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Pharmacy staff who have died during COVID-19 pandemic to be remembered during minute's silence

Pharmacy staff who are thought to have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are to be among the healthcare workers remembered with a minute’s silence on 28 April 2020.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Pharmacists will not be automatically included in government COVID-19 life assurance scheme

Pharmacists will not be automatically eligible for a new government life assurance scheme for healthcare workers in England who die from COVID-19 during the pandemic.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Community pharmacies need £200m extra to stay afloat during COVID-19, trade body warns

Community pharmacies need millions of pounds extra “to keep their heads above water” during the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy bodies have warned.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Transcending boundaries: the role of pharmacists in gender identity services

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.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Community pharmacists will now be included in COVID-19 death-in-service scheme

Community pharmacists are to be included in the government life assurance scheme for staff working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health secretary, Matt Hancock has announced.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Wholesalers 'almost completely out' of government-supplied PPE, trade body warns

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.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Everything you should know about the coronavirus outbreak

The latest information about the novel coronavirus identified in Wuhan, China, and advice on how pharmacists can help concerned patients and the public.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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NHS England advises pharmacies to 'risk assess' BAME staff for susceptibility to COVID-19

NHS England has advised pharmacies to risk assess staff who may be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, including those from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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COVID-19 LATEST: Valproate reviews must not be delayed, says medicines regulator

All the most important developments in the COVID-19 pandemic for pharmacists and their teams, as they happen.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, Protecting 2020 Election Should Start Now

March 23, 2020 – As the United States grapples with the COVID-19 outbreak and its ongoing fallout, there is another pressing issue that is crucial to the American public: ensuring safe and fair elections between now and Nov. 3. “The Coalition believes it is important for all Americans to be active in the political process […]




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As COVID-19 Pandemic Continues, Promotion of Unapproved “Cures” Abounds

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. […]




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COVID-19 the focus, but Pfizer isn't ignoring other vaccine R&D as its pens new deal

Pfizer and partner BioNTech are right in the middle of one of the most important vaccine trials in the world right now, but that doesn’t mean the Big Pharma is taking its eyes off the inoculation ball elsewhere.




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Lilly-partnered AbCellera gets COVID-19 boost from Canadian government

After penning a deal with Eli Lilly last month with the aim to have an antibody in the clinic within four months, Canadian-based AbCellera has been given a financial boost by its government.




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BioMarin pens gene therapy pact with little-known Swiss biotech

BioMarin Pharmaceutical is boosting its early-stage pipeline by penning a deal with Swiss startup Dinaqor.




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Oberland Capital nabs $1.05B raise for late-stage plays, handing out cash for royalties

Come on in, the water’s warm. After billions already raised by VC firms since the advent of the pandemic for life science companies, Oberland Capital has tossed more than $1 billion into the pot.




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Pfizer, BioNTech dose first U.S. subject with COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer and BioNTech have begun dosing participants in a U.S. clinical trial of their COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The dose-escalation stage of the trial will enroll up to 360 subjects, initially out of sites in New York and Maryland.




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Months after closing $617M life sciences fund, Frazier Healthcare nabs biopharma vets

Venture capital firm Frazier Healthcare has grabbed Scott Byrd, Ian Mills, and Gordon McMurray as its new Entrepreneur-in-Residence consultants.




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CSL Behring joins pandemic R&D fight with antibody work

Australia’s largest biotech company CSL says it is working on a plasma-based therapy for patients with more severe forms of COVID-19.




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COVID-19: Lilly ramps up to beat the virus with neutralizing antibodies as scientists raise worries

Eli Lilly has teamed with China’s Junshi Biosciences in the U.S., marking the company's second COVID-19 pact to develop neutralizing antibodies against the virus. It promises to be a faster approach than designing a new small-molecule drug would be, but getting from idea to an effective product may not be so simple.




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FDA delays decision on approval of Bristol Myers' CAR-T

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.




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PTC Therapeutics nabs 'phase 3 ready' biotech Censa for just $10M upfront plus stock

PTC Therapeutics is adding to its rare disease pipeline with a midstage biotech buyout with a low upfront payment tied in with stock and biobucks.




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GSK taps experimental arthritis antibody to calm the cytokine storm hitting COVID-19 patients

GlaxoSmithKline is hard at work with partner Sanofi in getting a vaccine tested for COVID-19, but this morning it said it was now also entering the race to treat patients already hit with the disease.




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After Alexion buyout, ex-Achillion nephrology lead jumps ship to Gemini Therapeutics

Just a few months after Alexion snapped up complement inhibitor biotech Achillion, Gemini Therapeutics has nabbed one of its key R&D execs as its new chief medical officer.




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Sorrento ventures into COVID-19 with Mount Sinai antibody pact

Sorrento Therapeutics is jumping into the race to develop therapies against COVID-19, teaming up with Mount Sinai to develop a cocktail of antibodies from the blood of 15,000 recovered patients. The company's scientists believe their multipronged therapy will sidestep risks such as treatment resistance.




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Fortress joins KRAS race through Columbia University deal

Fortress Biotech has licensed a treatment for KRAS-driven cancers from Columbia University. Sticking to its blueprint, Fortress has set up a new biotech, Oncogenuity, to advance the preclinical asset and work to generate more oligonucleotides from the underlying platform.




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No difference found in caffeine's effects on exercise power among 'fast' or 'slow' metabolizers

A recent study looking at the effects of caffeine on brief, high intensity exercise found the substance improved performance, regardless of genetic variations in how subjects metabolized caffeine.




