Voice cloning technology is a rapidly developing field that uses machine learning algorithms to simulate anyone's voice, requiring certain voice data to analyze and learn the specific patterns of any individual.

This technology has existed for a while but was restricted to experts who possess the technical knowledge to be able to use the same, but now AI Voice cloning tools are available on the open Internet that anyone can leverage with literally no technical knowledge or cost to clone anyone's voice.

The development of voice cloning technology has been rapid, with advances in neural network technology enabling increasingly realistic and convincing audio falsifications.

One of the key breakthroughs in voice cloning technology was the release of a program called Tortoise, which was able to learn not only what to say but how to say it.

The use of voice cloning technology has raised concerns about its potential for misuse, such as extortion and scams, with law enforcement warning that AI clones could be used to extort money from loved ones over the phone.

Real-world examples of voice cloning technology include its use in entertainment, such as creating virtual voice assistants, and in accessibility, such as providing audio content for people with disabilities.

However, the technology also raises ethical challenges, such as the potential for scams and the need for regulations to protect individual voices and prevent misuse.

The legal implications of voice cloning technology are still being explored, with questions around copyright, consent, and liability being raised.

ElevenLabs, a company founded by Piotr Dabkowski and Staniszewski, is a leading player in the voice cloning technology development, offering a browser-based app that synthesizes sounds and can be fine-tuned for tone, emotion, and rhythm, and other sound nuances.

OpenAI has also developed a text-to-speech tool that can generate a natural-sounding human voice that is very similar to the original speaker, using text input and a 15-second clip of human voices.

The technology has developed rapidly in the past year, becoming far more realistic and nuanced, with the program called Tortoise being a significant contributor to this development.

The controversy around voice cloning has focused on concerns over people misusing the software, with law enforcement warning that AI clones could be used to extort money from loved ones over the phone.

The use of voice cloning technology in educational settings raises ethical concerns, such as the potential for misuse or manipulation of cloned voices, and instructors should take steps to mitigate these risks.

Instructors can ensure they have the necessary permissions and consent to use voice cloning technology in educational settings by obtaining informed consent from the individuals whose voices are being recorded and cloned.

The current regulations and laws regarding voice cloning technology are still evolving and vary by country, with many governments and organizations expressing concern over the potential misuse of this technology.

The development of voice cloning technology has the potential to revolutionize various industries and enhance language learning, but it also requires careful consideration of its technical requirements, challenges, and ethical implications.

To ensure high-quality voice data, it is essential to have a large and diverse dataset of voice recordings, which can be obtained through various methods, including crowd-sourcing and partnerships with voice recording studios.

The quality of the voice data is crucial for developing realistic and accurate voice cloning models, and instructors should prioritize collecting high-quality data to achieve the best results.

Ultimately, the use of voice cloning technology in educational settings requires careful consideration of the ethical and legal implications, as well as a commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible innovation.

Voice cloning technology is a rapidly developing field that uses machine learning algorithms to simulate anyone's voice, requiring certain voice data to analyze and learn the specific patterns of any individual.

Title:

Content: The scary side of artificial intelligence

The pros of AI outweigh the Cons or threats in our day-to-day lives, and there’s no magic pill to protect us from the scary threats of AI.

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  • Updated On Oct 3, 2023 at 03:02 PM IST

Artificial intelligence (AI), as we all know, is the simulation of human intelligence leveraging computer systems and machines. AI programs can continuously learn and evolve with experience. In technical terms, AI systems render the output by churning and analyzing the data for correlations and patterns and help make future predictions using these patterns.

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Today AI is being used extensively in all facets of our lives starting from lifestyle, e-commerce, home appliances, automobiles, navigation, transport, healthcare, agriculture, education, financial planning, chatbots, marketing, cyber security, virtual assistant, industrial automation and many more.

Clearly, we have and are leveraging the strengths of AI to the fullest to automate the routine tasks and make it auto-learn over a period. There’s no doubt that AI has revolutionized the lives of all – organizations, consumers etc. But as they say, “Everything comes at a price”. This analogy is quite true for AI as well, there have been a lot of threats that have emerged using AI and are being utilized by the Cyber criminals to dupe the ignorant users, cause mental stress and extort money.

continued below

Executive Workshop

I’m not going to delve into all of threats but would like to elucidate some of the real ones that have come to the surface recently:

Voice cloning or mimicry

As the name suggests, it uses machine learning algorithms to simulate anyone’s voice. It requires certain voice data to analyze and learn the specific patterns of any individual. There are certain advantages of cloning a voice that can be used in voice assistants, chatbots, navigation systems and other areas. Voice cloning has existed for a while but was restricted to experts who possess the technical knowledge to be able to use the same. But now AI Voice cloning tools are available on the open Internet that anyone can leverage with literally no technical knowledge or cost to clone anyone’s voice. All you need to do is just Google and it will pop up and get a bunch of both free and paid AI Voice cloning tools.

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In fact, recently one of the global leaders in online protection published a report stating how AI is fueling a rise in online voice scams, with just three seconds of audio required to clone a person’s voice. This is extremely creepy. Just imagine, if a Cyber-criminal clones your voice and tricks your near ones by making them believe that they are talking to you, and request for money due to any distress reasons. In fact, these are not assumptions but real-life incidents that are happening across the world every minute.

Deepfakes AI

Deepfakes AI are being used to impersonate an individual by manipulating videos, images, audios, and other content available on the social media platforms using deep learning techniques. It mainly transforms existing content from one person to another. This is another area that has been exploited by the Cyber criminals in the recent past, and there are a few deepfake cases that have made waves on the Internet. One of the most famous ones being Deepfake created by a VFX artist of one of Hollywood’s most famous male actors. This piece was so well made by rendering thousands of pictures using artificial versions of the actor. There are similar Deepfakes incidents involving other global celebrities and leaders. The damage and misuse of the deepfakes videos could be extremely dangerous for the human society and can be used by terrorists to incite riots and create nuisance.

Creating virtual people

This is another area where AI is being used to create people that do not exist. There are a lot of websites that allow you to generate a random image by just specifying the age group, gender & ethnicity, and you can continue to refresh these images at the click of a button. Be mindful of the fact that these images pertain to people that do not exist in this world. On the similar lines, there’s an emerging trend of AI news anchors that possess a human-like appearance and are fed data that they can read using text-to-speech technology. Recently, there's been a surge of AI-Driven robotic new anchors in multiple language channels. While the main objective of this initiative is to provide royalty free or cost-effective human images for branding and other purposes. However, the overuse of these technologies causes Fear of missing out (FOMO), Feeling of inadequacy, dissatisfaction, and isolation may potentially lead to psychological and emotional vulnerabilities.

One of the Hollywood movies, ‘HER’ portrayed an introverted and lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who purchases an AI virtual assistant personified through a female voice to assist him in his writing job. However, when he finds out about its ability to learn and adapt, he falls in love with it. The film delves into emotional vulnerability and the impact of AI on human relationships.

Needless to say, that the pros of AI outweigh the Cons or threats in our day-to-day lives, and there’s no magic pill to protect us from the scary threats of AI. However, there are certain preventive tips that one can follow to mitigate any such risks. Do spread awareness with your family and friends:

  • Set some code words with family, and friends to verify the identity during emergency circumstances
  • Optimize social media presence by limiting your connections with only known contacts and avoid connecting with any unknown ones
  • Avoid saying ‘Yes’ as a greeting while receiving unknown calls as it can be used to authorize credit card charges or other purposes
  • Continuously update privacy settings on social media to allow viewing by friends and family only
  • Avoid clicking on any suspicious links or calls received without proper due diligence
  • Do not share your passwords and other sensitive information with anyone
  • Verify the credentials of any online information before circulating it through various mediums
  • Avoid public Wi-Fi connections offered at coffee shops or airports, which requires to enter password
  • Closely monitor the time spent by younger generation on social media and online gaming
  • Finally, in case of any suspicion, double check and report it to the host site or concerned authorities
The author is the CIO of MOVIN

Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETCIO does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETCIO shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly.

