Ahandful of UK charities and community pharmacists urged the UK government to find a fix for the ongoing drug shortage issue to prevent further patient suffering. The UK Epilepsy Society, SUDEP Action, Epilepsy Action and Parkinson’s UK, joined forces to call for a meeting with the Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins. The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) found that community pharmacists are spending an average of two hours every day to find patients’ medications due to the disruptions. In a 11 April press release, Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, AIMp’s CEO, said, “The system is overly complex and shrouded in secrecy – what we need is openness and transparency. Pharmacists are in the same position as patients – we are at the end of the supply chain but are the last people to find out about medication shortages. Consequently, we are unable to plan in advance and support the people who rely ...
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a final draft guidance recommending the use of AbbVie’s migraine drug Aquipta (atogepant), for NHS use in adults in England. Aquipta is an oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist that is used for the prevention of both chronic and episodic migraines. In the final draft guidance that was released on 11 April, the drug is recommended as an option for the prevention of migraines in adults who have at least four migraine days per month, only if at least three preventive medicines have failed. The drug received marketing authorisation from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in September 2023 following positive data from two Phase III clinical trials, ADVANCE (NCT03777059) and PROGRESS (NCT03855137), which assessed a 60mg once-a-day dose of Aquipta in adults with episodic and chronic migraine, respectively. Data from both trialsshowed that Aquipta offered ...
A clinical trial led by researchers from University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals NHS Trust Foundation (UCLH) has revealed that removing a step from a three-part MRI scan could make prostate cancer diagnosis quicker, cheaper and more accessible. The PRIME study was funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the John Black Charitable Foundation. Currently the most common form of cancer in men, prostate cancer is responsible for around 52,000 new cases and 12,000 deaths every year in the UK. In the UK, a three-part multiparametric MRI of the prostate is the current standard of care for patients suspected of having prostate cancer, which includes a dye injection as its third step to identify abnormalities to be seen on the MRI scan. In the study, cancer experts from 22 hospitals from 12 different countries recruited 555 patients and performed full-three-part multiparametric scans on them. Radiologists then assessed the ...
A project being led by King’s College London (KCL) has received funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) totalling £100,000 to create a platform to boost artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted healthcare for cancer diagnosis. The PharosAI project will develop a platform for AI researchers and companies to access cancer-related datasets to train AI in healthcare settings. One of 12 teams awarded as part of the DSIT’s Research Venture Catalyst Programme, the project will comprise researchers from KCL, Guy’s and St Thomas’s Trust, Bart’s Cancer Institute and Bart’s Health Trust. The platform will help researchers and companies develop, evaluate and deploy NHS-quality AI for cancer diagnosis, offering AI clinical evaluation, deployment, standards validation services and educational programmes. According to the project proposal, researchers aim to develop a data refinery sourced from over 50,000 patient samples from King’s Health Partners Cancer Biobank and the Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank to ...
Researchers at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge have announced the launch of the BEST4 trial to evaluate a capsule sponge test to prevent oesophageal cancer. Funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Research, the capsule sponge could see routine screening introduced into the NHS if successful. Responsible for around 9,200 new cases every year in the UK, oesophageal cancer occurs in the long, hollow tube that runs from the throat to the stomach, known as the oesophagus. The BEST4 trial, launched at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, is investigating whether the pill-on-a-thread test can be used to screen or monitor those most at risk of the disease. The ten-minute test is used for Barrett’s oesophagus, sometimes called a pre-cancerous condition, which is usually identified via an endoscopy and a biopsy at a hospital, following a GP referral. The process is time-consuming, unpleasant ...
Rare kidney diseases are a group of conditions which account for over 5% of people living with chronic kidney disease A new study led by University College London (UCL) and the UK Kidney Association has suggested that treatments for rare diseases could significantly reduce the burden of kidney disease for patients and the NHS. Published in The Lancet in alignment with World Kidney Day (14 March 2024), the study draws on the largest kidney disease dataset ever created, the UK’s National Registry of Rare Kidney Disease (RaDaR). Affecting over seven million adults, according to Kidney Research UK, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterised by the gradual loss of kidney function over a period of months to years. Rare kidney diseases such as cystinosis and Fabry disease are a group of conditions that affect less than one in 2,000 people, accounting for over 5% of people with CKD. Researchers charted the ...
In 2021, neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, affected approximately 3.4 billion people globally In a new study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, results published in the Lancet Neurology have determined that neurological conditions are currently the leading cause of ill health worldwide. Results showed that the biggest contributors to neurological health loss globally were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and diabetic neuropathy. Affecting 3.4 billion people globally in 2021, neurological conditions are any conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves, which can affect anyone at any age. The study revealed that the number of people globally living with or dying from neurological conditions has drastically risen in the past three decades, partially due to ageing societies. Worldwide, the analysis suggests that the total amount of disability, illness and premature death caused by neurological conditions increased by 18% between 1990 and 2021. ...
More than 3,700 cases of mpox have been identified in the UK since May 2022 The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has announced a new phase 1/2 trial, delivered by the NIHR Clinical Research Network and sponsored by Moderna, to test the effectiveness of an investigational mRNA vaccine for mpox. The mPower trial will evaluate the safety and immune response to mRNA-1769, which aims to protect against illness caused by the mpox virus. Currently a global public health threat, mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which is spread through physical contact with someone who is infected, leading to symptoms including painful rashes, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Since May 2022, over 3,700 cases of mpox have been identified in the UK, the majority of which have been from the Clade II B.1 lineage, predominantly in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex ...
The phase 1/2 Mobilize trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of mRNA-4359 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) and Imperial College London (ICL) have announced that the first UK patients have received the experimental mRNA therapy in an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat melanoma, lung cancer and other solid tumour cancers. The patients received the treatment at the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Imperial Clinical Research facility at Hammersmith Hospital. In the UK, around one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. While a range of therapies, including chemotherapy and immune therapies, have been successful, some cancer cells can become resistant to drugs, making tumours more challenging to treat. Sponsored by Moderna and undertaken through the Moderna-UK strategic partnership, the global Mobilize trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of an immunotherapy known as mRNA-4359, as well as its ability to ...
OART is increasingly emerging to assess and adapt treatment for cancer patients The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is set to implement online adaptive radiation therapy (OART) with RaySearch’s treatment planning system, RayStation, and oncology information system, RayCare. OART is a novel treatment for cancer patients that is increasingly emerging to assess patients’ anatomy, with a treatment plan adapted from an original reference plan with the patient on the treatment couch. The Royal Marsden has been using RayStation for conventional treatment planning since 2016 and most recently acquired two additional Radixact treatment delivery machines from Accuray to be used for OART. Daily-acquired patient images are used by OART to optimise treatment plans by considering the changes in the patients’ anatomy. OART puts high demand on the acquired images and an efficient information flow between the treatment planning system, the oncology information system and the treatment control system. RaySearch and Accuray’s ...
Go to Page Go
your submission has already been received.
OK
Please enter a valid Email address!
Submit
The most relevant industry news & insight will be sent to you every two weeks.