and psychological impact of cancer. Natia is the first app to incorporate the holistic programmes of Yoga, Meditation, Music, and Conversation, to provide individuals affected by cancer with support along the whole care pathway - emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Natia is supported by the UK cancer charity, Maggie’s Centres, who assisted with the development of the app, alongside cancer patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals, who also successfully tested the app. This co-creation approach to development has helped ensure that Natia meets the needs of the individuals it aims to support and provides a truly unique s…

Mutational signatures could help improve myeloma patient prognosis Myeloma UK funded research from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has identified the main biological processes which cause the genetic mutations associated with the development of myeloma. The research, published in Blood Cancer Journal, increases our knowledge of how myeloma develops and evolves and also suggests that analysis of mutational signatures could play a role in helping identify high risk myeloma patients and predicting patient outcomes.  This will aid the development of more personalised treatments for myeloma patients and help to drive improved diagnosis and assessment of prognosis. The team at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) analysed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and whole-exome sequencing (WES)…

The ABPI has launched new guidance to make sure that joint working between the NHS and industry delivers ‘a triple win’ in benefits for patients, the NHS and companies. The guidance sets out a ten-step process to scope, set up and monitor joint working projects, while making sure they are completely transparent for patients and the public. Examples of joint working projects include: Identification of undiagnosed patients Improving patient adherence to medicines Contributions to nurse services Increasing NHS system capacity to treat patients Joint working projects are defined as being situations where pharmaceutical companies, the NHS and others pool skills, experience and resources for the joint development of patient-centred projects. Launching the guidance, ABPI Chief Executive Mike T…

DE BEERS GROUP SUPPORTS MALARIA DIAGNOSTICS START-UP IN FIGHT TO RID AFRICA AND THE WORLD OF MALARIA South African medical tech start-up, ERADA Technology Alliance, is pleased to announce it has received a €288,000 foundation grant from De Beers Group to support its pioneering work on the world’s first ever saliva-based rapid diagnostic test for malaria. The foundation grant will prove instrumental in ERADA’s final stages of work prior to the diagnostic tool’s global launch planned to coincide with World Malaria Day next April. The saliva-based diagnostic tool, whose technical name is Saliva-based Malaria Asymptomatic and Asexual Rapid Test (SMAART) for subclinical infection, is due to be marketed under the brand SALVA! and will complete its field trials before full commercialisation and d…

Responding to news that Sir. Andrew Dillon is to step down as NICE CEO in March next year, ABPI CEO Mike Thompson said: "He has played a central role in building the credibility of the organisation, insisting on transparent processes, and a continuous dialogue with all stakeholders, recognising that as the science evolves, NICE needs to evolve too.  As a result of this leadership, there is a consensus across industry about the central role of NICE in assessing all medicines, ensuring that patients have a right to access the treatments they need. Hugely respected by all, we thank and congratulate Andrew on his outstanding achievements at NICE, and we wish him all the very best in his future endeavours”.

The NHS has saved hundreds of people from sepsis thanks to better use of digital technology in hospitals. In a major nationwide push to tackle the condition, including a one hour identification and treatment ambition, new ‘alert and action’ technology is being introduced which uses algorithms to read patients’ vital signs and alert medics to worsening conditions that are a warning sign of sepsis. Sepsis – also known as blood poisoning – is a life-threatening response to an infection in the body, where the immune system damages tissues and organs. Three leading hospitals are using alerts to help identify sepsis and tell doctors when patients with the serious condition are getting worse, ahead of the measures being rolled out across England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS leaders in C…

An innovative partnership is transforming the lives of young people with learning disabilities in London. Ten students have recently graduated through the collaboration between DFN Project SEARCH and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust with four graduates already in full-time employment. 1000 young people have now graduated and secured full-time employment through DFN Project SEARCH programmes in the UK. DFN Project SEARCH CEO Maura Lynch said: “Our partnership at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital is changing lives for the better.” __________________________________________________________________________________ An innovative partnership is helping to change the lives of young people with learning disabilities in London. DFN Project SEARCH is working with Moorfield’s Eye Hospital to trans…

