Alliance Healthcare and Alphega Pharmacy Announce Winner of the BPSA Business and Enterprise Competition

Alliance Healthcare and Alphega Pharmacy are proud to congratulate this year's winner, Maddyson Chan, a fourth year student currently studying Pharmacy at Cardiff University. She successfully pitched her idea to launch a new private service that community pharmacy could implement to create a new revenue stream.

The BPSA (British Pharmaceutical Students' Association) is an organisation who work to enhance the experience of its members by inspiring them to invest in their development, seize opportunities and become advocates for the profession. This competition is one example of that. It allows students to be innovative and explore the business aspect of pharmacy, whilst building confidence and winning prizes. The BPSA teams up with sponsors, such as Alliance Healthcare and Alphega Pharmacy, to deliver such fantastic opportunities.

The final was held virtually on Tuesday 22nd September, 2020, with four students competing via Zoom, due to current Covid-19 restrictions and saw the culmination of three rounds of presentations over the past 11 months from over 50 students.

Despite the lack of face-to-face contact, the four finalists performed incredibly well and a great rapport was built with the judging panel. The panel consisted of Mike Smith, Non-executive advisor Alliance Healthcare, Sue Dobson, Alphega Pharmacy Business Mentor, and Vinay Patel, Alphega Pharmacy Services and Contract Manager. The event was coordinated by Bella Shah, a fourth year Pharmacy student at Cardiff University and a member of the BPSA Executive Team, and Lorna Kimberley, Senior MarComms Manager at Alliance Healthcare.

Mike Smith, Non-executive advisor Alliance Healthcare UK, says: "As usual the presentations were of the highest quality. They all demonstrated a "thinking out of the box" approach and applied digital technology. The future of our profession is safe in the hands of these very motivated young students."

Maddyson Chan, winner of this year's event, comments: "I am so grateful for the opportunity to take part in the competition. Hearing feedback from peers who had previously competed inspired me to give it a go, and I would encourage everyone else to try it too!"

Alliance Healthcare has supported the BPSA for over ten years, and senior members from the BPSA committee visited the Alliance Healthcare Support Office in Chessington in January. They spent time with Julian Mount, Managing Director, and his team, including Neil Scobie, Head of Member Offer and Engagement Alphega Pharmacy. The students also enjoyed a tour of the local Alliance Healthcare Chessington Service Centre.

Alliance Healthcare will continue sponsoring, and working in partnership with the BPSA during 2021 and look forward to seeing the positive difference our young pharmacists make in this challenging world.

Vitaflo International Ltd – Dual Agreement

From 6 November 2020, Alliance Healthcare UK will become one of the two wholesalers to supply Vitaflo International Ltd products to all pharmacies, Hospitals, and dispensing doctors in the United Kingdom. The other wholesaler in this agreement is Phoenix.

If you have any queries, please speak to your Alliance Healthcare Account Manager.

Class 2 Recall on Boots Dermacare 1% W/W Hydrocortisone Ointment (P)

The Boots Company PLC has informed us that retained samples of the affected batch showed presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and are recalling the above batch as a precautionary measure. This product is only sold or dispensed from Boots stores and Boots online pharmacy.

Normal Service Operating Across the Network

Vitabiotics products now exclusively available to order from Alliance Healthcare

We are pleased to announce that from 1 September 2020, Alliance Healthcare will become the sole wholesaler to supply the Vitabiotics product range of nutrition support and supplements from the UK's number one vitamin company to all pharmacies, hospitals and dispensing doctors in the UK.This is the first solus Health & Beauty OTC agreement in the UK and a very exciting partnership for Alliance Healthcare and Vitabiotics.

Purchases of Vitabiotics products will arrive as part of your usual Alliance Healthcare delivery service and willnot be subject to Alliance Healthcare's low spend surcharge, if purchased in isolation. In order to receive the products from 1 September, order from Alliance Healthcare in your usual manner. There will be no changes to the current delivery service for the Vitabiotics product portfolio.

