Pharma 'cash call' for new antibiotics

More than 80 pharmaceutical companies have called on governments to develop new ways of paying them to develop antibiotics, the BBC reports.

In a joint declaration, at the World Economic Forum, they said the value of antibiotics "does not reflect the benefits they bring to society".

In return, they have promised to invest in research and improve access to antibiotics around the world.

Signatories include GSK, Merck, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

Don't wait to run out of medication before getting a new prescription, pharmacists urge

Pharmacists have issued a plea to patients not to let their medications run out, the Dorset Echo reports. The call comes from Dorset’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which says that people don’t realise how much time it takes to fill a prescription.

It can take two full working days to complete as various checks to make sure the medication is right.

The chief pharmacist with NHS Dorset CCG, Katherine Gough, said: "People may not realise that fulfilling a prescription is not as easy as just pulling a bottle or packet off the shelf.”

Birmingham Post Rich List 2016: No.44= - Christopher Taylor & family

If Cornishman Dudley Taylor hadn’t endured the privations of a pharmaceutical apprenticeship in Truro in the 1930s, then the successful chain of Dudley Taylor Pharmacies may never have been born, the Birmingham Post Reports.

In tiny lodgings, working by the light of an oil lamp, hungry most of the time with tripe and onions the gastronomical highlight of the week, working up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, things were not easy for the young Dudley Taylor.

But he stuck at it and now, more than 70 years later, Warwick-based Dudley Taylor Pharmacies is a multi-million pound family company with 60 branches stretching from Cornwall to South Yorkshire.

The business – committed to community healthcare and now known as The Pharmacy Group – is now run by Dudley Taylor’s sons Christopher and Michael.

Portsmouth Pharmacy Speaks Out Against Guildhall Walk-in Closure

Portsmouth’s leading independent pharmacy has published its response to a Public Consultation Document released by the Portsmouth CCG regarding the potential closure of the Portsmouth Guildhall Walk-In Centre, About My Area reports.

With growing unease over the Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group’s controversial proposal to close the city centre’s only out-of-hours GP surgery and move GPs to St Mary’s Treatment Centre located to the east of the island, Lalys Pharmacy has spoken out with warnings of a negative impact on the quality of care offered in the city, confusion in the local community and more people reporting to A&E at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham.

“There is so much wrong with the CCG’s plan, from choice of location and lack of parking or public transport links, to the model of care and the approach to public consultation,’ says Dr Raj Laly, Director of Lalys Pharmacy.

“At a time when the UK’s most critical healthcare priority is to provide alternatives to hospital A&E, how can the only out-of-hours GP surgery in Portsmouth’s city centre be closed?”

UK set to spend £43bn a year less on health than European neighbours

The UK will spend £43bn a year less on health than its European counterparts by 2020 according to new research, the Independent reports.

The King’s Fund, which carried out an analysis for The Guardian newspaper, pointed out that the UK spent 8.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare in 2013, putting it 13th out of the 15 original members of the European Union.

Labour said Britain was becoming the “sick person of Europe”, while the Liberal Democrats warned the NHS would “crash” if it did not get more funding.

Professor John Appleby, the fund’s chief economist, wrote: “Whatever the flaws of international comparisons, it’s clear that the UK is currently a relatively low spender on healthcare, with a prospect of sinking further down the international league tables.”

Notorious former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli to testify before Congressional committee

Former Turing CEO Martin Shkreli has been subpoenaed to appear Tuesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to testify about prescription drug price hikes, Healthcare Finance News reports.

The hearing "Developments in the Prescription Drug Market: Oversight" is scheduled for 2 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 26, according to the committee website.

The U.S. congressional committee is investigating the price of drugs. Shkreli wasted no time in posting his thoughts on Twitter, saying Wednesday afternoon, "House busy whining to healthcare reporters about me appearing for their chit chat next week. Haven't decided yet. Should I?"

He also posted a photo of what looks like the subpoena saying, "Found this letter. Looks important."