  • Published On Oct 3, 2023 at 03:02 PM IST

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What is necessary for voice cloning to work?

This technology has existed for a while but was restricted to experts who possess the technical knowledge to be able to use the same, but now AI Voice cloning tools are available on the open Internet that anyone can leverage with literally no technical knowledge or cost to clone anyone's voice.

The development of voice cloning technology has been rapid, with advances in neural network technology enabling increasingly realistic and convincing audio falsifications.

Title:

Content: Expressionkaspersky.com
What are the mysteries of deep sonic falsification?
The spread of artificial intelligence and easy access to tools capable of altering the truth have led to the emergence of one of the most shocking and disturbing digital manipulation techniques, “deepfake. ”
Deep fakes make it possible to create fake videos, photos and sounds that show individuals saying or doing things they never said or did, and although the most popular version until recently was video, deep fakes are gaining importance day by day.
A historical overview
The first major program to bring the potential of deep voice counterfeiting to the general public was Adobe Voco in 2016, which used artificial intelligence to mimic a person ’ s voice from a short recording.
emoticalipwatchdog.com
The software was scrapped after it was found that it could be used to create false, misleading and dangerous sounds, and since then, advances in neural network technology have enabled increasingly realistic and convincing audio falsifications.
At present, we can find many applications and tools online that use this technology to create fake sounds, where Microsoft has launched an artificial intelligence model called VALL-E that can imitate the human voice with a recording of only three seconds.
Deep sonic falsification
Deep voice falsification aims to create an audio model capable of replicating the actual speaker ’ s voice, but the model must be trained through the speaker ’ s audio recordings, in order to be ready to generate an artificial sound similar to that of the original person.
expressiontelegraph.co.uk
Deep learning and natural language processing techniques are used to analyze the unique patterns and characteristics of sound, some of which include pitch, speed, rhythm and tone, and artificial intelligence uses recordings to deliver an original sound, creating a new audio recording that mimics the speaker ’ s voice to a full degree.
How to Create Deep Audio Counterfeiting
Fake deep voice is created using AI-powered text to speech technology, and this can be done with just a few minutes of recorded speech to train an AI speech model, which can read any text with the target voice.
expressionveritonevoice.com
The original recorded sound must be of sufficient quality to sample the unique characteristics of the speaker ’ s voice, after which AI algorithms analyze the patterns and characteristics of the original sound and learn to mimic them.
This can be done with male and female voices and adaptation to the identity of the speaker, the result is a fake voice recording that mimics the voice of the original person, and in addition to generating speech, these instruments can simulate sounds such as breathing and mouth movements.
Initiatives to combat voice counterfeiting
There are initiatives aimed at combating this increasingly prevalent voice counterfeiting, and some technologies can detect these counterfeit products, such as voice biometrics, an authentication method that uses a person ’ s unique voice pattern to verify their identity.
expressionclt.nliu.ac.in
This pattern includes characteristics such as tone and pitch of the voice, speech speed, and pronunciation, and to use voice biometrics, a person's voice must be captured, after which, its unique characteristics are analyzed as well as the length of the words.
Spectroscopy can also be used, consisting of analyzing acoustic signals to detect unique sound patterns that are difficult to replicate in deep fakes.
There are also tools that can detect the digital traces present in deep voice fakes, because the latter fails to accurately simulate all the variables of the actual voice recording, and therefore, deep fakes may contain breaks in sound or background noise that differ from those expected in the original sound.
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What are some risks regarding AI voice clning?

One of the key breakthroughs in voice cloning technology was the release of a program called Tortoise, which was able to learn not only what to say but how to say it.

Title:

Content: OpenAI's Johansson gaffe pushes voice cloning into spotlight

Law enforcement warned that AI clones could be used to extort money from loved ones over the phone

By AFP

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Scarlett Johansson voiced an AI character in the film "Her". — Reuters file

Published: Mon 27 May 2024, 7:51 PM

Last updated: Mon 27 May 2024, 7:52 PM

OpenAI was forced to apologise to actor Scarlett Johansson last week for using her voice -- or something very similar -- on its latest chatbot, throwing the spotlight on to voice-cloning tech.

Although OpenAI denied the voice they used was Johansson's, their case was not helped by CEO Sam Altman flagging the new model with a one-word message on social media -- "Her".

Johansson voiced an AI character in the film "Her", which Altman has previously said is his favourite film about the technology.

Right from the start, AI voice cloning has proved problematic.

Last year, British firm Elevenlabs went viral for all the wrong reasons when it released its voice-cloning software.

Internet pranksters immediately began pushing out deepfaked celebrities -- Harry Potter star Emma Watson was shown reading Hitler's Mein Kampf.

Law enforcement warned that AI clones could be used to extort money from loved ones over the phone.

The technology has developed rapidly in the past year becoming far more realistic and nuanced.

Danish entrepreneur Victor Riparbelli, CEO of British AI firm Synthesia, told AFP it was largely down to a program called Tortoise that was released two years ago.

The program's developers threw thousands of hours of voice data into their model in an unstructured way and discovered it not only learnt what to say but how to say it.

"That was a pretty big paradigm shift," Riparbelli said on the sidelines of last week's VivaTech conference in Paris.

Tortoise was an open source program and Elevenlabs was the first to go to market using it.

OpenAI uses similar systems though they do not release any details.

Much of the controversy around voice cloning has focused on concerns over people misusing the software.

But the claim against OpenAI is unusual because it is the company itself accused of playing fast and loose.

"It was very unfortunate that OpenAI did that -- really not very good," Katya Laine, CEO of TALKR.ai, told AFP at VivaTech.

"If they actually cloned her voice without her knowing then I think that's very very bad," said Riparbelli.

The two entrepreneurs are among hundreds harnessing AI voice programs for uses that they argue will make companies more efficient.

Laine's firm provides virtual voice assistants -- essentially AI customer service agents.

She said her firm's system could now resolve 25 to 30 percent of calls without any human involvement.

Synthesia specialises in video avatars, which Riparbelli said allowed any office worker to turn text or slides into a video performed by a realistic AI.

Both Riparbelli and Laine allow their clients to use their own avatars, off-the-shelf products or those supplied by the likes of OpenAI and Elevenlabs.

Riparbelli said Synthesia used actors whose likenesses and voices were licensed for two years with an option to renew after the initial period.

The problems arise if actors' voices are used without their consent.

The fiasco overshadowed a developer conference in Paris last week when OpenAI was showing off a suite of new tools.

In front of a big screen in an auditorium, Romain Huet, OpenAI's Head of Developer Experience, breezily chatted into his phone.

Seconds later, his short voice sample had been processed and could be heard commentating over a generated video -- in five languages.

The demonstration showed how quickly the field is moving, but the headlines had already been written.

The Washington Post asked in a newsletter "How dumb is OpenAI?", other commentators were suggesting wunderkind Altman was nothing more than a huckster.

Nonetheless, Riparbelli was open to OpenAI's argument that they had used another actor who just sounded liked Johansson.

"If it's not her but someone who sounds a lot like her... where do you draw that line," Riparbelli asked.

"If they're not allowed to use someone who sounds a lot like her, then it sets a very odd precedent."

More news from World

The use of voice cloning technology has raised concerns about its potential for misuse, such as extortion and scams, with law enforcement warning that AI clones could be used to extort money from loved ones over the phone.

Real-world examples of voice cloning technology include its use in entertainment, such as creating virtual voice assistants, and in accessibility, such as providing audio content for people with disabilities.

