Poll: how old are your pharmacy's computers? : 10/02/2010 :

The advent of eRx, Mirixa and other new computer applications has AusPharm wondering how many of the nation's pharmacies are crawling around with out of date, slow machines that simply don't cut the mustard any more.

How old are the PCs in your pharmacy? Please let us know by ticking the relevant box in today's AusPharm poll below.

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Therapeutic goods advertising seminars on again : 10/02/2010 :

The Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code Council (TGACC) is rolling out its information seminars again in 2010.

These seminars explore the opportunities and pitfalls associated with the advertising of therapeutic goods to consumers.

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Speaking of Chemist Warehouse.... : 09/02/2010 :

Chemist Warehouse got a good run on A Current Affair last night, in a story titled 'Cheap Chemists'.

The piece was presented as 'consumer information' but looked a lot like a big price list of 'savings'. For 'balance'a very quiet pharmacy, where the customer was happy with her 'service', was also shown.

Click the image to watch the story.

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Union scathing of Guild over CPA5, eRx Script Exchange : 09/02/2010 :

Employee pharmacists' union the Pharmacist's Division of APESMA (PDA) launched a scathing attack on the Pharmacy Guild yesterday, claiming that the Fifth Community Pharmacy agreement will entrench the role of pharmacists as drug dispensers and shop keepers.

According to the union pharmacists will be excluded from the development of more efficient and effective forms of health service, including collaborations with other health professionals both in the prevention and management of conditions and in consumer convenience through co-location.

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Pharmacist Geraldine Moses to host tonight's Rural Health Education Foundation broadcast : 09/02/2010 :

The Rural Health Education Foundation (RHEF) broadcasts distance education programs using digital satellite technology, the Internet including live webcasting, “enduring” materials (DVDs), other television services and new technologies as they become available to general practitioners and other health professionals working in rural and remote Australia (more).

Tonight's broadcast (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Management) is hosted by pharmacist Geraldine Moses.

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TGA monitoring situation with Hydroxycut : 08/02/2010 :

In May 2009, the US FDA issued a warning to consumers to cease using Hydroxycut products due to reports of a number of serious adverse reactions, including liver toxicity. To date, the cause of these reactions remains unidentified by the FDA.

Early last week the Medical Journal of Australia published an Australian case report of acute hepatotoxicity apparently associated with the weight-loss product Hydroxycut Hardcore.

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TGA: pharmacists needed : 08/02/2010 :

The TGA is seeking expressions of interest from persons with relevant expertise to fill two new positions on the Therapeutic Goods Committee. These positions, which will supplement the current membership, are for:

• A person with expertise in pharmaceutical science; and
• A person with expertise in community or hospital pharmacy practice.

The Therapeutic Goods Committee advises the Minister for Health and Ageing on the adoption of standards for therapeutic goods for human use, and matters relating to standards, including labelling and packaging, and the principles to be observed in the manufacture of therapeutic goods for human use.

Interested? Details are here.

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Progress towards national registration : 08/02/2010 :

The Pharmacy Board of Australia has released details of its last two meetings, held on December 18 and January 22. The meetings concerned themselves, in the main,  with administrative matters leading towards the implementation of national registration on July 1, 2010.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Drug-induced myopathies : 08/02/2010 :

The topic of this RGH E‑Bulletin is Drug-induced myopathies.

"Drug-induced myopathies may present in varying degrees of severity from mild muscle weakness to rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure. Drugs may cause myopathic symptoms by directly affecting a muscle organelle, inducing immunological or inflammatory myopathy, altering systemic functions leading to electrolyte disturbances or via nutritional deprivation, and this in turn affects muscle function."

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

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Doctors are skilled in diagnosis, pharmacists aren’t : 08/02/2010 :

So said AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, in response to the Australian Self Medication Industry's suggestion that pharmacies are a good first port of call for consumers needing advice on 'minor ailments', such as such as coughs, colds, sore throats and back pain.