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UNPA’s Israelsen: ‘We’ve had a good six weeks, but consumers have used some of their last spending power to buy supplements’

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.




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BENEO president: ‘We have seen higher and more volatile demand during the pandemic’

From fewer containers and reduced shift work at harbors to delays in planned maintenance in factories, the coronavirus pandemic is impacting global supply chains in myriad ways. FoodNavigator-USA (FNU) caught up with Jon Peters (JP), president at Beneo, a leading supplier of chicory root fiber, rice ingredients, and the specialty low-GI carbs Isomalt and Palatinose, to find out more.




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Despite sales bump, brands that are not preparing for stormy seas ahead could struggle, consultant says

The dietary supplement industry as a whole is enjoying booming sales as consumer stock up on products to support optimum health. But an industry strategist warns that that sales bump is likely to be ephemeral, and brands that are not strategizing vigorously now may be caught out in the near future.




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‘Overwhelming evidence’ supports Vitamin D’s immune function benefits

There is an âindisputable relation between vitamin D and the immune systemâ, says a new review that shows that avoiding vitamin D deficiency has clear benefits for immune health.




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Probiotic combination boosts amino acid absorption from plant protein: RCT

A novel combination of two Lactobacillus paracasei strains may increase absorption of key amino acids in plant proteins, according to a new placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, multicenter, crossover study.




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Persona CEO Jason Brown on state of personalized nutrition

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




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CRN’s Mister: ‘This could be a sea change for the industry as consumers take more interest in their health’

Consumers are turning to dietary supplements in record numbers, but the industry must deliver on the results the products are promising if the industry is to convert them to long term customers, says Steve Mister.




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Herbal ingredient supplier benefits from incontinence product supply problems

The unpredictable spikes in demand that are distorting the supply chain in the current crisis has created another opportunity, in this case for herbal ingredients that help adults deal with urinary incontinence issues.




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Lief Labs launches GMP starter kit initiative

The GMP Starter Kit aims to help guide brands through current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) regulations and FDA compliance for nutritional and dietary supplement brands.




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NutraCast Podcast: Michelle Ricker on biohacking

Youâve likely heard of life hacks, which are tricks or shortcuts that help you be more efficient in life. You may or may not have heard of biohacks. But chances are, youâve already tried some without even knowing it. You might even be biohacking right nowâ




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Bifido probiotic may enhance effects of exercise and boost training results: Study

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.




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How Could Science #BreaktheInternet?

I saw the Breakthrough Prizes announced this weekend and was excited to learn about the interesting scientists on the list, including Jennifer Doudna who many of us in life science recognize for her CRISPR/Cas9 work. I’ll start out saying that I am glad to see a group of such influential people (Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark

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Supporting Biotech Development in Madison

As part of our follow up to our recent Biotech in Wisconsin Meetup about professional development skills, we are asking folks to fill out this poll.




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What is the optimal biotech burn rate?

Ethan Perlstein, founder of Perlstein Lab, asked a question on Twitter and got some great answers from David Grainger, partner at Index Ventures and Katrine Bosley, CEO of Editas Medicine. (You can read the whole thread by clicking through.) @LifeSciVC @sciencescanner @ksbosley @scientre what's the burn rate distribution of biotech NewCos in for the first year of

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Blood: Underappreciated Resource in the Health/Disease?

Alternative title: Pitching a VC on Disruption of Blood Testing You may have seen some recent editorials about the necessary frequency of blood tests for healthy individuals, many of them prompted by a series of tweets from Mark Cuban: Although there are certainly potential dangers in expecting any and all test results to be immediately

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None Better than One? (A Brief Note on VC in Smaller Hubs)

Biotech venture funding metrics continue at historic highs, highlighting that the robust financing environment in the public markets continues to fuel the private markets as well.  – Bruce Booth, partner Atlas Venture in Data Snapshot: Venture-Backed Biotech Financing Riding High, April 2015 Here in Madison, Wisconsin, you might not know that was true if you

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The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Pharma Day*

A challenge You are passionate about providing an intervention (drug or device) to a group of patients who can’t access the current options due to availability or pricing. You could could go the philanthropic route to pay for the interventions. You could work towards regulation to apply downward pressure on pricing. No matter what, you have to

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V-E Day: Europe Celebrates A Subdued 75th Anniversary During COVID-19 Pandemic

"Today, 75 years later, we are forced to commemorate alone, but we are not alone!" Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says, celebrating international unity in the post-war era.




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What Happened Today: Health Care System Crumbles, Testing Questions

Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, answers questions about access to testing for COVID-19, false-negative results and the challenges of mass testing.




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Public Health Experts Say Many States Are Opening Too Soon To Do So Safely

By Monday at least 31 states will be open or partially open. This as President Trump pushed for the country to get back to work despite public health experts warning that it's too soon.




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COMIC: Hospitals Turn To Alicia Keys, U2 And The Beatles To Sing Patients Home

Call them victory anthems. Every time a patient with COVID-19 is well enough to be discharged, hospitals in New York and elsewhere play songs of celebration over the intercom. A doctor explains.




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Reopening After COVID: The 3 Phases Recommended By The White House

President Trump wants businesses to start reopening after the coronavirus forced shutdowns. Here's what the White House task force recommends for states.




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Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?

View our map and graphics to see where COVID-19 is hitting hardest in the U.S., which state outbreaks are growing the fastest and which are leveling off.




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Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

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.