Title:

Content: Freedom Square (Beishe Review) Policy response strategy for artificial intelligence deep counterfeiting and voice copying technology
◎ Cai Yue Ting
Deep hypocrisy and voice copying are technologies that use artificial intelligence to generate fake or manipulative media that can be used for a variety of purposes, including entertainment, education, and journalism.
If it is abused for fraud and the dissemination of false information, it will damage the reputation and rights of the individual, and it will affect social order and national security.
Because there are major potential hazards, it is necessary to formulate relevant regulations and effective management, and it can promote the healthy development of this innovative industry.
Consolidating practice cases to standardize policy measures to manage deep counterfeiting and voice copying can go hand in hand with the following aspects:
I. Regulations:
The content of the bill should include: (1) clearly stipulate the legal and illegal use of deep counterfeiting and voice copying to protect personal and national security and rights; (2) establish effective enforcement mechanisms and regular amendments to ensure the effective implementation of the law and adapt to the rapid development of technology; (3) use ethics education and advocacy; and (4) specify appropriate punitive measures.
2. Technical supervision:
(1) Establish an effective enforcement mechanism, consisting of experts with professional knowledge and technical ability, to (1) supervise the development and application of deep counterfeiting and voice reproduction technology to ensure that the use of the technology complies with laws, regulations and ethical standards; (2) adhere to the principle of minimum intervention, and strike a balance between protecting personal privacy and preventing abuse; and (3) promote the sound development of the industry.
Restrictions on use: Restrictions on the use of deep counterfeiting and voice copying technologies, especially in sensitive areas such as finance, politics, law, and medicine, and where they may have a serious impact on personal privacy.
Transparency and Authentication: (1) Require developers and users of deep counterfeiting and voice copying technologies to provide transparency to ensure that users are informed and consent to the use of their data.
(2) Establish a certification mechanism to ensure that only accredited institutions and individuals can use these technologies.
(4) Technical research: Encourage research on deep counterfeiting and voice copying technologies, especially research on detecting and preventing abuse, and research on how to protect personal privacy.
Participation, use of ethics education and public awareness: to strengthen the education of the public and related industries, and to raise awareness of the potential risks of deep counterfeiting and voice copying technology.
Authorities should provide corresponding preventive measures and education and training.
The development of deep counterfeiting and voice reproduction technology has brought many potential risks, but it is also an integral part of the country ’ s sustainable development.
This industry requires the participation of multiple stakeholders, how to ensure that these technologies are used responsibly and ethically through legal, technical and educational means, and to minimize their potential hazards, to the rapid and vigorous development of the industry is a matter of urgency.
(The author is Deputy Secretary General of Beishe, Director of Research and Development of the Institute for Information Technology)
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However, the technology also raises ethical challenges, such as the potential for scams and the need for regulations to protect individual voices and prevent misuse.

What are some risks regarding AI voice clning?

The legal implications of voice cloning technology are still being explored, with questions around copyright, consent, and liability being raised.

ElevenLabs, a company founded by Piotr Dabkowski and Staniszewski, is a leading player in the voice cloning technology development, offering a browser-based app that synthesizes sounds and can be fine-tuned for tone, emotion, and rhythm, and other sound nuances.

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AI voice pioneer ElevenLabs raises $80 million
ElevenLabs broke new ground in the voice AI industry, successfully raising an impressive $80 million in a Series B round led by industry giants such as Andreessen Horowitz, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, and renowned entrepreneur Daniel Gross.
The company has received investments from well-known companies such as Sequoia CapitalSmash CapitalSV AngelBroadLight CapitalCredo Ventures, which has raised a total of $101 million, giving it a valuation of more than $1 billion, exponentially growing and entering the Unicorn Alliance.
The previous year it was about $100 million.
CEO Mati Staniszewski laid out an ambitious fund-raising agenda, outlining aggressive product development, infrastructure expansion, team development, AI research, and plans to implement robust security measures to ensure ethical AI development.
In a letter to TechCrunch, Staniszewski said: “Our vision with this new investment is to consolidate ElevenLabs ’ leading position in global voice AI, both in pioneering research and in practical applications. ”
ElevenLabs, the brainchild of Piotr Dabkowski, a former Google machine learning engineer, and Staniszewski, a former Palantir strategist, was born out of a shared vision to improve speech cloning capabilities, fuelled by the two men ’ s experience shooting shoddy films in their respective home countries. Poland.
Since launching the beta a year ago, the company has quickly become known for its browser-based app, which cleverly synthesizes sounds and can be fine-tuned for tone, emotion and rhythm, and other sound nuances.
ElevenLabs offers a free and premium service that allows users to enter text for sound interpretation or submit speech samples for personalized speech cloning.
The company ’ s commitment to innovation extends to creating specialized voice generation for industries such as audiobooks, movie dubbing, game characters and promotions.
One of their breakthrough developments, launched last year, is the “speech-to-speech ” tool, which aims to retain the unique characteristics of the speaker ’ s voice while eliminating unwanted background noise and subtly tweaking the voiceover of film and TV content.
Going forward, ElevenLabs is about to launch an advanced voiceover studio workflow and mobile app designed to narrate web pages and text through its proprietary voice technology.
The company ’ s innovations have attracted a diverse customer base, including game developer Paradox Interactive and prominent media outlet The Washington Post.
Staniszewski proudly tells us that ElevenLab users have been generating audio content for more than a century, and now it ’ s a favorite tool for 41% of Fortune 500 employees.
The boom in AI-driven voice technology is paralleled by the iterative growth of AppMasterno-code platforms, which democratize application development for a variety of users.
As ElevenLabs continues to rise in the ranks of innovative technology companies, its trajectory gives us a glimpse of the transformative potential of AI in voice and speech.
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What company created an AI tool that could mimic the voices of deceased movie stars?

OpenAI has also developed a text-to-speech tool that can generate a natural-sounding human voice that is very similar to the original speaker, using text input and a 15-second clip of human voices.

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Speech cloning raises concerns, OpenAI again explains its text-to-speech tool
2024 / 6 / 10 9: 57: 21 Source: IT House Author: Yuanyang Editor: Yuanyang
OpenAI explained its text-to-speech tool for the second time in a few months, and again stressed that the tool is not currently widely available and may not be available in the future.
“Whether or not we end up deploying this technology at scale, it ’ s important for people around the world to understand where it ’ s going, ” OpenAI said in a statement on its website Friday.“ That ’ s why we want to explain how the model works, how we use it for research and education, and how we implement security measures around the technology. ”
At the end of last year, OpenAI shared its “voice engine ” with a small number of external users.
The engine uses text input and a 15-second clip of human voices to “generate a natural sounding human voice that is very similar to the original speaker. ”
The tool could create fake, multilingual human voices, and the company said at the time that it had chosen to preview the technology rather than launch it at scale to “enhance social resilience ” to the threat posed by“ increasingly realistic artificial intelligence-generated models. ”
As part of these efforts, OpenAI says it is actively phasing out ways to use voice recognition for bank account verification, exploring policies to protect individual voices for use in AI, educating the public about the risks of AI, and accelerating the development of technologies to track audiovisual content so users can identify whether they are interacting with real people or synthetic content.
However, despite these efforts, concerns about the technology remain.
Bruce Reed, the head of artificial intelligence for US President Joe Biden, has said that voice cloning is one of the reasons he can't sleep at night.
The Federal Trade Commission said in March that scammers were using AI technology to increase the credibility of their fraud, using voice cloning tools that make it harder for people to distinguish between AI-generated voices and human voices.
“We continue to engage with U.S. and international partners from government, media, entertainment, education, civil society, and more to ensure we incorporate their feedback in the build process, ” the company also noted, once the“ Voice Engine ” is equipped with its latest model, GPT-4o, it will also bring new threats.
The company says it is actively “conducting ‘ red team testing ’ on GPT-4o to identify and address known and unknown risks from areas such as social psychology, bias and fairness, and misinformation. ”
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What is necessary for voice cloning to work?

The technology has developed rapidly in the past year, becoming far more realistic and nuanced, with the program called Tortoise being a significant contributor to this development.

Deepdub, a film dubbing company, uses an AI to process voice and translate into a different language and promises to preserve what?

The controversy around voice cloning has focused on concerns over people misusing the software, with law enforcement warning that AI clones could be used to extort money from loved ones over the phone.

The use of voice cloning technology in educational settings raises ethical concerns, such as the potential for misuse or manipulation of cloned voices, and instructors should take steps to mitigate these risks.

What are some risks regarding AI voice clning?

Instructors can ensure they have the necessary permissions and consent to use voice cloning technology in educational settings by obtaining informed consent from the individuals whose voices are being recorded and cloned.

