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WHO agrees legally binding pandemic treaty

Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed the text of a legally binding treaty designed to better tackle future pandemics.

The pact is meant to avoid the disorganisation and competition for resources seen during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Key elements include the rapid sharing of data about new diseases, to ensure scientists and pharmaceutical companies can work more quickly to develop treatments and vaccines.

For the first time, the WHO itself will also have an overview of global supply chains for masks, medical gowns and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the deal as "a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world".

"[Member states] have also demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground, and a shared response to shared threats," he said.

It is only the second time in the WHO's 75-year history that an international agreement of this type has been reached – the first being a tobacco control deal in 2003.

It still needs to be formally adopted by members when they meet for the World Health Assembly next month.

US negotiators were not part of the final discussions after President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the global health agency, and the US will not be bound by the pact when it leaves in 2026.

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Source: BBC News, 16 April 2025

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Robotics approved for use in NHS surgeries across England

State-of-the-art robotic systems approved for use on the NHS could transform treatment for thousands of people across England.

The technology, given the green light by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) under its early value assessment programme, offers a range of applications, from helping remove tumours to replacing a patient’s knee.

The rollout is expected to reduce hospital stays, faster recovery times, and a lower risk of complications.

A total of 11 systems have been approved, including five for soft tissue surgeries, such as removing tumours, repairing hernias and removing gallbladders and six for orthopaedics, including knee and hip replacements.

Some allow surgeons to perform operations using mechanical arms controlled from a console, while others are hand-held.

Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, programme director of NICE’s HealthTech programme, said: “These innovative technologies have the potential to transform both soft tissue and orthopaedic surgical care in the NHS.

“Robot-assisted surgery may help overcome key limitations of conventional techniques through precise movements and enhanced 3D visualisation, potentially transforming surgical options and outcomes for NHS patients.

“Both applications could benefit patients who might not otherwise be candidates for minimally invasive approaches.”

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Source: The Independent, 17 April 2025

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ICBs told to get tighter grip on GP referrals

Integrated care boards have been told to significantly strengthen the drive to ensure that potential GP referrals are first scrutinised by hospital consultants.

The approach, known as “advice and guidance”, involves GPs discussing cases with specialist consultants. The discussions can lead to the patient being triaged to alternative services or the GP continuing to be responsible for their management, rather than being placed on a waiting list to see a consultant.

The use of A&G to reduce referrals is a key plank of NHS England’s plan to deal with the elective care backlog.

NHSE’s elective reform plan pledged to drive up A&G requests by GPs to 4 million in 2025-26, nearly double the amount seen in 2023-24. NHSE forecasts this would deliver 2 million “diversions” – cases where a referral is avoided. 

For the first time, GPs will be paid £20 each time they use the model, and the government has announced that an £80m pot has been allocated to fund the policy.  

But new guidance published by NHS England warns local systems must deliver a “higher degree of rigour and standardisation” in their A&G services. It also sounds the alarm about the “considerable variation” in A&G models operating in different areas. 

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Source: HSJ, 17 April 2025

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Best and worst trusts to work at, according to bank staff

NHS bank staff are almost always more likely to recommend their employer as a good place to work than permanent staff.

Results published this week found that 67% of responding bank staff would recommend their organisation as a place to work. This compares to 60% of substantive staff. The bank staff score increased slightly on last year, while that for salaried staff fell – again marginally.  

The survey, which is coordinated by Picker on behalf of NHS England, revealed a quarter (25.3% of bank staff reported experiencing at least one incident of physical violence from patients and the public in the last 12 months

The proportion of bank workers experiencing discrimination from patients and the public has also risen, from 13.1 to 14.8%.

Other results from the survey showed improvements in work-life balance and a reduction in burnout rates.

Picker Group chief executive Chris Picker said: “These latest results paint a mixed picture of life as a bank-only worker in the NHS.

“While many continue to benefit from the flexibility and improved work-life balance offered by bank roles, rising reports of incidents of violence and discrimination from patients and the public are a cause for concern, particularly for the many bank nursing and healthcare assistants reporting experiences of these unacceptable behaviours.”

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Source: HSJ, 17 April 2025

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Dr Atul Gawande updates Senators on the destruction of USAID

Earlier this month, Dr Atul Gawande briefed US Senators on the effects that the destruction of USAID is already having. Dr Gawande, until noon on 20 January 2025, ran global health for USAID.