According to Dr Hambleton, minor ailments are not always minor, and pharmacists advising consumers instead of doctors could put people at risk of more serious health problems.

What rot. 

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Public "overdose" highlights the ineffective nature of homeopathy : 07/02/2010 :

As part of a worldwide campaign to alert consumers to the true nature of homeopathy, members of The Victorian Skeptics, the Melbourne Skeptics in the Pub and the Young Australian Skeptics "overdosed" on Saturday on entire packs of homeopathic pills.

The mass "overdose" was part of the 10:23 Campaign, launched in 2009 in the UK. The original campaign launch followed an admission by British pharmacy chain Boots that the pills are only sold because consumers will buy them, not because they are effective. The campaign is named after the Avogadro Constant, a scientific constant which can be used to show that homeopathy products contain no active ingredients.

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ASMI says keep away from GPs for minor ailments : 05/02/2010 :

In a budget submission released yesterday, the Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI), proposed a health education and awareness program to highlight the choices available to consumers with minor ailments such as using the pharmacist as a first point of contact.

The Executive Director of the Australian Self-Medication, Juliet Seifert said, “It’s a question of whether in a 21st century health system, people need to physically visit an overburdened GP for such things as coughs colds and sore throats. These changes would allow doctors to apply their skills and training to best use in treating more serious conditions as well as to longer term preventative health.”

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Mixed views from pharmacists on nurse practitioners clinics : 05/02/2010 :

This week's AusPharm poll canvassed pharmacist's opinions on whether or not in pharmacy nurse practitioner clincs were 'good for pharmacy'.

While a clear majority of respondents to our poll (about 2/3) think this is a bad idea, a significant minority (about 1/3) see it as positive, at least in some pharmacies.

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MIMS Monthly Medicine Update : 05/02/2010 :

The MIMS February 2010 Monthly Medicine Update is now available. Click the link to read it now.

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Vaccinations in pharmacy – Tassie trialblazing again : 04/02/2010 :

The first phase of a trial to offer free Swine Flu vaccinations in pharmacy by Nurse Immunizers will run from the 15-22 February in 5 pharmacies in Tasmania.

Initiated by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and supported by the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) the aim of the trial is to increase the Swine Flu vaccination numbers and make vaccinations more accessible to the “at-risk target market.”

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ADRAC replacement body appointed : 04/02/2010 :

Membership of the new Advisory Committee on the Safety of Medicines (ACSOM), the committee replacing the old ADRAC committee, was announced yesterday. The committee includes one pharmacist.

ACSOM's work will focus on the safety aspects of medicine regulation and the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects.

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New clinical program addresses sleep problems and therapy options : 04/02/2010 :

The latest NPS education program ‘Management options to maximise sleep’ encourages prescribers to recommend non-drug therapies as first-line treatment for insomnia and to discuss the importance of good sleep practices and the potential harms of hypnotic medicines with the patient before prescribing hypnotics.

BEACH data from 2006-08 shows medication was prescribed for 95.2 per 100 insomnia problems*, however research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the US has shown non-drug therapies have comparable effectiveness to hypnotic medicines.

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SHPA December Bulletin : 03/02/2010 :

Those community pharmacy 'listers who wonder what their hospital colleagues get up to could do worse than have a look at the Society of Hospital Pharmacists' of Australia December Bulletin.

Take a look here.

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August 1 price disclosure reductions : 03/02/2010 :

Five molecules will be subject to price disclosure price reductions on August 1, 2010.

Of most relevance to community pharmacy is that (oral) meloxicam will drop by 18%. Other molecules affected are the injectable forms only of  cefalotin, doxorubicin, mitozantrone and ondansetron. (For Guild members only) details are available here.

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Poll: nurse practitioners in pharmacy would be a *good thing* : 02/02/2010 :

'Listers will have seen the publicity and read the AusPharmList posts about Revive Clinic's push to introduce nurse practitioner clinics into more pharmacies around Australia.

Would nurse practitioner clinics in pharmacies be a good thing? What do you think? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll below.

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