Life-threatening hypokalaemia associated with ibuprofen-induced renal tubular acidosis : 21/03/2011 :

Today's Medical Journal of Australia reports on 4 cases of life-threatening hypokalaemia associated with ibuprofen-induced renal tubular acidosis.

Accordibng to the authors, renal tubular acidosis is an underreported complication of ibuprofen misuse, and can result in life-threatening hypokalaemia. They describe four patients who presented with profound hypokalaemia and muscle weakness associated with excessive ibuprofen ingestion. Ibuprofen cessation and supportive management resulted in complete biochemical resolution within a few days. The authors write that these cases should remind practitioners about potential complications of unmonitored use of over-the-counter analgesics, including those with potential for misuse due to their codeine content.

Read the resport in full here (open access).

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Pfizer cops a hammering at APP State of the Industry Symposium : 18/03/2011 :

At yesterday's State of the Industry Symposium at the APP conference, currently underway on the Gold Coast, the implications for pharmacy of Pfizer's new direct to pharmacy supply model were clearly spelled out to delegates by Symbion CEO Patrick Davies.

Mr Davies said that if 'one or two' more companies were to follow Pfizer's lead, the wholesaling model as we know it in Australia would change and would change in a way that would be doing its pharmacy customers and consumers no favours.

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Pharma: PBS growth is slowest for 15 years : 18/03/2011 :

New Medicare Australia data shows that expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is growing more slowly than at any time in the last 15 years, Medicines Australia chairman Will Delaat told the APP State of the Industry Symposium yesterday.

Mr Delaat used his annual State of the Industry Symposium address at the APP conference to challenge the view that public expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is growing too quickly.

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Pharmacists views on unproven CAMs changing? : 18/03/2011 :

This week's AusPharm poll asked 'listers whether or not they though pharmacies should stock complementary medicines (CAMS) for which there is no solid evidence base.

The results show a change in outlook to those obtained in an identical poll in 2006 with today's pharmacists more inclined to see it as acceptable to stock products for which for which there is no solid evidence base.

We won't speculate on the reasons for this but refer 'listers to recent discussions on AusPharmList.

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Wholesaler guarantee funding to tighten? : 18/03/2011 :

Australian Pharmaceutical Industries announced yesterday that one of the banks to whom it provides guarantees relating to pharmacy purchases will now be requiring API to lodge a cash reserve with the bank in respect of the guarantees.

API says that this will have the effect of adding a pre-tax charge of $50 million to its accounts for this year.

What effect this will have on financing costs for pharmacy owners  remains to be seen, particularly if other banks follow suit and require a cash security to be lodged in respect of guarantees and if other wholesalers are also required to contribute to similar reserves.

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Register now for Pharmacy Practice Incentives start up payments : 18/03/2011 :

Community pharmacies will soon have access to a range of 5th Agreement Pharmacy Practice Incentives (PPIs). Details of the new incentives were announced at the APP conference on the Gold Coast yesterday.

To be eligible for the incentives, pharmacies must be accredited by a pharmacy accreditation program (i.e. QCPP), and agree to comply with and display a patient service charter. Eligible pharmacies which register before 30 June 2011 will receive significant once-only start-up payments, and a range of ongoing payments throughout the course of the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement, subject to them maintaining their eligibility.

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Standards and guidelines for 5CPA staged supply and clinical interventions : 18/03/2011 :

Following the release yesterday of some of the details of the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement Pharmacy Practice Incentive (PPI) Programs, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has today released its Professional Practice Standards and Practice Guidelines for the Staged Supply and Clinical Interventions Programs.

The Professional Practice Standards and Practice Guidelines include relevant practice tools that pharmacists can utilise to implement the professional services. They have been developed to help pharmacists document clinical interventions, as well as helping them to meet their professional obligations in regard to such services.

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AusPharm CE: A Good Clean-out - an update on poisoning management principles and techniques : 17/03/2011 :

The next AusPharm CE topic for 2011 is A Good Clean-out - an update on poisoning management principles and techniques - it's been put together for us by Professor Nerida Smith.

After completing this activity pharmacists should be able to describe:

• basic information required to assess the risk of a poisoned patient developing severe complications 
• the general  first aid for poisonings
• methods for decontaminating a patient following an ingested poison
  • what they are
  • How they work
  • When they might be used
  • Risks of use/precautions/when not to use

Click here to do this Continuing Education activity. Or, if you prefer, you might like to take a look at our other CE activities here .

This activity has been accredited by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia as a Group 2 activity for 1 point:  Accreditation number: CX110022c.

AusPharm gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the sponsors of our CE program, MIMS.

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AusPharm at APP : 17/03/2011 :

Your AusPharm(e)news is coming to you this morning from the Gold Coast Convention Centre, where the APP 2011 conference gets underway today with the now traditional State of the Industry Symposium - we'll bring you an account of this tomorrow.

AusPharm will be here for the duration and will bring you the latest news from the conference as it happens.

