MOU between the MHRA and the TGA : 05/11/2009 :

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (here) with its UK counterpart,  the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom (MHRA).

The MOU aims to promote an understanding between the agencies of each other's regulatory framework, requirements and processes; facilitates the exchange of information and documentation relating to the regulation of therapeutic products; encourages the development of collaborative activities between the agencies; and aims to enhance the ability of each agency to provide public health services for the people of Australia and the United Kingdom.

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Poll: have you had your swine flu vaccine? : 04/11/2009 :

Back in September, we asked 'listers whether or not they intended to have a swine flu vaccine. 55% of respondents told us they would, although about 20% of these told us they would do so 'grudgingly'.

Well, the vaccine has now been available for 5 weeks and we'd like to see how good 'market penetration' has been amongst pharmacists.

Have you had a swine flu vaccine? Please let us know by voting in this week's AusPharm poll below.

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NPS wins another National Multicultural Marketing Award : 04/11/2009 :

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) and Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) have won a National Multicultural Marketing Award for seminars and radio interviews run in Cantonese, Mandarin and Italian as part of the 2008 Get to know your medicines campaign.

The campaign took out the AFL Community Award category at the NSW Community Relations Commission presentation dinner held on Monday night at the Westin Hotel in Sydney.

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Carezone / Revive Clinics : 04/11/2009 :

Have you been wondering what services they provide?

"All healthetc pharmacy carezones are operated by the Revive Clinic and are staffed by qualified nurse practitioners trained to diagnose, treat and prescribe for all kinds of minor everyday ailments. Just the sort of things your GP would treat you for only without having to make an appointment."

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Have your say on how to improve the rural health system : 03/11/2009 :

Should the Commonwealth take responsibility for all primary care in Australia, and how would consumers in rural and remote areas benefit from the proposed augmentation of ‘comprehensive primary care centres and services’?
 
These are two of the topics raised in a series of thought-provoking notes, posted on the National Rural Health Alliance website, to inform and engage consumers about the ongoing process of health reform.

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Identifying symptoms and treating anxiety : 03/11/2009 :

Up to one in five people presenting to GPs and pharmacists will experience symptoms of an anxiety disorder at some point during their life, according to the National Prescribing Service (NPS).

To help health professionals accurately diagnose and treat anxiety, NPS has developed a new education program, Managing anxiety disorders.

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New PBS Therapeutic Groups : 03/11/2009 :

The 2009-10 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, released by Treasurer Wayne Swan yesterday, foreshadowed the imminent introduction of three new PBS Therapeutic Groups, to cover selected bisphosphonate drugs and selected antidepressants.

The move was one of a number in response to estimates of increased expenditure on Health and Ageing of $4.8 billion over four years - mainly due to increases in projected expenditure on Medicare Benefits, Pharmaceutical Benefits and the Private Health Insurance Rebate.

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Guild President warns employee pharmacists on wages : 02/11/2009 :

In an opinion piece published in Pharmacy News on Friday (here), Guild President Kos Sclavos warns employee pharmacists that there is pressure on pharmacist wages in Australia and overseas.

Citing the global financial crisis and government policy as precipitating factors Mr Sclavos points out that pharmacists' wages have recently declined in many parts of the world.

He points out that, in Australia, "comments by some pharmacists will only cause damage to their own remuneration in the long term" adding that "the critics of community pharmacy from within our profession, who incorrectly believe community pharmacy owners are faring well and are calling for cuts in the Agreement, should keep in mind the jobs of their pharmacist colleagues."

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Tips for finding reliable health information sources on the web : 02/11/2009 :

To help consumers find the best information sources on the internet, the National Prescribing Service (NPS) has published a guide in the latest edition of MedicinesTalk.
 
“There are a number of things to consider when you are searching for health information on the internet; most importantly that the content is accurate,” NPS CEO, Dr Lynn Weekes said.

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Get your PMP, DAA data in now : 02/11/2009 :

The first data submission period for the Dose Administration Aids (DAA) and Patient Medication Profile (PMP) Programs opened on November 1 and will run through until 30 November 30.