More than 150,000 members of the public and more than 50 health leaders are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to take action now to address the escalating crisis in care.   In what is believed to be the largest petition of its kind, the Prime Minister is urged to end the swingeing cuts in social care that have left around 1.4 million older people in England unable to access the care and support they need.   In a letter to the Prime Minister, NHS leaders welcome his commitment to ‘fix the crisis in social care once and for all’. They have pledged their support and are calling for:  Cross-party talks to help deliver a more sustainable social care system, backed up by a long-term financial settlement.  Immediate funding increases in the upcoming one-year government spending review that…

Responding to the latest NHS performance statistics, Nick Ville, director of membership and policy at the NHS Confederation, said: “These figures show the health service is still struggling to climb out of the morass created by a decade of austerity. Year on year, the demands made on frontline services continue to grow, with attendances at A&E significantly higher than at this time last year. Our dedicated staff do all they can for patients, but they are being stretched to breaking point.“This week’s announcement of additional investment in the NHS is welcome, as the money is desperately needed to modernise services and to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care. But the government must complete the ‘unfinished business’ of the funding settlement for the health and care syst…

Timothy Kulbago named one of the most inspiring people in life sciences industry PHILADELPHIA – Aug. 5, 2019 – ERT, a global data and technology company that minimizes uncertainty and risk in clinical trials, today announced that Timothy Kulbago, Vice President, Imaging has been named one of the 100 most inspiring individuals in the life-sciences industry by PharmaVoice. Representing a broad cross-section of industry sectors, the PharmaVoice 100 honorees are selected based on how they have inspired their colleagues and affected positive changes in their organizations, as well as their involvement in community and philanthropic activities. “We’re pleased to honor Tim as he truly represents the spirit of the PharmaVoice 100,” said Taren Grom, Editor and Cofounder of PharmaVOICE. “His contr…

Supporting the NHS on its decade-long journey towards an integrated health and care system, as well as delivering extra investment for new buildings and infrastructure, social care and addressing major gaps in NHS staffing, should be at the top of the new Prime Minister’s priority list. That is the call today from the NHS Confederation in a letter and briefing to the Prime Minister. The NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, says there is much ‘unfinished business’ for the new government to resolve in the health and care sector. The letter warns the Prime Minister that the question of NHS funding is not yet settled, despite the £20.5bn funding settlement that kicked in from April this year. The settlement excluded some vital areas of expenditure tha…

MR Solutions has received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of the company’s innovative PET imaging technology for use in pre-clinical research. MR Solutions already holds Queens Awards for innovation in 2016 and for export achievement in 2017. MR Solutions has been the world leader in new developments in pre-clinical scanning firstly with the world’s first liquid helium free high field scanners and secondly the introduction of multi-modality scanners incorporating MRI with PET or SPECT and CT with PET or SPECT. The Queens award was for the PET module which used the latest technology in silicon photomultipliers. This advanced technology improved performance and substantially shrank the size of the PET scanner.  MR Solutions’ PET scanner can now be inserted within…

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) today announced that Jonathan Symonds will succeed Sir Philip Hampton as Non-Executive Chairman of the GSK Board with effect from 1st September 2019. Jonathan is currently Deputy Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc and has been an independent non-executive Director of HSBC since April 2014. He is a former Chief Financial Officer of Novartis AG and AstraZeneca plc, and has been a non-executive Director of Diageo plc and QinetiQ plc. He is currently non-executive Chairman of Proteus Digital Health Inc, a non-executive director of Rubius Therapeutics Inc and Chairman of Genomics England Limited. The appointment was approved by the Board and follows a thorough succession process undertaken by the Nominations Committee, led by Vindi Banga, the company’s Senior Independ…