While the Supreme Court ruled last month that the Trump administration still has to pay its bills for work already completed by USAID contractors, that was not exactly a high bar to clear—and even that decision was a narrow 5-4 ruling. Meanwhile, all of the contract terminations and personnel purges have been permitted to go through while the overall issues are litigated. Therefore, the reality is that even if the courts eventually determine that the complete gutting of USAID was not lawful, it will already be a fait accompli—that is, practically impossible to reverse.

So, what of USAID’s crucial work remains, and what has—in Elon Musk’s own words—already been ‘fed to the wood chipper’?

In testimony to members of the US Senate, Dr Gawande summarised what has already been destroyed by callous and brutal DOGE-directed terminations since January. We are only just beginning to be able to estimate the number of deaths these cuts will cause in the coming months and years, but unless something changes, it will surely amount to millions of human lives lost. A particularly depressing aspect is that these are senseless deaths (not to mention other suffering from disease and poverty), without reasonable or accurate justifications, as Dr. Gawande explicitly delineated in his presentation.

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Source: Inside Medicine, 6 April 2025

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USA: Tech becomes cornerstone of hospital violence prevention

A growing number of healthcare workers and patients are demanding immediate legislative action to address rising workplace violence in hospitals, a survey by Black Book Research has found.

The survey, which included responses from 240 individuals — emergency department physicians, nurses, hospital-based staff and 200 healthcare consumers — reveals widespread concern over increasing aggression toward medical professionals and overwhelming support for federal intervention.

Key findings show that 98% of hospital staff and 93% of healthcare consumers support federal legislation mandating workplace violence prevention measures. All staff respondents said they had experienced or witnessed violence at work, with many expressing dissatisfaction with current safety protocols.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 57 healthcare workers are injured daily due to workplace violence, resulting in lost workdays, job reassignment or medical care. Incidents range from verbal threats and physical assaults to chronic aggression, particularly in emergency departments and behavioral health units.

“Technology is now a cornerstone of prevention strategies in hospital safety plans,” Doug Brown, founder of Black Book Research, said in the report. “Healthcare IT vendors play a vital role in safeguarding hospital staff by embedding safety-focused features into the software and services used every day.”

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Source: Becker's Health IT, 14 April 2025

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USA: Whooping cough cases soar by 1,500% leaving two dead and health experts concerned it could be next outbreak

State and local health officials are seeing skyrocketing cases of whooping cough, and experts are sounding the alarm it could join the outbreak of measles in impacting thousands of Americans.

Cases of the highly contagious bacterial infection have reportedly risen by more than 1,500 percent nationwide since 2021. Cases of whooping cough have been high in measles-stricken Texas, with the Laredo Public Health Department reporting more cases there than all of last year.

“We’ve seen more cases of whooping cough this year in Laredo than in the past few years,” Dr. Richard Chamberlain, director of Laredo Public Health told The Laredo Morning Times. “This isn’t just happening in Laredo; other places in Texas are also seeing more cases. Right now, we’re keeping a close eye on it. There’s no need to panic, but it’s important to stay informed and take simple steps to help keep everyone safe.”

“Many babies who get whooping cough are infected by family members or caregivers who may not even know they are carrying the bacteria,” the Louisiana Office of the Surgeon General noted earlier this month. “About half of babies younger than a year old who get whooping cough will need hospital care.”

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Source: The Independent, 15 April 2025

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Judge says latest safety data can be used in case against GMC over regulation of physician associates

Campaigners who are taking the General Medical Council (GMC) to court alleging failure to properly regulate physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) have been cleared to submit new patient safety evidence.

A judge has granted Anaesthetists United’s bid to submit two reports that were published after it began its legal case, and which the GMC had argued were inadmissible, for a judicial review in the High Court on 13 and 14 May.

One report is a systematic review published in The BMJ in March 2025, which found little evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of PAs and AAs in the UK.1

The other is a coroner’s regulation 28 “prevention of future deaths” report published in February 2025, regarding the death in 2024 of Pamela Marking, who was seen by a PA and died after having a nosebleed misdiagnosed. 

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Source: BMJ, 10 April 2025

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'We wait too long for endometriosis diagnoses'

After seven years of doctors discounting my symptoms, Ellie Tutt joined the end of a fifty-five-week-long waiting list to find out whether she had endometriosis.