The current regulations and laws regarding voice cloning technology are still evolving and vary by country, with many governments and organizations expressing concern over the potential misuse of this technology.

Title:

Content: Artificial intelligence is replacing human actors in voiceovers and videos
Chris Vallance (Chris Vallance)
• BBC Technical Reporter
The Screen Actors Guild (Equity) has said that if current laws are not changed, the livelihoods of entertainers will be threatened by artificial intelligence.
The campaign, launched by the British Performers Union, is called “Don ’ t Let Artificial Intelligence Catch the Camera. ”
Artificial intelligence can use parts of the actor ’ s voice and face to create content, including so-called “deep fakes ”, which uses artificial intelligence to generate anthropomorphic images and mix them with human images to make it difficult to distinguish between true and false.
The Screen Actors Guild says, “From auto-generated listening content to digitally personalised images, AI systems are now replacing professional actors. ”
The Screen Actors Guild has warned that unless copyright laws are amended now, there will be an end to what it calls a “dystopia, ” a future in which social forms are comprehensively deteriorating.
The Screen Actors Guild points to a number of ways in which AI makes use of actors ’ voices and looks.
For example, actors can work with AI companies to build a system that can generate AI voiceovers or help generate digitally simulated human images.
Artificial intelligence can produce “synthetic ” performances, and in some cases even bring actors who are no longer alive back to the screen.
While AI generates performance as a creative tool, the actors ’ union is concerned that actors ’ control cannot be protected, i.e. they are not always able to control how their image is used or, without consent or adequate remuneration, their own image is used.
Manually generated "deep fake" celebrity videos are becoming more and more popular online.
The Screen Actors Guild ’ s “Don ’ t Let Artificial Intelligence Catch the Camera ” campaign was supported by actress Talulah Riley.
“As a performer, no matter how easy it is to reproduce sound and image with digital technology, how cheap the price is, my voice and my pictogram belong to me, which is the most important thing, ” she said.
I think performance artists should be rewarded for what they create. "
Trouble with voice actors
The Screen Actors Guild says that when actors work with AI companies, most are unaware of their rights, and many are asked to sign confidentiality agreements.
The Screen Actors Guild conducted a survey of 430 members and found that 93% of dubbing artists felt AI was a threat to their employment opportunities.
One voice actor who participated in the survey told the union, “Over the past six months, my voice has been used in large-scale marketing campaigns at companies around the world.
I think I signed a contract that forbids third-party advertising, and even then I didn ’ t get a penny. ”
“The growing ability of AI to clone human sounds is a big risk for sound owners, who get paid less, or not at all, ” the actor ’ s union said.
The Screen Actors Guild said they were particularly concerned about the development of digital sound technology designed to automatically generate audiobooks.
Examples of China
China ’ s CCTV aired the documentary “Innovate China ” in 2018, which is said to be the first in the world to use artificial intelligence to simulate human voice.
The voice of a deceased Chinese voice actor reappears in the film through language synthesis technology.
In addition, Chinese media have also reported that the voice in China's car navigation software uses the voice of Taiwanese actress Lin Zhiling, who was synthesized by artificial intelligence.
The issue of copyright in the use of personal voices through artificial intelligence synthesis technology and how to ensure legal protection in China is also a matter of widespread concern, but still to be defined by law.
Text to Speech
The union's lobbying campaign was supported by voice actor Bev Standing, who had filed a lawsuit over the use of her voice on the social media site TikTok.
The Canadian voiceover artist recorded 10,000 sentences for translation in 2018 for the research institute of the China Institute of Acoustics.
But Ms. Stein said her voice later appeared in TikTok's "text-to-speech" (TTS) feature, a software that converts text into sound, dubbing uploaded videos, and often producing comedic effects.
She said the synthetic sounds of those rationed videos often repeat swear words.
Although TikTok never admitted to using Ms. Stedin ’ s voice, TikTok adjusted its “text-to-speech ” function accordingly after she filed a lawsuit.
Later, TikTok made an out-of-court settlement with Ms. Stein.
"I only work with dubbing companies that give me control over how I authorize my use," Ms. Stein said, speaking to the Screen Actors Union.
Government action is needed.
The Screen Actors Guild said existing copyright laws do not provide enough protection for performing artists because artificial intelligence “can generate performances without recording or copying the original. ”
The Screen Actors Guild wants the government to take action to protect the rights of actors, and they want to amend copyright laws to “adapt to the pace of technological development. ”
But there are also concerns that changes to copyright laws could have a negative impact on freedom of expression or curb innovation.
The British government told the BBC that it wants AI to be properly regulated to encourage innovation while also “protecting people ’ s rights and our fundamental values. ”
“Our country ’ s AI strategy has a 10-year plan to take advantage of technology opportunities, and we will develop a management strategy to keep it on the right track, ” the government statement said.

What are some risks regarding AI voice clning?

The development of voice cloning technology has the potential to revolutionize various industries and enhance language learning, but it also requires careful consideration of its technical requirements, challenges, and ethical implications.

Title:

Content: Language No Barrier: New AI tool can clone voice and make it say anything in multiple languages

Imagine former US President Donald Trump speaking in flawless Hindi. A new AI voice cloning tool by ElevenLabs can clone voices and make them say anything in a bunch of different languages. All it needs is a three-second sample clip and a bit of text as the prompt.

Mehul Reuben Das May 03, 2023 13:42:20 IST

Imagine former US President Donald Trump speaking in flawless Hindi. A new AI voice cloning tool by ElevenLabs can clone voices and make them say anything in a bunch of different languages. All it needs is a three-second sample clip and a bit of text as the prompt.

As advanced as AI-based voice cloning has been, there were a few limitations to it. For example, voice generators were mainly bound by the language of the source they were trained in or rather the language of the prompt that was given to them. Now, ElevenLabs, an American AI software developing company has come up with a tool that does away with that limitation.

ElevenLabs’ new AI tool can clone the voice of a person and make it say anything in a bunch of different languages. All it needs is a clear voice sample of about 3 seconds, although it also suggests that the longer the sample, the better will be the results. The new tool even manages to maintain the speaker’s original tone of voice.

Limitless possibilities
The creators expect that this would ‘extend the possibilities’ in a variety of industries such as publishing, gaming creation, and media. “Introducing Eleven Multilingual v1: Our New Speech Synthesis Model! We’re thrilled to launch our new model supporting seven new languages: French, German, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.”

“This advancement expands the horizons for creators, game developers, and publishers, and it paves the way for using generative media to create more localized, accessible, and imaginative content,” the company said.

Following the announcement, Twitter was flooded with comments, with users testing the software on various famous faces.

To demonstrate just how capable the new voice cloning AI tool is, Eluna AI, a platform for AI-content creators experimented with a sample clip of former US President Donald Trump.

In their demo, Eluna AI showcased a small clip of Donald Trump, speaking in his native tongue, English, followed by French, Spanish, German, Hindi and Italian, almost perfectly. The generated samples even gets the accent right, almost if he was a native speaker of the new target language.

Another user changed David Attenborough’s voice to German while the BBC broadcaster discussed the prospects of AI. “With this tool, anyone can do it,” stated the Twitter user. “It’s also worth noting that fraudsters will undoubtedly exploit this one.”

ElevenLabs says that its model was designed to understand the emotion and reasoning underlying words in order to produce natural-sounding and persuasive audio. ElevenLabs has said that some numerals and symbols are currently spoken wrongly, but that it is striving to rectify this.

Who is this new tool meant to help?
The US-based company believes its technology will be valuable in a variety of areas, including education and journalism.

Game developers and publishers can build engaging, localised experiences for worldwide audiences, breaking through language barriers and connecting with players and listeners to maximise engagement and efficiency while maintaining quality and accuracy.

“Educational institutions now have the ability to develop audio content for varied users in their target languages, enhancing language comprehension and even pronunciation abilities, as well as responding to different teaching methods and learning demands,” says the report.

Because of the model’s capacity to produce unique character-like voices, audiobook and content developers may also find it beneficial.