If you would like to discuss these changes in more detail, please contact your Alliance Healthcare Account Manager.

Click here to purchase your Vitabiotics products through our Alliance Healthcare Portal.  

Standing shoulder to shoulder

Julian Mount, Managing Director, Alliance Healthcare has been speaking with Pharmacy Business magazine and its editor Priyankur Mandav, about the remarkable way Alliance Healthcare has supported community pharmacy during Covid-19 and operates as the backbone of the NHS.

In an exclusive interview with Pharmacy Business magazine, a UK leading pharmacy publication with a print circulation of 10,300, Julian reflects on the remarkable way community pharmacy teams have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic:

 "Together with community pharmacy, we are the backbone of the NHS and Alliance Healthcare UK supplies one in every three medicines taken in the UK. 

 "We knew we had to do everything possible to ensure medicine supply for UK patients; we certainly embraced the challenge and supported the incredible efforts of community pharmacy, the frontline heroes of the coronavirus pandemic.

 "We decided not to furlough our field-based teams to allow us to maintain essential contact with community pharmacy and continue our support. I feel the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened our already robust relationship and together we have stood shoulder to shoulder with community pharmacy throughout the pandemic, when other healthcare professions closed their doors."

Read the guest column here.

Class 2 FMD Recall on Vimpat 100mg Tablets & Neupro 4mg/24 Hour Transdermal Patches

We have been notified of an issue whereby several affected batches of the products from the parallel distributors (repackers) in the link below have been found to have mismatched unique pack numbers on the Bollino label (a security and safety feature on the outer packaging). The unique pack numbers on the bollino label should be identical.

Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals – Dual Agreement

From 1 October 2020, Alliance Healthcare UK will become one of the two wholesalers to supply Stirling Anglian Pharmaceutical products to all pharmacies, Hospitals, and dispensing doctors in the United Kingdom.

The other wholesaler in this agreement is Phoenix. If you have any queries, please speak to your Alliance Healthcare Account Manager.

Class 4 Caution in Use on Zopiclone 3.75mg & 7.5mg Tablets

Ratiopharm UK Limited and Generics [UK] Limited t/a Mylan have confirmed that the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) within all packs and the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) for Ratiopharm is missing important safety information related to potential suicide risks.

Please visit the: MHRA website for more details on this drug alert.

The affected products' details are as follows:

PIP CodeProduct DescriptionLiveryAffected Batch

1110980ZOPICLONE TAB 3.75MGRatiopharm UK Limited and Generics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

1073626ZOPICLONE TAB 3.75MGRatiopharm UK Limited and Generics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

1076074ZOPICLONE TAB 3.75MGRatiopharm UK Limited and Generics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

1073584ZOPICLONE TAB 7.5MGGenerics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

1110998ZOPICLONE TAB 7.5MGGenerics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

1073618ZOPICLONE TAB 7.5MGGenerics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

8094740ZOPICLONE TAB 3.75MGRatiopharm UK Limited and Generics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

8094757ZOPICLONE TAB 7.5MGGenerics [UK] Limited t/a MylanALL STOCK

For more information or medical information queries, please contact: Ratiopharm UK Limited Teva UK Medical Information at: medinfo@tevauk.com or Tel No: 0207 540 7117

Generics [UK] Limited t/a Mylan Medical Information Direct Line +44 (0)1707 853 000 select option 1, Customer Care direct lin+44 (0)1707 853 000 select option 2 or via Medical Information e-mail info@mylan.co.uk

Recipients of this Drug Alert should bring it to the attention of relevant contacts.

This may have been supplied by AHDL. Unfortunately we are not providing specific batch information you will be required to follow the instructions as per the drug alert.

This is a caution in use only we are not accepting stock returns.

If you have any questions, then please contact your local Service Centre Customer Services team.

Class 3 Recall on Amlodipine 10mg Tablets

Accord Healthcare Limited is recalling the below batch of Amlodipine 10mg Tablets as a precautionary measure due to out of specification results for tablet description, hardness and average weight obtained during stability testing.