About 1.5 million women in the UK, external are thought to have the condition, which causes pain and extreme tiredness as a result of tissue similar to the womb lining growing elsewhere in the body. But for many of these women, it is taking a long time to get a diagnosis.

Endometriosis can cause chronic pain, heavy bleeding and, if untreated, organ damage, external and infertility.

Despite this, Dr Kate Dyerson, a GP from Berkshire, said it was taking some women four or five trips to their doctor before they were taken seriously.

She said: "I think there's a degree of ignorance among the medical profession as to how many women are affected."

Women's medical problems had long been dismissed, she said, adding many doctors would assume a teenager was just adjusting to period pains.

"I don't think it's sexist so much, I think it's that inbuilt sense that women have periods, periods are unpleasant, we don't want to talk about them, and if they hurt, well, take your pain elsewhere."

Dr Dyerson said it took an average of eight years for women to get a diagnosis and felt GPs needed to get better at making referrals.

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Source: BBC News, 16 April 2025

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Blood test firm blamed for 'catalogue of disasters'

An NHS provider that won a £2bn contract to deliver blood-testing services for hospitals and GPs is failing to deliver reliable results, according to medical professionals.

Synnovis, a public-private partnership between the medical company Synlab and Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College hospital foundation trusts, secured the contract in 2021 to deliver pathology services for just under 200 GP surgeries across south-east London.

The BBC has spoken to GPs who say incorrect and delayed blood results are a "regular concern" and that the firm's performance is causing great distress to patients.

The company, which fell victim to a ransomware cyberattack in June 2024 that caused more than 1,000 NHS operations to be postponed, said the attack had "significantly reduced our capacity to process samples". Synnovis, which serves six hospitals in London, added that it had "dedicated every available resource to delivering clinically safe and largely manual interim solutions".

According to more than a dozen GPs we heard from, across all of south-east London's boroughs, the severity of challenges they face under Synnovis is causing anxiety for both patients and doctors.

The GPs told the BBC that the blood-test issues were leading to unnecessary hospital referrals and wasted patient appointments. In one case the BBC was told about, an elderly man who was caring for his wife with dementia needlessly spent hours in accident and emergency (A&E) due to problems with his test.

One GP, who spoke to the BBC anonymously, said: "It would [previously] never cross our minds that a blood test might not be reliable. This is now an everyday concern.

"The current problems with Synnovis is nothing short of a national scandal," they added.

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Source: BBC News, 15 April 2025

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ASA bans Brazilian liquid butt lift ads from six UK cosmetic treatment providers

The Advertising Standards Authority has reprimanded six cosmetic treatment providers for pressuring customers, exploiting women’s insecurities or trivialising medical risks after an investigation into adverts for liquid Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs).

The cosmetic procedure, which involves injecting fillers into the buttocks to enhance their shape and size, is unregulated in the UK and can carry significant health risks, not least from potentially life-threatening infections.

Hundreds of women have contracted infections after paying for liquid BBLs in the UK, with many requiring hospital treatment for sepsis or corrective surgery to repair tissue damage.

The ASA took action against the UK companies after its artificial intelligence-driven monitoring system flagged numerous Facebook and Instagram adverts for liquid BBLs and similar procedures.

Adverts from Beautyjenics, Bomb Doll Aesthetics, CCSkinLondonDubai, EME Aesthetics & Beauty Academy, Rejuvenate Academy, trading as Rejuvenate Clinics, and NKD Medical, trading as Dr Ducu, were found to have breached the code and the companies were told the ads must not appear again.

“Choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure is a serious decision, so ads that trivialise this, exploit insecurities, or pressure consumers can cause real harm. We’re particularly concerned about these types of ads for liquid BBLs, given the procedure is currently unregulated and is known to be high risk,” an ASA spokesperson said.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 April 2025

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British hospitals introduce treatment for heart failure that cuts deaths by 62%

People in Britain with heart failure are being given larger doses of drugs at the start of their treatment after a global study found that this led to a huge fall in deaths.

Experts say the new approach could mean those with the potentially fatal condition start receiving their ideal amount of medication within two weeks of diagnosis rather than after many months.

Evidence from other countries that have already used the treatment found it cut deaths from heart failure by 62% and lowered their risk of ending up back in hospital by 30%. 