The conundrum of AI voice genertors
Despite its benefits, ElevenLabs’ launch comes amid widespread concern about the wave of new voice cloning technology. An unidentified TikTok user went popular last month after sharing an AI-generated Drake song starring The Weeknd.

It sparked concerns about the grey area of AI-created music and whether it constitutes a copyright violation. Nonetheless, ElevenLabs claims to be ‘fully committed’ to respecting creators’ rights in the midst of technological advancements.

“At Eleven, we think that we should seek to make the best use of emerging technology, but not at any expense,” it stated.

“As we create them, we make every effort to put suitable controls in place that reduce the possibility of detrimental abuse. With this in mind, we are entirely committed to both protecting intellectual property rights and taking action against infringement.”

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also read

World

Music labels are worried because of AI, thanks to a surprising new song ft. Drake X The Weeknd

Someone used AI to create a whole new song featuring Drake and The Weeknd. But because the singers never sang the song, artists and music labels are worried, how AI voice modulation and AI-generated songs can disrupt the industry.

World

Artificial Imposter: 47% of Indian phone users have experienced AI voice scams, highest in the world

About half of Indian adults, or 47%, have experienced AI voice scams, nearly double the global average of 25%. Furthermore, nearly 69% of adults say they can't differentiate between a real and an AI-generated voice.

How will educational institutions benefit from developing AI voice audio content for languages learners?

To ensure high-quality voice data, it is essential to have a large and diverse dataset of voice recordings, which can be obtained through various methods, including crowd-sourcing and partnerships with voice recording studios.

The quality of the voice data is crucial for developing realistic and accurate voice cloning models, and instructors should prioritize collecting high-quality data to achieve the best results.

What is necessary for voice cloning to work?

Ultimately, the use of voice cloning technology in educational settings requires careful consideration of the ethical and legal implications, as well as a commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible innovation.


The US deficit of medications has reached a record level, with 323 drugs in short supply in the first quarter of 2024.

The most worrisome shortages include sterile injectable generic drugs like cancer chemotherapy and emergency drugs.

The five most deficient drug categories include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormonal agents, and intravenous fluids, in addition to 32 deficient chemotherapy drugs.

The FDA reported that about 111 drugs, including digoxin injection, Dacarbazine, and some antibiotics, are out of stock in the US.

The authorities cite production and quality issues, drug problems, and production suspensions as reasons for the shortage.

About 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers are overseas and provide the FDA with most drug shortage information.

Primary caretakers can ask their GP surgery pharmacist about potential medication shortages and alternatives.

GPs and pharmacists can provide guidance on alternative treatments during shortages.

Primary caretakers should stay informed about medication shortages, which can significantly impact patients, especially those with conditions like epilepsy.

Primary caretakers can prevent medication shortages by calling multiple pharmacies to find available medications.

In a medication shortage, parents and caregivers may need to find alternatives, with assistance from healthcare providers who can search for available options.

The FDA disseminates drug supply and alternative drug information through channels like the "Drug Supply Information Platform".

Medication shortages can have severe consequences for patients with conditions like epilepsy or cancer, putting their lives at risk.

The lack of medicines increases economic costs for the health system and patients, putting pressure on other budget items.

Collaboration between healthcare providers and caretakers is essential for patients with specific conditions during medication shortages.

The US deficit of medications has reached a record level, with 323 drugs in short supply in the first quarter of 2024.

Title:

Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
An Unexpected Catastrophe in the World ’ s Largest Country: The Complete Story of U.S. Drug Shortages
The deficit is at a record level.
According to data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service, organizations began tracking drug shortages for the first time in 2001. Steady since 2021 – now reaching a record high of 323 drugs in the first three months of 2024.
Paul Abramowitz, CEO of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, wrote in a blog post on Thursday: “It ’ s been a long time to end drug shortages, ” and wrote:“ All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages, some of the most worrisome shortages include sterile injectable generic drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency drugs stored in hospital vans and procedural areas. It is dangerous for doctors and patients. ”
In addition to the 32 chemotherapy drugs that are deficient, the five categories of drugs with the greatest deficiency include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormonal agents, and intravenous fluids. [1] The Drug Deficiency Database maintained by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah is based on voluntary reports from practitioners, patients, and others that have been confirmed by manufacturers. The U.S. drug is in short supply, because it captures broader effects on service providers and patients.
The crisis has lasted a year and a half.
More than half of the treatment shortages have lasted for more than two years, according to an analysis by health consultancy IQVIA, and the average shortage affects at least half a million patients, many of them elderly, according to the US Office of Health and Human Services under the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, which shared its analysis with Congress in May.
Growing demand can play a role in drug shortages, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but often manufacturing and quality problems, such as supply chain gaps and downtime, are the root cause. And varied.
But the American Society of Health System Pharmacists has “serious concerns ” about parts of this proposal, especially financial sanctions imposed on hospitals that lack the resources to comply with the recommendations, Abramowitz wrote:“ We all know that managing shortages is not enough and is not a sustainable solution to the worsening crisis, and there is still a lot of work to be done at the federal level to fix the root causes of drug shortages. ”
Why Shortage Occurs
Shortages can be caused by high demand, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but this is not usually the main problem.
The FDA also blames manufacturing and quality problems, supply chain gaps, and downtime, and Dr. Emily Tucker, a drug shortage expert and an assistant professor of industrial engineering at Clemson University, says that when there is an indication of shortages, large health systems often also proactively place large orders, adding to the system ’ s stress.
“I don ’ t blame anyone.
“When I talk to all the stakeholders – whether it ’ s wholesalers, manufacturers, or the government – everyone wants this problem to end, ” she said.
Lack of transparency
Dr. Julie Grallo, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, told the House Committee earlier that the shortage puts providers in a terrible position: “The drug shortage crisis is forcing providers to make impossible choices, and it is also hindering the development of new drugs. Health drugs are purchased only on a price basis, and manufacturers do not have to disclose the source of their acquisition of the ingredients.
The shortage of this generic chemical drug came due to the closure of one factory in India that manufactures the active ingredient after a surprise FDA inspection found “significant quality issues, ” says Jarallo:“ We didn ’ t know, and there was no transparency regarding the company ’ s supply of the majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients to all manufacturers across the board.
Knowing this in advance, we could have responded much faster, ” Dr. Steven Schundlemeyer, director of the PRIME Institute of the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy, which focuses on economic and management issues, told the committee that as with defense contractors in the United States, New Zealand requires manufacturers to disclose their suppliers, and that information is required.
Easily accessible in the database.
Related Topics

The most worrisome shortages include sterile injectable generic drugs like cancer chemotherapy and emergency drugs.

The five most deficient drug categories include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormonal agents, and intravenous fluids, in addition to 32 deficient chemotherapy drugs.

The FDA reported that about 111 drugs, including digoxin injection, Dacarbazine, and some antibiotics, are out of stock in the US.

Title:

Content: US supply chain crisis continues, FDA points to 111 drug shortages
Global Social Hotspot 16: 35 2021 / 12 / 05
Share:
The supply chain crisis in the United States continues, and many goods are facing shortages.
The US media said that the US pharmacies have a number of critical prescription drugs in stock. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pointed out that about 111 drugs are out of stock in the United States. The FDA stressed that it will continue to take measures to monitor the supply chain.
【 Omicron variant 】 Travellers must have a negative test within 48 hours for entering the United Kingdom 【 Next 】
The Federal Reserve warned on Wednesday that large parts of the United States had begun to be affected by supply chain disruptions and labor shortages last month.
According to the FDA website, 111 drugs are out of stock in the United States, including the heart disease drug digoxin injection, the chemical drug Dacarbazine and some antibiotics.
The authorities say there are many reasons for the shortage, including production problems, quality problems, drugs and even the suspension of production.
According to the FDA, about 80% of the manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients are located overseas, and the manufacturers have provided the FDA with most of the drug shortage information.
The Administration will also work closely with these manufacturers to address the drug shortage.
【 Omicron variant 】 Study: Omicron carries a cold virus gene or helps avoid the immune system 【 Next 】
Long Island Newspaper Newsday quoted Tom D'Angelo, president of the New York State Association of Pharmacists, as saying the shipping of a large number of medicines, including those for common blood pressure and for the treatment of colds and flu, was blocked.
Because of supply chain problems, the owner of a New York drugstore said there were fewer brands for some drugs, including Ibuprofen.
The National Association of Community Pharmacists (NCPA) released a survey last month that found that most non-chain pharmacies are struggling to fill employee vacancies and cope with supply chain disruptions.
Sixty percent of pharmacies surveyed said they were dealing with supply chain disruptions, and nearly 70 percent said it was difficult to fill staff vacancies.
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The authorities cite production and quality issues, drug problems, and production suspensions as reasons for the shortage.

