Supplies of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, sertraline, are returning to stock after manufacturers reported “industry-wide” supply challenges, exacerbated by export bans and border closures implemented as a result of COVID-19. 

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There has been a surge in demand for gender identity services in the UK over the past five years. Although the current role of pharmacists is limited, their potential contribution within a multidisciplinary team supporting transgender patients is beginning to emerge.

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Wholesalers have “almost completely run out” of the personal protective equipment supplied by Public Health England for distribution to community pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the wholesaler trade body has warned.

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Just over 550 community pharmacy staff members were referred for COVID-19 tests through a national booking system run by the Care Quality Commission, over ten days in mid-April 2020, the NHS watchdog has told The Pharmaceutical Journal.

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March 4, 2020 — The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a surprise on March 2 when it announced it will hear a challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) next term, leap-frogging over the process that was playing out in lower courts. Oral arguments have not yet been scheduled, but are likely to […]

April 6, 2020 – The Coalition for Healthcare Communication last week endorsed an urgent request to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) to veto HB 732, which would put in place the nation’s first tax on digital advertising. The request, sent March 31 by national media and advertising trade associations and members of The Advertising Coalition, […]

May 4, 2020 – An important part of protecting the public health during the COVID-19 pandemic is making sure that the marketing of treatments or remedies that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the virus is stopped before consumers waste their money or potentially are harmed by these products. […]

The European Medicines Agency has begun a rolling review of data on Gilead’s remdesivir, positioning it to cut the time it takes to decide whether to approve the drug in COVID-19 patients.

The successful activation of T cells is critical to the immune system's ability to clear infections. A retrospective study in China found that COVID-19 patients had remarkably low T-cell counts in their blood, while some pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6—which Roche’s Actemra targets—were elevated.

Alnylam and Vir Biotechnology have identified an anti-SARS-CoV-2 development candidate, putting them on track to start testing the inhaled RNAi treatment for COVID-19 in humans around the end of the year.

The FDA has delayed its decision on whether to approve Bristol Myers Squibb’s CAR-T cell therapy by three months. Bristol Myers attributed the delay to its submission of additional information upon the request of the FDA.

Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent has become a popular treatment for atopic dermatitis and asthma. Now, a research team in Japan has discovered that IL-4 and its receptor—which Dupixent inhibits—could be promising targets for treating the eye disease age-related macular degeneration.

Johnson & Johnson taps Khan for chief data role; Icon poaches AstraZeneca vet Buck as CMO; Intellia signs on Lebwohl as CMO.

Tough times at Orchard Therapeutics as it swings the ax across staffers and facilities, phases in new pipeline advances and reduces interest in others.

Some producers of essential oils have thrown their hats into the coronavirus claims ring, according to recent warning letters from the US Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.

While dietary supplement sales have surged in recent months, the extent of the economic damage caused by the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 could lead to some very tough quarters as families and businesses start to run out of money.

Consumers arenât just looking for custom-made approaches any more, theyâre expecting it. As technology advances, more companies are offering custom nutritional solutions.

Combining exercise with a bacterial strain isolated from an Olympic weightlifting gold medalist may synergistically increase endurance compared to training or the probiotic alone, suggests data from a mouse study.

Scientists work tirelessly to find a coronavirus vaccine. But there are some questions to answer: How soon a viable vaccine would be developed? Would billions of people worldwide be able to to get it?

The tech giant announces it is extending its previous work-from-home plans for most of its staff and will begin reopening offices this summer.

A map of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world. The respiratory disease has spread rapidly across six continents and has killed thousands of people.

Modern innovation typically occurs one step-improvement at a time. Some clients initially question whether their new application of an existing technology is patentable. Usually, the answer is ‘yes.’ Under U.S. law (and most other jurisdictions), an innovation to an existing technology is patentable so long as at least one claim limitation is novel and non-obvious....… Continue Reading

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies breathed a sigh of relief Monday when the Federal Circuit unanimously ruled in a precedential opinion that the mere sale of manufacturing services to create embodiments of a patented product is not a “commercial sale” of the invention that triggers the on-sale bar of 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) (pre-AIA).[1]  The en banc opinion...… Continue Reading

Some interesting presentations on the last day of the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference that concentrated on common themes – the increasing importance of ancillary business line to bolster core business revenue and of filling in holes to achieve scale and full-service offerings. Genesis Healthcare – The largest U.S. skilled nursing facility (SNF) provider, which also is...… Continue Reading

I have blogged before about the effects and possibilities of the Corrigendum of December 2019 for class I medical devices. I refer you to that blog for the background to this discussion, which covers the mechanics of timing. The draft corrigendum discussed in that blog was adopted as described.  The new guidance The MDCG has […]

After a statement on a press conference today by Stefan De keersmaecker that had many people very excited quickly, the official announcement came later in the afternoon: Here is what I think about this development. Work on a proposal ongoing The Commission announced that ‘work on a proposal to postpone the date of application’. This tells […]

With the overwhelming vote in the Parliament in favor of the Commission proposal to amend the MDR it is politically basically a done deal now that the MDR will be amended. After the vote there were people that immediately stated that the amendment was formally approved – not so. We are looking at law making […]

Here is where masks are currently required, as well as proposals that would dramatically increase face-covering requirements.

Los Angeles County, which continues to be the hardest hit area in California, announced 51 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 on Thursday.

The Dodgers' Justin Turner and his wife Kourtney have delivered more than 500,000 meals to the needy since March. He'll be a free agent this winter.

California DMV will reopen 25 field offices after shutdown

A federal judge found that the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic was good cause for the delay.

Beverly Hills-based William Morris Endeavor said it is reducing its workforce by 20% through furloughs, layoffs and moving people to part-time employees.

Souplantation's owner says there was no way the restaurants' longtime self-serve model could survive in the era of COVID-19

Republicans, once confident of keeping their Senate majority in the fall election, now fear Democrats have a fresh advantage as the coronavirus crisis has reshaped campaigns.

As nations across the globe try to fight a pandemic, many also stop to mark the close of another conflict: the end of World War II in Europe.

Reopening California begins -- but very slowly, cautiously and under the shadow of a second wave.

When it opened last week for the first time since mid-March, Nomads Canteen in San Clemente quickly filled with customers eager to get out of the house and return to some sense of normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With no coronavirus vaccine in sight, employers and building landlords are turning to tech, design and distancing to keep office workers healthy.

It was one of last year's hot tickets: Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta, on the same stage at the same time. How to see it for free.

California college students will get emergency CARES grants

The NFL is operating under the assumption that the season will be played as scheduled, but COVID-19 has created many challenges for the league.

The vast majority of California isn't close to meeting Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening requirements, a Times analysis finds.

The NFL is operating under the assumption that the season will be played as scheduled, but COVID-19 has created many challenges for the league.

Merchants rejoice they finally reopen businesses and greet customers, with social distancing

California reopening: On Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, the normally bustling shopping district that has been largely vacant amid the coronavirus, there were signs of life Friday as some retailers opened for curbside service.

Enough is enough, says a growing number of creatives from the fashion industry, including designer Kimora Lee Simmons, stylist Jeanne Yang and designer Prabal Gurung.

The "Plandemic" video was the latest breakout hit from the coronavirus conspiracy theory industry. Social media companies are scrambling to ban it from their platforms.

Roy Horn, the dark-haired half of Siegfried & Roy, raised the white tigers and other animals in the duo's extravagant shows that were one of the biggest draws on the Las Vegas Strip.

New data analyzed by the Los Angeles Times show that nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths in the state are associated with elder care facilities.