St George’s hospital in London and Morriston hospital in Swansea have begun treating patients with the innovative method, which those involved say “is a total gamechanger” for the condition.

Clinical staff likened the approach – known as “rapid titration” – to how cancer patients are given a full dose of chemotherapy medication from the start of their treatment to improve their chances of recovery.

“Heart failure is a silent killer, so this new way of treating patients is a total gamechanger that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime. It will save many lives and bring hope to so many families,” said Matthew Sunter, the lead heart failure nurse at St George’s.

“In days gone by, we would start patients on a very low dose and increase it by very small doses. It could take nine to 12 months to reach the optimal dose.

“Strong-HF has allowed us to think completely differently. For the first time ever, we offer patients a review one week after discharge and we can catch them before they get sick enough to need to come back into hospital.

“And we can get them on to the recommended therapy for their heart failure within two to three weeks instead of nine to 12 months.”

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Source: The Guardian, 16 April 2025

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Crucial emergency care system to be scrapped by NHS England within months

An IT system that prevents 999 call-handling services from being overwhelmed is set to be withdrawn by NHS England in an effort to save money.

NHS England has confirmed it will not renew the contract for the Intelligent Routing Platform (IRP), and that the service will cease to be available within three months.

NHS England now proposes that individual ambulance trusts will be responsible for tackling delays in answering calls, as was the case before the pandemic. HSJ understands that ambulance leaders are very concerned by the decision and the speed with which it is to be implemented. 

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Source: Health Service Journal (Paywalled), 14 April 2025

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US exceeds 700 measles cases as officials struggle to contain outbreaks

The US reached a grim milestone Friday surpassing 700 confirmed measles cases in 2025, according to figures posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thirty-two percent of cases occurred in patients under 5 while 38% were reported in those between 5 and 19, according to the agency.

As of Friday, the CDC reported 79 hospitalisations, including 45 patients who were under 5.  Most measles cases, 97%, occurred in unvaccinated patients or whose vaccination status is unknown.

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Source: USA Today News, 14 April 2025

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Mental health A&E programme ‘not far away’

A wave of “mental health A&Es” could be built alongside or close to existing emergency departments, HSJ has learnt.

The aim would be to free up pressure on acute emergency departments, as well as providing a better experience for patients with mental health needs, who often wait for appropriate care for many hours.

Some similar facilities are already operating, such as Essex Partnership Trust’s mental health urgent care department and Central and North West London Foundation Trust’s crisis assessment service.

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Source: Health Service Journal (Paywalled), 15 April 2025

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FDA warns about fake Ozempic in US supply chain

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has urged patients and doctors to check that their Ozempic prescriptions are legitimate after the agency seized several hundred units of fake versions of the diabetes drug in the US.

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and the weight loss drug Wegovy, told the FDA on April 3 that counterfeit 1-milligram injections were being distributed outside its authorised supply chain in the US, the agency said in a news release. That means it likely entered the market through unofficial means, like unauthorised distributors or resellers.

The agency said it’s aware of six adverse event reports linked to the lot — however, none of them appear to be associated with the counterfeit product. The agency and Novo Nordisk are testing the fake products to identify whether they’re safe. Genuine Ozempic can come with side effects, including stomach problems, so it's not clear whether the adverse events were caused by typical use.

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Source: NBC News, 14 April 2025

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Cancer care in the UK ‘at breaking point’, experts warn

Cancer care in the UK is at a “critical breaking point,” several experts have warned, calling for radical action to tackle deepening financial pressures.

The group says that a National Cancer Director with a dedicated office should be introduced to take a data-driven approach to improving cancer care systems in the UK. Writing for The Lancet Oncology, the group of authors criticises the previous Conservative government for “14 years of gross mismanagement.” Responding, Labour says it is determined to drive down waiting times for cancer patients, pointing to its upcoming National Cancer Plan to improve the current care system.

The comment article highlights several policy recommendations which the authors state will improve survival and quality of life for people with cancer. The authors warn that the “greatest risk lies in reactive, short-term, ill-informed decision-making” by the Government, which they state could further reduce UK cancer survival rates, deepen health inequalities and escalate inefficiencies.

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Source: The Independent, 15 April 2025

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Dr Camilla Kingdon to chair review of children's hearing services

The Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, has commissioned an independent review of children’s hearing services and has appointed Dr Camilla Kingdon as its independent chair.

