Guild convenes pharmacy workforce symposium : 24/06/2010 :

There has been much discussion in recent times on AusPharmList and in the profession at large about the huge increase in pharmacy student numbers in the last decade and the ability of those students to find jobs when they complete their studies.

In response to these concerns, the Pharmacy Guild has convened a symposium of pharmacy education and industry stakeholders to consider pharmacy workforce issues.

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2010 National report card on health released : 24/06/2010 :

The latest latest national report card on health, Australia’s health 2010, was launched  yesterday by Health Minister Nicola Roxon at the ‘Australia’s health 2010’ conference in Canberra.

The report was prepared by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and brings together the latest available national statistics on health.

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Caffeine and paracetamol combination provides better pain relief? : 24/06/2010 :

GSK, makers of Panadol Extra, put out a media release yesterday citing the results of a new meta analysis published in Pain Medicine, the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, which found that caffeine when combined with paracetamol provides better pain relief compared to paracetamol alone.

The meta analysis found that "The relative benefit (of achieving at least 50% pain relief) of paracetamol/caffeine vs paracetamol alone was 1.12 (95% Confidence Interval 1.05–1.19) across a number of acute pain states (dysmenorrhoea, headache, post-partum pain, and dental pain)."

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Poll: have you read the Roadmap? : 23/06/2010 :

Early in June the Pharmacy Guild released The Roadmap - The Strategic Direction for Community Pharmacy.

According to the Guild, the Roadmap is an an analysis of where pharmacy is today, and a plan for its future direction. The Guild says the document provides practical mechanisms through which community pharmacy can develop future services nationally.

Important stuff, AusPharm would have thought.

Have you had a look at it yet? Please let us know by ticking the relevant box in today's AusPharm poll.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 23/06/2010 :

NRL Round 15 could not get any closer with all top three tippers scoring perfect rounds including the exact Round Margin. Amanda S from Szwarcbard Pharmacy takes out the round having the lowest Total Margin for the season to date. Celia Milander from Corrimal Court Pharmacy came in second, with Peter Gready of Tuross Pharmacy in third position.

Janet Turcic just holds onto first position on the Leaderboard after Round 15. Julie Kain jumps up to second from fourth position with Richard Peacock of Pinnacle Pharmacy slipping to third.

AFL Round 13 is a split round so results will be available next week.

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Big Pharma makes commitment to submit clinical trial results for publication : 23/06/2010 :

Medicines Australia (MA) said yesterday that it supports a new commitment by the global research-based pharmaceutical industry to submit for scientific journal publication the results of all its Phase III clinical trials.

The commitment, set out in a policy position announced last week by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), requires member companies to submit for publication in a peer-reviewed journal the results of all their industry-sponsored Phase III trials, irrespective of whether the outcome of the trial was positive or negative.

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Dodgy V*agra - it ain't just Symbion : 23/06/2010 :

Official reports around the counterfeit V*agra in circulation refer to its being sourced from Symbion and popping up in pharmacies in NSW and the ACT.

Two posts to AusPharmList today assert that the pharmacies concerned had sourced stock from Sigma in Victoria.

Might be a good idea for all pharmacies to check their stock if they haven't already.

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Panvax 'safe, effective' : 22/06/2010 :

The TGA has now reviewed reports of suspected side effects to the Panvax vaccine up to April 30, 2010.

At that date, a total of 1773 suspected side effects had been reported to the TGA following vaccination with Panvax® in Australia. As of April 30, approximately 8.7 million doses of Panvax® had been distributed in Australia as well as over 370,000 doses of Panvax Junior®.

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Sigma confident about the future : 22/06/2010 :

At its AGM in Melbourne yesterday the new Chairman of Sigma, Brian Jamieson, expressed confidence that the company's performance will improve on last year's dismal results. Mr Jamieson assumed the role of Chairman after John Stocker announced his retirement from the board at the AGM.

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Union welcomes introduction of paid parental leave : 22/06/2010 :

The Pharmacy Division of APESMA (PDA) said yesterday that it welcomed the introduction of the paid parental leave scheme which passed through Parliament late last week.  

Jacki Baulch, APESMA Senior Industrial Officer, said the introduction of the new scheme will be of particular importance in the female dominated community pharmacy industry where, unlike many other industries, few employers offer any sort of paid maternity leave arrangements.