About 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers are overseas and provide the FDA with most drug shortage information.

Primary caretakers can ask their GP surgery pharmacist about potential medication shortages and alternatives.

Title:

Content: Is a prostate issue to blame for my sexual problems after I started online dating aged 76 following divorce? Ask DR ELLIE CANNON

Q: I’m a healthy 76-year-old and I just started online dating after my divorce. However, during sex I struggle to maintain an erection. Also when I climax, I experience a pleasurable feeling but produce nothing. Should I be worried about my prostate?

Dr Ellie replies: Men often experience sexual problems later in life because of an enlarged prostate or its treatment. The prostate is a small gland at the base of the bladder around the tube that carries the urine out. It is often described as being the size of a walnut, but as men age, it can become much larger than this.

Regular exercise, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol have all been shown to help combat erectile dysfunction

Of course, men can also get prostate cancer. An enlarged prostate will make it more difficult to urinate, due to the proximity of the prostate to the bladder, and trigger sexual problems.

These issues are typically erectile dysfunction and difficulty ejaculating. There are treatments which can combat an enlarged prostate, but it’s important to know that these too can lead to sexual problems.

READ MORE: DR ELLIE CANNON: Are the drugs I'm taking to blame for my hip pain?

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One commonly used medication for prostate problems is called finasteride, a daily tablet which can make it easier to pee.

However, more than one in 100 men who take it will have problems getting an erection and or problems ejaculating.

Men who don’t respond to medication are often offered a transurethral resection of the prostate – known as a TURP – which involves cutting away sections of the prostate.

It is thought that as many as three-quarters of men who receive a TURP will have difficulty ejaculating due to damage to the nerves and muscles in the prostate region.

Likewise, surgery to remove the prostate often leads to dry orgasms – where nothing comes out – as the gland is involved in the production of semen.

There are things you can do yourself to reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Regular exercise, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol have all been shown to help combat erectile dysfunction.

If the problem continues – or gets worse – then you should talk to your GP about treatment.

Q: I’m a woman in my late 70s. In 2018 I was prescribed alendronic acid after I had a fall and fractured my wrist. I have heard that you should take a break from this medication after five years but my GP says I should stay on it. I also requested another bone density scan but she said I didn’t need one. Is this correct?

Dr Ellie replies: Alendronic acid is the medication we most commonly use for the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis, and it is usually safe to take long-term.

It is taken as a weekly tablet or drink and reduces the risk of further breaks. Our bones are constantly being broken down and rebuilt by specially adapted cells within them. Osteoporosis occurs when there is too much bone breakdown happening which causes them to weaken. Alendronic acid slows down this process. Usually after five years on the treatment you would have a review of your medication to decide if you still require it. This would often involve a bone density scan, also known as a Dexa scan. A patient may stay on the medication for another five years or take a ‘treatment holiday’ and come off it for a few years.

Alendronic acid does have some common side-effects including constipation, dizziness and headaches

Alendronic acid does have some common side-effects including constipation, dizziness and headaches.

If the treatment is causing too many problems, or is failing to keep the osteoporosis under control, patients might be offered a new drug. However, it is hard to make this decision without a further Dexa scan.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society offers excellent support – you can speak with one of their specialist nurses on 0808 800 0035. After this, it would be worth requesting a conversation with the GP to establish why your medication is being continued.

Q: My GP advised I take statins, but ten days after I began the pills I developed serious pins and needles in my feet and hands. I immediately stopped taking the drug, but two months later, the pins and needles have turned into a painful stabbing sensation all over my body. My feet feel like they are burning.

Despite this, my GP refuses to see me for an appointment because he says it is a matter for a pharmacist. What should I do?

Dr Ellie replies: This is not the standard of care someone should be receiving from an NHS GP. Anyone with new symptoms or potential medication side-effects should be offered an appointment.

It might be worth looking into registering at a new practice, so you can get easier access to a doctor. Pins and needles are an uncommon side-effect of statins. The fact the sensation has continued after you stopped taking the pills could suggest it is unrelated. A feeling of electric shocks or burning, particularly in the feet, can be a condition called peripheral neuropathy where the nerves are not working properly. Peripheral neuropathy is often triggered by a vitamin B12 deficiency, and can be reversed. This is why it is crucial that you see a doctor.

If it is the statins, a GP can recommend other ways of treating cholesterol such as diet and lifestyle changes, or other medicines.

DRUG SHORTAGES PUT PATIENTS AT RISK

Medicine shortages are worse than ever, and are now affecting people’s health, according to a new report.

Supply problems have doubled since 2020, the Nuffield Trust think-tank found. GPs and pharmacists deal with this daily.

I do not recall shortages like this even being an issue

ten years ago.

Medicines for epilepsy are often in short supply. Without these, seizures are more likely and can be catastrophic. And I know parents who drive to many pharmacies to find ADHD drugs for their children.

If you have a practice pharmacist at your GP surgery, try to ask them if there are shortages of your prescription drugs, and whether alternatives can be had.

Doctors tend not to know what is and isn’t available.

Are you struggling to get hold of vital medication? Write and let me know.

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Back pain sufferers are being fobbed off

Latest figures suggest a staggering 2.8 million Britons are ‘economically inactive’ due to ill health.

That’s double the number of ten years ago — and includes a rise of almost three-quarters of a million since the pandemic. This is probably because getting treatment for even serious problems is so difficult now.

Mental illness and respiratory diseases top the list of reasons for going long-term sick. The other most common is ‘musculoskeletal problems’, often back trouble. But back pain can be resolved quickly with advice, exercise and a physiotherapy assessment.

It frustrates me that, even if I refer my patients for the latter, it’s just not available — they’re fobbed off with phone appointments and leaflets. Have you struggled to get help with your back pain? Write and let me know.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk

Dr Cannon cannot enter into personal correspondence and her replies should be taken in a general context.

GPs and pharmacists can provide guidance on alternative treatments during shortages.

Primary caretakers should stay informed about medication shortages, which can significantly impact patients, especially those with conditions like epilepsy.

Primary caretakers can prevent medication shortages by calling multiple pharmacies to find available medications.

Title:

Content: Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
19° Partly Cloudy
News >  Nation/World

Parents looking for children’s Tylenol, ibuprofen find empty shelves

Dec. 1, 2022 Updated Thu., Dec. 1, 2022 at 9:17 p.m.

By Jenna Portnoy, Daniel Gilbert, Ellie Silverman and Katie Shepherd Washington Post

People seeking over-the-counter medication for their sick children are often finding sparse or empty shelves, as a spike in respiratory illnesses pushes pediatricians and emergency rooms to the limit.

Usual supplies of fever- and pain-reducing medicines, such as liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen recommended for children with RSV, flu or the coronavirus, have not kept up with demand in recent weeks in pockets of the country hit hardest by surging illnesses.

Unlike in Canada where the government has issued emergency orders to address a shortage of acetaminophen and ibuprofen, commonly known by the name brands Tylenol and Advil, and similar products, U.S. manufacturers and retailers emphasized that supplies should rebound within weeks. On the prescription side, increased demand for the antibiotic amoxicillin has caused shortages in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe.

In the meantime, pediatricians say they worry limited access to medicines could result in more urgent-care and emergency visits as parents struggle to keep sick children comfortable.