The review will consider:

  • the NHS England response to the service failures in paediatric audiology
  • how the relevant governance arrangements between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) could be improved and identify lessons learned
  • how NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved and identify lessons learned.

In December 2021, a report was published into service issues in paediatric audiology in NHS Lothian, which focused on whether children’s hearing tests were being conducted properly and effectively followed up.

Further issues with the diagnosis of hearing issues in newborns and children were identified in other Scottish NHS trusts in 2023. Subsequent assessment of NHS audiology services in paediatric departments across England in 2023 and 2024 identified similar problems. NHS England established the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme in 2023 to address the issues and oversee remedial action.

Dr Kingdon brings extensive expertise to the review. She has been a consultant neonatologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and until March last year she was President of RCPCH. She has an MA in Medical Careers Management and was Head of the London School of Paediatrics and Child Health for 5 years from 2014.

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Source: Gov UK, 14 April 2025

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ICBs to impose ‘minimum waiting times’ for services

NHS England has proposed introducing “minimum waiting times” for certain elective specialties as system leaders grapple with how to balance clinical needs and a real terms funding cut for local services.

The proposal was revealed in changes to the NHS Standard Contract for 2025-26, published by NHSE on Thursday, following the decision to ditch plans for a fixed cap on providers’ elective activity earnings.  This was how government and NHSE had planned to control costs in 2025-26, but it was branded “unworkable” by providers.

However, the Nuffield Trust warned the new proposals – out for consultation with a 28 April deadline – gave “no clear process to rationally decide which forms of activity it is least harmful to hold down and which, if necessary, should be permitted to exceed plans”.

The new contracting plan is based on the principle of commissioners agreeing “robust indicative activity plans” with providers under arrangements NHSE said required “material changes [to the] contract activity management provisions”.

The document also confirms that NHSE is proposing the introduction of minimum waiting times where local commissioners view this as appropriate. It is due to concern some providers carry out a large volume of certain procedures with short turnarounds – for example a few days – while commissioners may be unable to afford to address much longer waits for other services.

The plan says commissioners could set “activity planning assumptions” about “how the particular provider will manage activity once a referral has been accepted”.

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Source: HSJ, 11 April 2025

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Melanoma patients in England get fast-track access to cancer vaccine

Patients with an advanced type of skin melanoma in England will be given fast-track access to a “revolutionary” new cancer vaccine as part of an NHS trial.

The vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (ImmunoBody), helps the immune system recognise cancer cells and therefore better respond to immunotherapy treatment.

The trial is part of the expansion of NHS England’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a programme to fast-track eligible patients to studies developing vaccines at their nearest participating hospital.

The CVLP has already helped thousands of NHS patients access trials of a personalised vaccine against bowel cancer, with more than 350 people fast-tracked for consideration, and has now expanded to include a trial for melanoma. It aims to provide 10,000 patients in England with personalised cancer treatments in the UK by 2030.

Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS national cancer director, said: “Skin cancer can have a devastating impact and we know that cancer vaccines have the potential to revolutionise cancer care for patients in this country and across the world – and to save more lives.

“It’s incredibly exciting that the NHS is expanding its world-leading programme so more patients with different types of cancer could benefit from the development of new vaccines that could stop their cancer coming back.

“We want to ensure as many eligible NHS patients as possible have access to these vital trials, which is why we are working with a range of industry partners as more studies get up and running to ensure patients are fast-tracked to a vaccine that could transform lives.”

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Source: The Guardian, 14 April 2025

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Millions in the U.S. take this drug. Tariffs might complicate their care

Thousands of miles from a manufacturing plant in China, where the key active ingredient in heparin is sourced, Wanda Crowell receives a daily infusion of the drug in her bed at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Doctors give Crowell the inexpensive, essential anticoagulant every day, to prevent life-threatening blood clots from forming in her central line, a plastic tube inserted in her chest that delivers the nutrients she needs to live. A two-time cancer survivor, the 66-year-old has not been able to eat solid food since 2021. She also needs heparin to treat a history of blood clots.

For Crowell, there is no suitable alternative. While other patients may have options, she cannot take oral medications.

“If Wanda’s line is clotted off and we can’t get another line in, she would not get her nutrition,” said Peggy Kraus, a pharmacist on Crowell’s care team. “The drug is essential for her survival.”

