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The United Kingdom has signed a new trade deal with Australia, the first deal to be built from scratch since the UK left the European Union. The new deal will see cheaper sales being made in future on UK products to Australia, such as Scotch whisky biscuits and cars. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison are said to have reached an agreement on the deal’s broad terms during a dinner held on Monday. Boris Johnson said in a statement: "Our new free t...

As part of Operation Pangea, over 3 million illegally traded medicines and medical devices have been seized as part of a global crackdown. The products were valued at over £9 million. Operation Pangea was originally instigated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), it is also coordinated by INTERPOL. Operation Pangea is a well-established international effort to disrupt the online sale of counterfeit and illicit health products. Just as importantly, Pangea works...

£30 million is to be invested in postgraduate training courses for doctors, to ensure the NHS has access to skills necessary in managing the patient care backlog from the pandemic. Many postgraduate trainees have postponed their study in order to work on the frontline. This funding will be manifested in a tailored approach, based on the individual needs of trainees, including one-to-one training conversations and recovery plans. As many as 123,800 doctors and over 303,000 nurses are now wo...

The Government is preparing to launch trade agreement negotiations with Canada and Mexico in the latest phase of post-Brexit consolidation of global trade relationships. A call for input is being put out to UK businesses and the public ahead of the talks formally starting. Consultation with a wide variety of trading stakeholders, citizens and industry bodies will allow for the UK to put its best foot forward at the talks, which are scheduled to begin later this year. In 2020, the UK agreed deals...

United States agrees to vaccine patent waiverThe United States has agreed to back a waiver by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on vaccine patents to boost supply as virus cases soar worldwide. The waiver was first proposed by India and South Africa, who were joined by over 60 countries in agreement. Over the last six months, this cohort of countries have been petitioning for the waiver to be accepted which would allow for greater supplies of vaccine stocks for nations struggling to cope with i...

Researchers in Switzerland have developed a COVID-19 antibody test that can analyse hundreds of samples at the same time, using minute quantities of reagents and single drops of blood. The platform, which can analyse up to 1024 samples at once, consists of a complex network of tiny tubes carved into a plastic chip that is about the size of a USB stick. Antibody tests are also a powerful tool to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in clinical trials, when scientists look at the rise in antibodies ...

Chief Executive of NHS England Sir Simon Stevens is to step down from his role in July, he has confirmed in a message to staff this afternoon. Sir Steven has held the important role for seven years, first starting on 1st April 2014, and has overseen the NHS’s management through various challenges. These included Government austerity measures which affected the service’s spending, and the current hurdles faced by COVID-19 and the treatment backlog. Key milestones in Sir Simon’s ...

9 in 10 English community pharmacies are now taking part in the latest, wide-scale rolling out of rapid coronavirus tests. These rapid tests are designed for use at home and are now available to the wider population, with or without symptoms, as the Government seeks to utilise testing as part of the lockdown easing process. The tests provide a result within 30 minutes and help to break the chains of transmission within communities. The ‘Pharmacy Collect’ programme allows people in co...

The largest surge testing operation to date is now under way in South London areas due to a considerable outbreak of the COVID variant first detected in South Africa. The cluster of infections in these areas is said to be ‘significant’, with dozens of people self-isolating or already having completed an isolation period. More than 70 confirmed or possible cases of the South African variant are said to have been recorded so far. Extra testing and genomic sequencing is being provided i...

Why Your Diagnostic Tests can be Vital A blood test can mean the difference between life and death. Hard-hitting as it sounds, diagnostic tests provide results that can change an individual’s life and allow health professionals to diagnose and then treat their conditions.Diagnostic tests are a key component in virtually every health intervention that takes place. The results of these tests provide essential and invaluable information throughout the healthcare process, with tests being...