David's coverage specializes in OTC medicines, dietary supplements and self-care medical devices. David is interested in regulatory gray areas such as the borderlines between medicines, supplements and medical devices, as well as botanical ingredients. David also regularly speaks to industry leaders and experts about the latest trends to deliver crucial market intelligence to HBW Insight readers, and co-hosts the Over the Counter podcast. In his spare time, David spends time in his allotment garden, reading/watching science fiction and worrying about climate change.
Latest from David Ridley
Ahead of a soon to be released 10-Year Health Plan for the English NHS, an alliance including PAGB calls for self-care to be “clearly recognised and supported through concrete policies that reflect its vital role in achieving the plan’s goals.”
By addressing disparities in health literacy, particularly in the areas of oral care, bone health, nutrition and air pollution, the consumer health industry can “save lives and billions in healthcare costs, boosting productivity and increasing GDP,” says a new report from Haleon and Economist Impact.
In part 2 of HBW Insight's interview, IQVIA Consumer Health's vice president of global research and development and real-world evidence services, Volker Spitzer, explains how to approach real world evidence so that regulators recognize its validity, in supporting Rx-to-OTC switch applications, for example.
At a recent plenary session the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to “conduct a new and comprehensive assessment” of the impact of the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive on the pharmaceutical sector.
At the second attempt, New Zealand’s Medicines Classification Committee supported the Rx-to-OTC switch of allopurinol (100mg and 300mg) for people suffering from gout by specifically trained pharmacists.
Including self-care in an upcoming UN General Assembly political declaration would be a “powerful signal that the global community is serious about non-communicable disease prevention and control,” argues the United for Self-Care Coalition, which includes the Global Self-Care Federation, International Self-Care Foundation and Imperial College London’s Self-Care Academic Research Unit.