The main focus of President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff campaign has been high-profile industries such as steel, automobiles and consumer electronics. But on Tuesday, Trump warned that another target will soon be the wide variety of medications whose active pharmaceutical ingredients are largely made in China and India.

No one knows how big a tariff is coming or what its effect on generic drugs like heparin may be. But along the supply chain that ends at Crowell’s bedside, many are worried.

Health experts warn that the impact could be felt quickly. Tariffs could disrupt pharmaceutical supply chains, drive up costs for generic drugs and place additional strain on an already burdened healthcare system.

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Source: Washington Post, 13 April 2025

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AI health warning as researchers say algorithms could discriminate against patients

Artificial intelligence in healthcare has left experts urging caution that a focus on predictive accuracy over treatment efficacy could lead to patient harm.

Researchers in the Netherlands warn that while AI-driven outcome prediction models (OPMs) are promising, they risk creating “self-fulfilling prophecies” due to biases in historical data.

OPMs utilise patient-specific information, including health history and lifestyle factors, to assist doctors in evaluating treatment options. AI’s ability to process this data in real time offers significant advantages for clinical decision making.

However, the researchers’ mathematical models demonstrate a potential downside, namely, if trained on data reflecting historical disparities in treatment or demographics, AI could perpetuate these inequalities, leading to suboptimal patient outcomes.

The study highlights the crucial role of human oversight in AI-driven healthcare. Researchers emphasise the “inherent importance” of applying “human reasoning” to AI’s decisions, ensuring that algorithmic predictions are critically evaluated and do not inadvertently reinforce existing biases.

The team then created mathematical scenarios to test how AI may harm patient health and suggest that these models “can lead to harm”.

“Many expect that by predicting patient-specific outcomes, these models have the potential to inform treatment decisions and they are frequently lauded as instruments for personalised, data-driven healthcare,” researchers said.

“We show, however, that using prediction models for decision making can lead to harm, even when the predictions exhibit good discrimination after deployment.

“These models are harmful self-fulfilling prophecies: their deployment harms a group of patients, but the worse outcome of these patients does not diminish the discrimination of the model.”

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Source: The Independent, 12 April 2025

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Ambulance services hit key recovery target

Ambulance services hit a crucial “interim” target for responding to the bulk of emergency calls last month, and showed marked improvements for the most serious category of incidents.

Offering a glimmer of hope after another winter of long ambulance waits, average category 2 performance in March was 28:34 (minutes, seconds) – more than five minutes better than March last year. It is only the third time it has dipped below 30 minutes, which has been set by government as an “interim” recovery target, since December 2022. 

Waits have soared since the covid-19 pandemic, fuelled by long hospital handover delays, and a string of inquests have highlighted the calamitous impact on patients.

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Source: HSJ, 13 April 2025

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Fake weight loss injections with dirty needles being sent to NI

Illegal weight loss injections with dirty needles are being sold over social media and sent to people in Northern Ireland, a BBC investigation has found.

BBC News NI made test purchases of syringes which claimed to contain semaglutide, a prescription-only drug, via Facebook from sellers based in England.

When tested, the liquid was not semaglutide but did contain carnitine – a supplement that can be bought on the high street.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was working at an international level to root out criminal gangs selling illicit jabs manufactured in unhygienic labs.

So-called skinny jabs are prescribed weight loss injections that work by making you feel fuller and less hungry.

In Great Britain, semaglutide is available on the NHS as part of a weight management programme.

However, in Northern Ireland it is not as there is no specialist weight management service, but it is available on private prescription.

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland said people were putting themselves at serious risk buying from sellers on social media sites.

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Source: BBC News, 14 April 2025

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Three million child deaths linked to drug resistance, study shows

More than three million children around the world are thought to have died in 2022 as a result of infections that are resistant to antibiotics, according to a study by two leading experts in child health.

Children in Africa and South East Asia were found to be most at risk.

Antimicrobial resistance - known as AMR - develops when the microbes that cause infections evolve in such a way that antibiotic drugs no longer work.

It has been identified as one of the biggest public health threats facing the world's population.

A new study now reveals the toll that AMR is taking on children.

Using data from multiple sources, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, the report's authors have calculated there were more than three million child deaths in 2022 linked to drug-resistant infections.

Experts say this new study highlights a more than tenfold increase in AMR-related infections in children in just three years.

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Source: BBC News, 13 April 2025

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