Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

'Life Sciences vision will change patients' lives for the better'

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has welcomed the recently launched 'UK Life Sciences Vision' which will allow the government, industry, the NHS, academia, and medical research charities to work together.

The £200 million life sciences investment programme will support innovation in the Life Sciences sector which will be guided by a 10-year strategy which includes seven healthcare missions focused on the early prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease.


The vision outlines seven critical healthcare missions – from cancer treatment to tackling dementia – and aims to create a thriving sector to tackle the major causes of death and disease.

Sunayana Shah, chair of the Industrial Pharmacy Advisory Group, said, “We are entering an exciting phase in innovation.

“In collaboration with industry, other key stakeholders, pharmacists and their teams, and pharmaceutical scientists, stand ready to play their part in delivering the bold new life sciences vision through early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

“This will continue to change patients' lives for the better.”

Professor Gino Martini, chief scientist for the RPS, added, “These seven  missions will focus on preventing, diagnosing, monitoring, treating disease early, and accelerating the development and adoption of new drugs, diagnostics, medical technology and digital tools.”

The seven critical healthcare missions are: 

  1. accelerating the pace of studies into novel dementia treatment;

2. enabling early diagnosis and treatments, including immune therapies such as cancer vaccines;

3. sustaining the UK’s position in vaccine discovery, development and manufacturing;

4. treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and its major risk factors, including obesity;

5. reducing mortality and morbidity from respiratory disease in the UK and globally;

6. addressing the underlying biology of ageing; and

7. increasing the understanding of mental health conditions, including work to redefine diseases and develop tools to address them.

More For You

RPS backs Pharmacist Support "Gift in Wills" initiative

The ‘Gift in Wills’ initiative is delivered in partnership with Bequeathed.

Photo credit: gettyimages

Leave a legacy: RPS partners with Pharmacist Support to promote ‘Gift in Wills’

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced its support for the ‘Gift in Wills’ initiative run by Pharmacist Support, coinciding with the charity’s birthday celebrations today (Tuesday 15 April).

This collaboration allows RPS members to create a free will while also helping to safeguard the future of vital support services for the pharmacy profession.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pharmacist Support calls for birthday donations to meet rising demand for mental health services

More and more pharmacy professionals are reaching out for help, said Danielle Hunt.

Pharmacist Support's birthday appeal: Donate to address growing mental health demand

Pharmacist Support – the independent charity dedicated to the pharmacy profession – is celebrating 184 years of service with the launch of a special birthday donations appeal.

On 15 April, the charity is urging individuals and organisations across the sector to support its campaign to raise vital funds to meet the increasing demand for its mental health and wellbeing services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Prostate cancer: At-home saliva test could save NHS £500 million annually

PRS saliva test can identify prostate cancer that was missed by an MRI scan

Photo credit: gettyimages

Prostate cancer: Spit test better than blood test in spotting men at highest risk

A simple at-home spit test could help detect prostate cancer earlier, saving the NHS around £500 million a year, according to new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the study found that the DNA-based saliva test was more accurate than the current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test in identifying men at risk of developing prostate cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
RPS launches innovative new learning resources for members

With RPS Learn, pharmacists can develop a new skill or improve their understanding of practice or a clinical topic.

Gettyimages

RPS launches new learning resources to boost career development for members

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched a new online learning platform designed to support the practice, development and career advancement of its members.

The new platform, called RPS Learn, offers a diverse range of bite-size learning content, available on-demand, catering to all levels — from introductory to advanced and specialist —combining new content with RPS's renowned expertise in education and training to achieve excellence for learners.

Keep ReadingShow less
NICE approves AstraZeneca’s twice-a-day tablet ‘capivasertib’ for advanced breast cancer

HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer is currently incurable, and treatment aims to slow progression and prolong life

Gettyimages

NICE approves twice-a-day tablet for advanced breast cancer

Every year, thousands of people with hormone receptor (HR)-positive HER2-negative breast cancer could benefit from a new twice-a-day tablet, now set to be funded immediately through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of capivasertib (also known as Truqap), in combination with fulvestrant, as an option for around 1,100 adults with HR-positive HER2-negative breast cancer that has certain genetic mutations and has spread.

Keep ReadingShow less