“It’s a huge problem,” said Kristina Powell, a pediatrician in Williamsburg, Virgina, and president of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “This is a result of the ‘triple-demic.’ Parents run to Walmart or Target, the shelves are empty. … This is going to be a long fall and winter of viral infections.”

A crop of influenza-like illnesses, which includes RSV, hit the South and Southeast hard a month ago, federal data show, and those illnesses have slowly progressed westward. By mid-November, Texas, New Mexico and Tennessee reported the highest incidence of illness, while levels remained very high in Virginia and D.C., followed closely by Maryland, according to data tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kylie Moriarty, 30, of Buffalo, Misssouri, searched her local Walmart for Tylenol or ibuprofen to treat her sick 9-year-old daughter and found nothing but empty shelves. That seemed odd, she said, because just last week she had no trouble buying the same products for her 2-year-old son in a merry-go-round of illnesses affecting families with young children.

“I was very frustrated that it’s 2022 and we can’t keep something in stock for parents to help their children get better,” she said in a phone interview. “It makes me want to cry, almost, because these are my kids.”

She and her husband called other pharmacies looking for medicines to soothe the girl and couldn’t find any guaranteed availability.

“When they’re sick, there’s only so much that loving on them and cuddling with them you can do. So when there’s no medicine or something that you can give them … it’s hard,” Moriarty said.

Feeling powerless, the couple gave up and cautiously shared their younger child’s more concentrated medicine with the older one, which seemed to help. Just as they began to relax, their little boy came home from day care with a fever. Moriarty plans to schedule an appointment with his pediatrician for treatment – and samples to take home.

The ordeal reminded her of the height of the pandemic when supply chain problems left consumers scrambling for toilet paper and other basics.

Generic varieties play a large role in the market for over-the-counter comfort drugs, and that industry runs on profit margins so lean that companies typically lack capacity to boost production on short notice, according to supply chain experts. That left shelves bare during the early days of the pandemic.

The same dynamic is playing out now as RSV, flu and the coronavirus hit simultaneously, prompting sporadic shortages of commonly used ibuprofen and Tylenol at some hospitals and retail stores.

The extent of those shortages isn’t clear. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t reported any shortages of fever or pain medications. Drugmakers, pharmacists and industry organizations say there aren’t any constraints to manufacturing and expect supplies to rebound within weeks.

The University of Utah’s Drug Information Service, which tracks drug shortages, received its first report of a shortage of liquid ibuprofen – generally for children – on Monday, and quickly confirmed it with several manufacturers. Most of the drugs tracked by the service are purchased in large quantities by hospitals, but some formulations had over-the-counter labels. Erin Fox, the service’s director, said it was impossible to know how widespread retail shortages were given the variety of store-branded versions.

“There are definitely distribution and supply chain problems that still exist,” she said, such as a company not being able to hire enough drivers. “These shortages seem to be mostly a demand spike and should resolve relatively quickly,” she added.

Until then, both chain stores and independent pharmacies are dealing with the unpredictability of high demand and uncertain supplies.

Martin McCarthy struck out at 5 p.m. Wednesday when he stopped by Brookville Pharmacy in Chevy Chase, Maryland, looking for liquid Motrin for his 10-year-old son, who probably picked up a bug at school.

The pharmacy’s stock of children’s fever reducers was depleted after two busy weeks of parents and grandparents stopping in to buy Tylenol or Motrin for little ones suffering from colds, RSV, flu and other viruses.

By Wednesday evening, only three boxes of generic ibuprofen chewables, two boxes of generic acetaminophen chewables and six boxes of suppository acetaminophen remained. Other parents peeked down the aisle looking for liquid fever reducer and fever reducer for children younger than 3, only to leave empty-handed.

McCarthy scanned the cold-medicine aisle for a few minutes and called home to confirm that his son would tolerate grape-flavored chewable tablets instead of the liquid Motrin he was used to.

“It is surprising because it’s basically completely out,” he said. “And it’s just generic.”

A spokeswoman for Walgreens said McCarthy’s experience is typical. Even if their usual choice of medication is unavailable because of high demand, parents can usually find an alternative.

“Although demand for pediatric OTC medications have increased, Walgreens is prepared and able to continue meeting the needs of our customers and patients. We are working with our diverse set of suppliers and distributors to ensure our patients have the products they need most,” Walgreen spokeswoman Zoe Krey said in a statement.

Martha Welman, a pediatrician and medical director at Neighborhood Health, a primary care provider serving low-income and underinsured patients in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax, said staff will sometimes call pharmacies to find medicines for patients – a time-consuming process at a busy time.

“If it’s between helping someone find a medicine or seeing a sick child, we have to make that choice. We’re all kind of compromising right now,” she said.

Perrigo, an Ireland-based manufacturer of over-the-counter products, said “shortages are occurring in a number of markets we supply” because of high demand. The company has increased production of medications for fever and pain by 46% through October compared with a year ago, and increased shipments by a similar rate.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents companies making over-the-counter drugs, said parts of the country are seeing a rise in pediatric illnesses but that there aren’t “overall widespread shortages here in the United States” of children’s pain relievers.

“We understand it might be frustrating for some parents who are unable to quickly locate these products from their usual pharmacy or retailer due to limited out-of-stocks in some stores,” the association said in a statement, but it emphasized the importance of calling around for medications and not hoarding, which could lead to widespread shortages.

Elizabeth Murray, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester, New York, said from the bed shortage to overflowing emergency rooms, the last thing parents need is another hurdle. But until the early and aggressive onset of respiratory illness abates, health care providers and parents have no choice but to ride it out together.

“Everyone would like to have one thing to blame and there isn’t one thing to blame,” she said. “This is happening for a variety of reasons and we’re going to move through it and we’re going to be OK.”

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In a medication shortage, parents and caregivers may need to find alternatives, with assistance from healthcare providers who can search for available options.

The FDA disseminates drug supply and alternative drug information through channels like the "Drug Supply Information Platform".

Title:

Content: The lack of medicine continues to burn!
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has proposed a short, medium and long-term strategy to deal with the current 5 coping mechanisms.
Journalist Yen Zhenzhen / Taipei Report
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the shortage of drugs is not a single factor, but includes supply problems, manufacturing problems, clinical demand factors, uneven distribution of drugs, drug use habits and drug prices. In addition to dealing with the relatively high clinical demand items, it is properly allocated to all levels of medical institutions and pharmacies to fully meet the needs of clinical end-use drugs.
This is an advertisement, please continue reading.
In the face of the shortage of drugs, Wang said, the existing health insurance uses five major coping mechanisms, including 1, a single processing window, a dedicated person to help deal with the problem of drug purchase, and contact the Food and Drug Administration to put relevant information on the website of the NHI. (4) Drug price adjustment mechanism that does not meet the cost can be re-checked according to the way of raising the price of special drugs; (5) Alternative drugs can still declare the cost, if they are not irreplaceable, they can be replaced at the same price or lower than the original prescription drug price.
In addition, Wang pointed out that in the face of the international epidemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and labor shortage, drug shortage is a problem facing all countries. In order to strengthen the stable supply mechanism of drugs in China, the Ministry of Health and Welfare continues to actively respond to the short-term strategy to solve the problem of drug shortage. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the pharmaceutical industry have made every effort to actively arrange production lines, strive for early import, increase production / import quantity, and properly distribute to all levels of medical institutions and pharmacies to fully meet the demand for clinical end use drugs.
In addition, to properly handle the issue of drug price adjustment, the Central Health Insurance Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare intends to implement the "Universal Health Insurance Cost Distribution Target System (DET)" in April this year, which will adjust the number of drug prices and adjust the quota in a suitable manner, taking into account factors such as the epidemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war and inflation.
In terms of medium-term strategy, Wang said that he will establish a permanent drug shortage treatment center and optimize drug supply information transmission.
In order to speed up the handling of drug shortage incidents, we will adopt dedicated personnel and cross-departmental cooperation to develop drug shortage prevention policies to prevent drug shortage in advance, strengthen cross-departmental data integration and proactive monitoring to detect drug shortage incidents at an early stage, and intervene early through cross-departmental cooperation to stabilize drug supply.
At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to disseminate drug supply and alternative drug information through various channels. In addition to posting on the “Drug Supply Information Platform ”, the FDA will notify medical institutions and pharmacies through VPN, and weekly letters to relevant medical associations and public associations to inform members. Management system.
In the long-term strategy section, it includes reviewing the current health insurance drug pricing policy and encouraging the production of domestically manufactured generic drugs.
Wang Bi-sheng pointed out that in the review of the current health insurance drug price policy, including the development of the price protection of indicative drugs, drug price review for the lack of drugs; start the review of drug expenditure target (DET), plan the establishment of a risk control mechanism, plan the national unified procurement trial plan; comprehensively review the health insurance drug price policy, give an appropriate price protection mechanism for necessary drugs, and also target the patent period. To encourage the production of domestic manufacturers to ensure that when there is a shortage of original pharmaceutical products, there are domestic famous drugs to respond.
Wang also stressed that the Food and Drug Administration has set up a "Drug Supply Information Platform" (https: / / dsms.fda.gov.tw /), reporting hotline (02) 27878249. If medical institutions and pharmacies have any shortage of drugs, they can go to the platform for enquiry or notification, and the department will deal with it immediately.
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Medication shortages can have severe consequences for patients with conditions like epilepsy or cancer, putting their lives at risk.