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Rural Health Education Foundation: Osteoporosis : 21/06/2010 :

The topic of tomorrow night's (June 22) Rural Health Education Foundation broadcast is Osteoporosis: Clinical Guideline.

This program outlines the identification, diagnosis, treatment and management of osteoporosis in line with the Clinical Guideline. It highlights the major risk factors for osteoporosis and the appropriate investigations. The assessment and interventions for osteoporosis after a fracture are also discussed.

The program is being hosted by pharmacist Geraldine Moses.

Full details are here.

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And the winner is ...... : 21/06/2010 :

Thanks to all those who sent in entries to our caption contest last week.

Here are some of the best ones.

Mike Hobbs: To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question.

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'Counterfeit' V*agra enters the official supply chain : 21/06/2010 :

'Listers in community pharmacies may have seen the fax from V*agra manufacturer Pfizer on Thursday evening alerting them to the fact that Symbion had 'unintentionally sourced and distributed' a batch of 'non-genuine' V*agra.

Guild members received further (TGA) advice on Saturday that the batch in question (B/N 314 833 021) was, in fact, 'counterfeit' and that pharmacies should quarantine stock and/or follow advice already received from Symbion. As of this morning (21/6) there was nothing on the TGA or Pfizer websites about this.

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Concerns over administration of paid parental leave scheme : 21/06/2010 :

The Pharmacy Guild put out a statement on Friday welcoming the passage of paid parental leave legislation through parliament but said it had concerns over its administration.

The Guild says it acknowledges the scheme is an important taxpayer funded social reform that has strong bi-partisan and community support and that its time has well and truly come. However, it says it is disappointed that the scheme will be administered through small business, including pharmacy. It  maintains that the paymaster function of the scheme should be fully administered by government, through the Family Assistance Office, with no requirement for employers to administer payments.

The Guild says it will also monitor the resolution of outstanding on-cost issues, such as those associated with workers compensation and payroll taxes.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Revised guidelines for colchicine dosing in acute gout. : 21/06/2010 :

The topic of this RGH E‑Bulletin is Revised guidelines for colchicine dosing in acute gout.

"Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. In acute gout, uric acid crystals are deposited in affected joints causing an inflammatory reaction with pain, swelling and joint damage. Current treatment options for acute gout include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), intra-articular or system ic corticosteroids and colchicine."

Click here to read the bulletin in full. The E‑Bulletins are archived on the AusPharmList website here.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 18/06/2010 :

UPDATED! NRL Round 14 saw Qld triumph in game two of the State of Origin, and accordingly the top three tippers for the round are all from Qld. Keith Strain of Strain Pharmacy came out on top, with David Wilkinson in second place, and Michael Collins of Collins Pharmacy in third.

AFL Round 12 saw only two tippers select the eight. Nathan Zuccala of Bayne and Friend Pharmacy takes out the weekly prize selecting a closer margin over second place Gavin Flett from HPS Pharmacies. Heather Clarke from Pharmasave Yarrawonga came in third.

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Poll: who does the banking : 18/06/2010 :

This week's poll was a follow up to the sad death of a security guard in Sydney last week. It asked 'listers to tell us how they do their banking.

While the results are unremarkable, the poll did get some people thinking about the procedures with 19% choosing the we bank "unsafely, thanks for alerting us to this" option.

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Pharmacy owners must meet all registration standards : 18/06/2010 :

The Pharmacy Board of Australia has released an account of issues covered at its May meeting and, while much of it is routine, involving administrative issues associated with the introduction of national registration on July 1, there are a few items that will make some pharmacists sit up and take notice.

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July 2010 PBS schedule : 18/06/2010 :

The July PBS schedule and 'Summary of Changes' are now available here.

Download the Full PBS schedule

Download the Summary of changes

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New CEO for Sigma : 17/06/2010 :

Sigma Pharmaceuticals announced yesterday that it had appointed Mark Hooper as its new CEO to replace outgoing CEO Elmo de Alwis who resigned from the role earlier this year in the wake of poor recent financial results.

Mr Hooper was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the company from 2001-2006. From 2006-2008 Mr Hooper was CFO at Symbion Health and Chief Operating Officer for Symbion's consumer and pharmacy divisions.

According to Sigma Chairman John Stocker, Mr Hooper will "hit the ground running" because of his "deep knowledge of the company and the industry".

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