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Cardiovascular disease: Australia's biggest killer : 17/03/2011 :

According to a new report, Cardiovascular disease: Australian facts 2011, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes more deaths in Australia than other other disease state.

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Welcome, NRL tippers, to PHARMeFOOTY 2011 : 17/03/2011 :

As we've reminded 'listers over the last week or two, Australia's only online footy tipping competition for pharmacy has begun again with the 2011 kick-off of PHARMeFOOTY tipping for the Australian Football League and National Rugby League.

NRL Round 1 saw 3 tippers select 7 of the 8 winners, with the game margin deciding the weekly winner. Leanne Baxter from Torrens Road Gordon had the best margin and takes the first weekly prize for 2011. In second place was Tara Crossley from Cessnock Pharmacy with Jo French of UDC Slade Point in 3rd spot.

The Round 1 leaderboard mirrors the weekly results with Leanne Baxter in top spot with Tara Crossley and Jo French in 2nd and 3rd, all with 7 points.

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Radiation advice : 17/03/2011 :

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has been closely monitoring the Japanese situation, in particular the potential exposure to radiation of Australians in Japan.

The agency has issued advice for Australians in Japan, Australians returning from Japan and 'consolidated' advice for GPs that aims to equip them with the answers to questions they are likely to be asked.

Pharmacists may well be asked the same questions. The answers are here.

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Poll: pharmacies and complementary medicines : 16/03/2011 :

Recent discussions on AusPharmList about how much 'religion' is inherent in complementary and alternative medicines has pharmacists thinking once again about whether their pharmacies should be stocking the array of unproven complementary medicines (CAMs) that most of them do.

While there is an evidence base to many CAMs, many more of the CAM products on pharmacy shelves lack a solid evidence base to support their use.

What do you think? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll.

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PSA, Guild dismissive of latest attack on pharmacy : 16/03/2011 :

Calls for reform in the community pharmacy industry (Financial Review 15/3/2011) are misguided and ignore the contribution pharmacists play in the improved health outcomes of all Australians, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia said yesterday.

National President of the PSA, Warwick Plunkett, said the renewed calls somehow equated deregulating pharmacy ownership to allow supermarket chains to open pharmacies with a better health-care system in Australia.

“Such a leap of logic is entirely baseless and experience overseas shows that it is quite false to believe there are major cost-saving benefits in having pharmacies in supermarkets,” Mr Plunkett said.

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Swap it, don't stop it! : 16/03/2011 :

Last Sunday the Commonwealth Government launched a ‘Swap it don’t stop it’ campaign urging Australians to make some simple lifestyle changes.

The campaign features Eric, an animated blue balloon character. On television, in print and on the radio, Eric will urge Australians to make some simple lifestyle changes to become healthier.

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Berocca in the po* : 16/03/2011 :

On 18 November 2010, Jane Halton, Secretary of the Department of Health & Ageing presented Bayer Australia with the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) Marketing Award for the best launch of a consumer healthcare product for their "Berocca Performance Twist N Go launch campaign". This award was said to recognise Quality Use of Medicines (QUM), innovation, marketing and sales best practice, and consumer focus.

However, in a judgement released yesterday the Complaint Resolution Panel (CRP); the body responsible for determining whether ads breach the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 2007, requested Bayer Australia Pty Ltd withdraw the advertisement from further publication and also imposed a range of additional sanctions.

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Pharmacy's night of stars : 16/03/2011 :

PSA's New South Wales Pharmacy dinner is back after a two year break and features a fresh look and feel, New South Wales President Peter Gissing announced yesterday.

“It was always the intention to bring back the dinner." Mr Gissing said. "There is no doubt the Pharmacy Dinner has been missed, as we have received numerous queries about it in the intervening period.”

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PSA 2011 award for QUM in Pain Management : 15/03/2011 :

Once again in 2011 the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is offering an award for quality use of medicine in Pain Management. The recipient of the 2011 PSA Award for QUM in Pain Management will receive registration fees, travel and accommodation to attend PAC11, to the value of $5,000. The award has been been supported by an educational grant from Mundipharma.

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PSA’s new Pharmacy Support Program a hit : 15/03/2011 :

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s new program designed to support pharmacies in the implementation and management of professional services has received strong support and uptake from pharmacies, as well as support from one of the pharmacy’s profession’s leading business advisors.

The PSA Pharmacy Support Program is a consultancy service offered to every pharmacy in Australia and is especially tailored to meet the particular requirements of individual pharmacies.

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New Health Report: Dementia is everybody’s business : 15/03/2011 :

A new Pfizer Australia Health Report, Dementia is everybody’s business, was released today. The report was developed by Alzheimer's Australia and supported by Pfizer Australia to highlight the need for more awareness about the impact of dementia in the community.

President of Alzheimer's Australia, Ita Buttrose, says public fears about dementia may be the result of a lack of understanding in the community about this condition.

“The impact of dementia is widespread, currently affecting 260,000 Australians and impacting their 1.2 million carers, but we have a long way to go before we become a dementia friendly society,” Ms Buttrose said.

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