The British Pharmaceutical Society and the Royal College for Physicians have published a report pushing for pharmacogenomic testing to better tailor patient prescriptions and save money caused by adverse drug reactions.They claim this testing will ensure patients receive the correct drug and dosage – as prescription drugs work for only 30-50% of the population – while avoiding potentially dangerous side-effects. Currently, 6.5% of UK hospital admissions are attributed to adverse drug...

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak delivered the Spring Statement to MPs and the public on Wednesday 23 March.As a background to the announcements, UK inflation has hit 6.2% and families face the worst real-terms income squeeze in 50 years. With the cost of living soaring in the UK, Mr Sunak announced a rise in the threshold of National Insurance, and pledged cuts to the basic rate of income tax and fuel duty.Forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility showed the economy would grow ...

For Immediate Release -- Helen Tucker (Thermo Fisher Scientific) has been elected as Chair of the BIVDA Board effective March 24th 2022 for a three-year term. Helen will look to build upon the excellent work of her predecessor, Darren Stenlake (Sysmex UK Ltd), in presenting BIVDA’s strategy and vision to all stakeholders going forward.  Doris-Ann Williams, Chief Executive of BIVDA said: “We are delighted to welcome Helen Tucker as our new Chair following BIVDA’s annua...

The Government has pledged to increase the UK’s R&D budget to £39.8 billion for 2022-25, the largest number in history. This funding has been allocated across the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is intended to cement the UK’s place as a global science superpower.It is also hoped that this increased investment will spark even greater private investment, with research showing that every £1 of public expenditure in R&D eventually le...

Funding from the Government to the support provided to Horizon Europe launched in November 2021 will be extended, it was announced this week. This guarantee comes as efforts continue for the UK’s association to the large-scale research programme to be formalised. The funding will now be in place for awards expected to be signed by the end of December 2022.The UK and EU had agreed upon terms in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement last year that would ensure the UK’s association to the...

BIVDA Statement - BIVDA responds to the BEIS R&D partner organisation budget  For Immediate Release -  The Government’s commitment to increasing the R&D budget to £39.8 billion – the largest ever – is welcomed by BIVDA. As the UK’s most representative association for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) technology and innovation, we acknowledge that this investment will provide our industry with vital funds to be able to pioneer cutting-edge researc...

BIVDA enjoyed an excellent day in Parliament as dozens of university researchers exhibited posters encompassing their innovative research projects. BIVDA has long supported the annual competition with our CEO Doris-Ann Williams chairing the organising committee.Indeed, the organising team’s hard work paid off as esteemed politicians, such as Shadow Science, Research and Digital Minister Chi Onwurah MP and Chair of the APPG for Life Sciences Daniel Zeichner MP, turned up in great numbers to...

The Government have today announced a number of loan competitions worth up to £150 million to support research and development projects from the UK’s most innovative businesses. Funded by Innovate UK, the scheme aims to supports projects which are determined to have the greatest chance of bolstering future economic growth while concurrently tackling social challenges.The Government views this initiative as key to supporting the plans set out in the Innovation Strategy, which was rele...

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid attended the CEPI Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2022 this Tuesday 8 March where he made a speech on the UK’s readiness to react to public health threats as well as the required focus on vaccinations and diagnostics.CEPI is an innovative global partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations. It works to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and enable equitable acces...

This new campaign’s novel approach focuses on tackling the fear of cancer itself rather than specific symptoms to try to detect cancers early. Its key message, which will run across both traditional and social media, is: if you feel something is wrong, then get checked. The aim of this is to give patients peace of mind or, if something is indeed wrong, the best chance of successful treatment through an early diagnosis.NHS data has shown that anxiety about cancer is widespread and can have ...