Title:

Content: Lack of medicines in MOH hospitals and accumulation of indebtedness Repercussions / solutions
3 hours ago
Dr. Naeem Malkawi
The problem of shortage of medicines in Jordanian hospitals requires quick and effective attention and intervention, as providing medicines to patients is one of the foundations of quality health care and one of the most important strategies of the Ministry of Health, however, the shortage of medicines in many hospitals leads to health, economic and social challenges that threaten the quality of health care and patient safety.
The budget of the Ministry of Health of medicines, vaccines, vaccines and medical consumables for this year 2023 was estimated at 103.75 million dinars, where the actual for the past year 2022 was 93.8 million dinars.
The question is, how did the Ministry of Health accumulate such a large indebtedness in the item of medicines to reach 300 million dinars for pharmaceutical companies?
And why last week was the debt of 2019 cleared and deducted estimated at 50% of the debt for that year?
This means that there is still a delay in the payment of dues for companies for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 in addition to eight months of the current year 2023, and this brings us to a range of reasons and challenges:
1.
The aim of the Ministry of Health was to reduce the bureaucracy of procedures and overcome the complexity of procurement references in hospitals and health directorates in the governorates and not to obtain price and discount preferences, but the results indicate a defect in the management and mechanism of dealing with the strategy of unified and central procurement, despite the margin for hospital administrations to use the power of direct purchase in cases of necessity.
2.
Preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals: Evidence shows that there is a problem in the preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals and the main budget of the Ministry of Health with regard to the item of medicines, which is due to the lack of accurate and sufficient data on the number of patients and hospital needs of medicines, and the lack of accurate forecasting of future needs.
3.
Delays in the review of financial claims and invoices between the Ministry of Health and the hospitals on the one hand and the pharmaceutical companies on the other hand, is one of the most important reasons behind the accumulation of indebtedness, and this negatively affects the liquidity of the pharmaceutical companies and hinders them from providing a sustainable service in adhering to the procedures of supplying medicines according to schedule.
4.
Lack of coordination and communication: There may be a lack of coordination and communication between hospitals, the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical companies, which complicates the supply and distribution of medicines and increases the chances of delays and the depletion of medicines from hospitals in the absence of an effective policy for stock management and the time required for stock adequacy.
5.
Focusing on the trade names of certain drugs from specific production sources and not adopting the protocol of writing the scientific name for the prescriptions of patients.
6.
One of the reasons that may be major and important at the same time is the funding aspect and the lack of the necessary allocations or use them in other aspects other than medicines to fill a deficit or emergency during the use of budget items due to the scarcity of available liquidity. Medication.
Lack of medication can lead to:
1.
Threat to patient safety: Lack of medication puts sick people at risk, as this can lead to delays in receiving necessary treatment or the unavailability of vital drugs, putting their lives at risk.
2.
Economic Implications: The lack of medicines entails additional economic costs for the health system and patients.
Medical cases may be referred to other medical centers or private hospitals, increasing pressure on other MOH budget items.
3.
Pressure on health care workers: Health care workers are under pressure as a result of dealing with patients affected by drug shortages and repeatedly facing their inquiries and complaints.
4.
Social repercussions:
Increased anxiety and stress: A lack of medication can lead to an increase in anxiety and stress among patients and their families, as they live in uncertainty about the availability of the necessary treatment.
Lack of medication can affect the level of trust in the health system among citizens, who may feel that the system is unable to provide them with adequate health care.
Increased costs and social burdens: Some patients may have to incur additional costs to obtain drugs from other sources outside hospitals, affecting their financial and economic status.
After all this narrative there must be ways to overcome these dilemmas:
1.
Preparation of budgets scientifically and professionally: Hospitals should develop more accurate standards for the preparation of sub-budgets for medicines, through the analysis of previous data, estimation of future needs and other scientific and methodological foundations in the preparation of budgets and commitment to apply them accurately.
2.
Improve coordination and communication between parties: Coordination between the Ministry of Health, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies should be strengthened through the establishment of structured mechanisms for information exchange, review of invoices, and completion of claims, and not delay them.
3.
Implementation of fiscal reforms: The Government and the Ministry of Health should implement fiscal reforms that provide funding to cover this important item and pay dues in a timely manner, reduce bureaucracy in the financial audit process, and proceed with payment procedures within the timetable mechanism agreed in the tender terms.
4.
Achieving social responsibility: The government and pharmaceutical companies should adopt a social responsibility towards patients by providing these drugs and reducing their prices in the market to make them more accessible to patients while relieving part of the pressure and burden on hospitals.
Addressing the problem of drug shortages in government hospitals requires comprehensive cooperation between all concerned parties from government, Ministry of Health, hospitals, drug suppliers and patients.
To provide medicines on a permanent basis and to ensure the provision of high quality health care to the Jordanian patient.

The lack of medicines increases economic costs for the health system and patients, putting pressure on other budget items.

Collaboration between healthcare providers and caretakers is essential for patients with specific conditions during medication shortages.

Title:

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Update on Supply of Children's Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen Products

·2 min read

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 7, 2022 /CNW/ - We share the concerns of many parents and caregivers about their inability to find pediatric/infant and children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen products, and we understand the worries associated with this. Since the start of the shortage, we have been working to take actions to ensure that parents and caregivers have what they need to take care of children.

Over the summer months, there was unprecedented demand for these products and supply had not kept pace. We are working hand-in-hand with manufacturers and suppliers to keep increasing supply to meet consumer demand and to ensure that parents and caregivers have access to these important products.

Over the last few months, Health Canada has been in direct contact with manufacturers of pediatric/infant and children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen products, provinces and territories, children's hospitals, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the Canadian Pediatric Society, and the Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada to assess needs and avenues to expand supply, and to identify and implement shortage mitigation measures.

Minister Duclos has also personally spoken to several manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson, Haleon and PharmaScience, to reiterate the urgent need to collaborate to find immediate solutions to this shortage so that parents and caregivers can have the medicines they need to take care of their children.

As manufacturers continue to ramp up production, with some producing products at record levels, additional supply has been made available. Additionally, companies who supply Canada have been provided pathways to import foreign products, and we are reaching out to additional suppliers. While supply is increasing, we expect that products will continue to be intermittently available in retail locations. As we work to get these medicines to all who need it, children's hospitals remain a particular area of focus for replenishment.

Health Canada has issued a Public Advisory offering parents and caregivers advice and important safety information. You may also speak to a healthcare professional or pharmacist about your infant or child's needs as they can help you identify what products are effective and needed, as well as offer options for safe alternative.

As the health of infants and children remains our top priority, all options to solve this shortage are on the table. Health Canada will provide regular updates on the supply situation of children's acetaminophen and ibuprofen products in Canada.

SOURCE Health Canada

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2022/07/c4554.html