Life sciences companies unlock £11 billion in corporate investment A new report regarding British life sciences corporate investment has found that companies were involved with £11 billion of corporate investment over the first quarter of 2021. The new figures reveal the UK was fourth highest globally with life science companies completing £20 billion of corporate investment.  The report is titled ‘Life Sciences Innovation: Building the Fourth Industrial Revolution&r...

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 ...

Medical aid and equipment being sent to India from the United Kingdom has arrived today as the country struggles to cope with a huge second wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths. India recorded 320,000 new infections on Tuesday, and deaths are now close to 200,000 in total. Hospitals are being consistently overwhelmed and funeral pyres have been seen burning across Indian cities as the death toll mounts even further. Many deaths have not been reported according to experts, and one source told B...

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is making progress on trade links with both Australia and Indonesia. As the UK Government seeks to protect pre-Brexit trade links and build deeper connections with new markets through trade agreements, economic programmes and trade committees. Two new developments have been announced by DIT regarding Asian and Australian markets. Firstly, a new Joint Economic and Trade Committee has been announced between the United Kingdom and Indonesia. Indonesia is...

FluoretiQ Ltd. today announced the appointment of Mr Kasra Saeb-Parsy Consultant Urologist with Cambridge (UK) University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as their Chief Medical Officer. Mr. Saeb-Parsy will oversee and lead all clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs strategies and activities of the Company."I am delighted to welcome Kasra as our Chief Medical Officer at this key stage of our company growth as we approach clinical studies and regulatory approval in the UK and USA...

Six healthcare organisations have united to pen a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office regarding urgent investment to tackle the issue of chronic NHS understaffing. Among those involved are: the NHS Confederation, NHS Providers, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges, and Unison. They warn the Prime Minister in the letter of NHS staff leaving the system and issues resulting from difficulties from this as the NHS is st...

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...

A survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Mölnlycke, a medical solutions company, has found that the elective care surgery backlog is of concern to 70% of surgeon staff. The survey has revealed the devastating impact of pauses in elective surgical procedures triggered by the COVID-19 crisis. Among the results, 70% of respondents said they are concerned about the backlog of procedures at their hospital trust. Over 500 respondents were involved in the study, all were healthcare profession...

BIVDA welcomes NICE Five Year Plan BIVDA, the trade association for British IVD companies,  has welcomed the publication of NICE’s five year strategy document. The document runs from 2021 to 2026 and is designed to ensure the organisation remains “excellent”, more dynamic and more collaborative in their work. According to NICE,  the plan puts science and evidence at the heart of health and care decision making, while keeping ahead of the challenges of a rapidly c...