Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Sajid Javid as the new Health and Social Care Secretary, following the resignation of Matt Hancock on Saturday. Mr Javid will be in charge of overseeing key responsibilities for health in the coming period, including future health policy, the appointment of a new NHS England Chief Executive and the Government’s lockdown-easing strategy. Matt Hancock resigned from his role as Health Secretary on Saturday, after CCTV footage was released of him kiss...

Please see below a quote from Doris-Ann Williams, CEO of BIVDA, welcoming the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to his position. “On behalf of BIVDA, I am delighted to welcome Mr Javid to his new position of Secretary of State for Health.  We look forward to building on our strong working relationship with his Department as we emerge from the pandemic and aim to build a stronger diagnostic capacity in the NHS over the coming months. In-vitro diagnostics (IVDS) wil...

The BIVDA External Affairs team have composed a briefing on the Government's new implementation plan titled 'The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery'. The policy paper sets out the key action areas to improve the delivery of UK clinical research that will be worked on by the Clinical Research, Recovery, Resilience and Growth (RRG) programme, and partners such as the NHS, industry companies, regulators, the public and medical research charities. The briefi...

BIVDA Comments on new Government Clinical Research Implementation Plan BIVDA has commented on the new Government plan to boost clinical research – ‘The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery.’ The strategy builds on existing commitments and is intended to bring research and greater investment to our shores, bolstering our economic growth, tackling health inequalities and improving the health of people right across the UK. The strategy contains five key themes:  ...

The United Kingdom has entered into formal negotiations around its potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Department for International Trade Minister Liz Truss began discussions on the morning of Tuesday 22nd June with Minister for TPP Yasutoshi Nishimura from Japan, who is this year’s chair of the CPTPP. The United Kingdom would strengthen trade connections with this powerful bloc of economies in the Pacific region –...

The Government has announced the establishing of a new ministerial council and Office for Science and Technology Strategy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be the chair of the new National Science and Technology Council which will provide strategic direction on the use of scientific and technological tools in tackling great societal challenges in future. Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has been asked to lead the Office for Science and Technology Strategy, in conjunction with his c...

BIVDA's External Affairs team has composed a briefing note for members on a newly-released report from the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR). The report was produced after consultation with key stakeholders across various sectors. BIVDA submitted a response and welcomes the proposals on digital health in particular; these tie in with the points made in BIVDA's recent industry strategy paper, titled 'The Digital Revolution'. The report addresses th...

The BIVDA External Affairs team has prepared a round-up document for member reference regarding the G7 Summit which concluded on Sunday 13th June 2021. The text covers the preparations ahead of the gathering, including the Health Ministers' Meeting, and the final commitments regarding diagnostics, pandemic preparedness and sustainability reached by the Group. The round-up also addresses BIVDA's lending of industry support in regards to fighting Antimicrobial Resistance.Please find t...

The United Kingdom has signed a new trade deal with Australia, the first deal to be built from scratch since the UK left the European Union. The new deal will see cheaper sales being made in future on UK products to Australia, such as Scotch whisky biscuits and cars. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison are said to have reached an agreement on the deal’s broad terms during a dinner held on Monday. Boris Johnson said in a statement: "Our new free t...

New antibody tests, described as ‘game-changing’, have been developed by researchers that can detect which variant an individual has immunity from. The tests can pick up on which particular COVID variant(s) someone has been exposed to, something similar antibody tests cannot do. The tests have been developed by researchers from the University of Aberdeen, in a collaboration with the biotechnology group Vertebrate Antibodies Ltd and NHS Grampian. It is not yet clear when these tests w...