Media Monitoring: 28 March – 2 April

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has launched a new monthly safety bulletin, the ‘MHRA Safety Roundup’, as part of its three-year Strategy for Improving Safety Communications.
This initiative aims to make information about medicines and medical devices clearer and more accessible for healthcare professionals.
The bulletin, sent to subscribers and published online at the end of each month, provides a summary of all MHRA safety alerts for the past month. This includes drug safety updates (DSU), device safety information (DSI), national patient safety alerts, recalls, medicines notifications, and letters sent to healthcare professionals.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) released results from a membership survey that underscores the significant, global integration of the biomedical supply chain.
According to the findings, nearly 90% of U.S. biotech companies rely on imported components for at least half of their FDA-approved products — making the supply of medicines for US patients and families especially vulnerable to proposed tariffs on the European Union, China, and Canada.
According to the survey, tariffs will: reduce access to affordable medicines, stall medical innovation, and create red tape.

UK and international needs-assessments suggest a desire for POCT by community care practitioners.
Findings show current uptake of POCT in NHS community care is low.
The article presents some practical suggestions for providers of community care who are contemplating the introduction of new tests.

In early 2024 The King’s Fund published Making care closer to home a reality, which examined why the long-term vision held by multiple governments to make this shift happen had not been achieved.
So, having unpacked in our earlier report the reasons why it has been so difficult to make this shift, what does the government need to do differently to ensure that it happens this time, unlike the previous 30 years of attempts?

It’s been almost five years since the first COVID-19 lockdown, an event which transformed the diagnostics industry.
What’s changed since then? And are there lessons the industry can learn for confronting future challenges? David Roberts, Managing Director of Tecman Manufacturing, explains.

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the advent of virtual wards and telemedicine presents an exciting opportunity to reshape patient care within the NHS.
With 40% of hospital beds occupied by patients who could potentially recover at home, the need for innovative solutions has never been more pressing.
In our latest podcast episode, we bring together a panel of experts to discuss the transformative potential of these technologies and the challenges that lie ahead.