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India gets ready to start administering Covid mix-and-match booster vaccines

Health authorities in India have said that Biological E's Covid-19 vaccine Corbevax can be administered as a booster dose in people who have taken the country's other two main shots, Covaxin and AstraZeneca's Covishield, from Friday (Aug 12).

Corbevax will be available to over 18s as precautionary booster six months after a second dose, the health ministry said in an August 8 letter to state authorities.


Covishield is produced for the Indian market by the Serum Institute of India under licence from AstraZeneca, while Bharat Biotech makes Covaxin.

India has so far administered more than 2 billion Covid vaccine shots, including 113 million boosters, all of which have so far been of the same vaccine as the recipient's first two doses. The government says about 89 per cent of Indians above the age of 12 have had two doses.

The country of nearly 1.4 billion people has documented more than 44 million coronavirus infections and 526,826 related deaths. The actual numbers are believed to be many times higher.

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13 pharmacists achieve RPS core advanced credential with record pass rate

The latest successful cohort includes pharmacists from both England and Scotland.

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13 more pharmacists achieve RPS core advanced credential - Highest pass rate yet

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced that 13 more pharmacists have successfully completed Core Advanced Credentialling as part of the latest assessment cohort —achieving a remarkable 93% pass rate, the highest to date.

This brings the total number of pharmacists awarded the RPS core advanced credential to 113 since the launch of the Core Advanced Curriculum in 2023, with successful candidates from GP, secondary care and community settings.

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 Government launches call for evidence on England’s first ever men’s health strategy

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Call for Evidence: Streeting urges public to help shape men’s health strategy

The government is urging men of all ages to come forward and contribute to the development of England’s first-ever men’s health strategy, a key initiative under its Plan for Change.

On Thursday (24), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched a 12-week call for evidence, seeking insights from the public, health and social care professionals, academics and employers on ways to prevent and tackle the biggest issues facing men.

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Slamannan Village Pharmacy sold after 31 years

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Slamannan Village Pharmacy sold after 31 years

A pharmacy in a small village in Scotland that has served its community for 31 years, has been bought by a group that operates 43 pharmacies across Scotland.

Slamannan Village Pharmacy is heavily relied on by locals sourcing their prescriptions from the village’s sole GP surgery.

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Kinnock highlights employers’ role in making community pharmacy jobs attractive

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Kinnock: ‘Employers have a key role in making community pharmacy jobs attractive’

Health minister Stephen Kinnock has emphasised that employers have a crucial role to play in retaining staff and making careers in community pharmacy more attractive.

His comments came in response to a written question from Victoria Collins MP, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for science and technology, who asked what steps the Department of Health and Social Care is taking to address staff shortages and prevent the closure of local pharmacies.

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MHRA approves Pfizer Hympavzi (marstacimab) for haemophilia treatment

Marstacimab is currently being assessed by NICE and the Scottish Medicines Consortium for use on the NHS

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Marstacimab approved for haemophilia treatment, Pfizer aims for NHS availability

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Hympavzi(marstacimab) to prevent or reduce bleeding in patients aged 12 years and older, weighing at least 35kg, who have severe haemophilia A or B.

Developed by Pfizer scientists, this groundbreaking treatment is the first of its kind to target a protein involved in the blood clotting process.

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