Pharmacies who submit their data (here) in November are eligible for the payments of $1,000 for DAA and $750 for PMP.

If you haven’t yet registered for the programs, it's not too late. You can still register to participate here.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Management of AF: rate control vs. rhythm control : 02/11/2009 :

"Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia, and is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity including stroke. The incidence and prevalence of AF rise with age, with a prevalence of 8% in people older than 80 years.."

Click here to read this E-Bulletin in full. The E-Bulletins are archived on the AusPharmList website here.

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Nissen pushes pharmacy's role in chronic pain management : 30/10/2009 :

PSA National Vice President and the only pharmacy representative to the National Pain Summit Leaders’ Meeting, Dr Lisa Nissen, said following release of the draft National Pain Strategy earlier this month that PSA supported the intent of the strategy and looked forward to seeing it finalised.

The Strategy aims to have pain management addressed as part of the Rudd Government’s national health reforms. It is the result of thousands of hours’ work by more than 70 pain medicine specialists, other health professionals and consumers is now open for community and expert input.

Dr Nissen said, ‘the meeting acknowledged that pharmacy has a key role in chronic pain management in the primary care setting, and that pharmacists need support in that role. By support I mean training to get the skills and tools they need to better manage people suffering chronic pain who live in the community.’

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Pharmacists say no to script only for kiddies cough and cold meds : 30/10/2009 :

The result of this week's AusPharm poll, which asked listers to comment on the TGA's proposal to make cough and cold preparations for the under sixes script only, show that pharmacists are overwhelmingly against the idea.

Fully 90% of respondents to the poll (n=186) say that these products should either stay in the same schedule they're in now or move to schedule 3 (if they're not there already).

If the pharmacy organisations were in any doubt as to how they should respond to the TGA's request for comment on its proposals, they certainly won't be now!

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NPS stroke prevention program : 30/10/2009 :

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) has used World Stroke Day 2009 yesterday to encourage health professionals to participate in the NPS therapeutic program, Antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in stroke prevention.

More than 5720 health professionals across Australia have already taken the opportunity to participate in NPS professional development activities focusing on stroke prevention.

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Mirixa Australia spreads its wings : 29/10/2009 :

Mirixa Australia yesterday announced the launch of a new program that will see a 'Clinical Trial Patient Referral Program' run through Mirixa Australia pharmacies.  Different to the current compliance programs on offer, this new opportunity will see pharmacists referring on patients who may be candidates for a clinical trial.

Pharmacies will utilise the MirixaFind software utility and will be paid a professional service fee for referral.  The Program will be run in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline.

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View from the pharmacy door - win a free AusPharm premium sub : 29/10/2009 :

We've had a few good photos submitted in our View from the pharmacy door photo competition however, at present we'd have to award the prize to ourselves for this photo of Mt Wellington taken from Channel Pharmacy in Hobart.

There still time to stop us from doing that so get your entry in and remember - we'll choose the best photo submitted before Christmas and award an AusPharm premium subscription (or extension to existing sub) to the winning photographer.

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Delaat pushes sustainable PBS message in National Press Club speech : 29/10/2009 :

The Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme is a robust policy instrument with which none of the Government’s many health reviews has identified a systemic problem, Medicines Australia chairman Will Delaat told the National Press Club yesterday.

“For all the dysfunction and cost-shifting across the broader health system that has prompted the Rudd Government’s health reforms, the PBS remains a model of effectiveness, efficiency, stability and sound management,” Mr Delaat said.

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Poll: kiddies cough and cold mixtures : 28/10/2009 :

Last week the TGA announced that cough and cold preparations for under sixes would soon go to script only. According to the TGA, there is little good evidence of efficacy and there are risks involved in their use.

How do 'listers feel about this? Is it *a good thing* or is this an example of a nanny state gone wild?

Please let us know what you think in today's poll below.

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New National Board releases Consultation paper : 28/10/2009 :

The Pharmacy Board of Australia met for the second time last week and, according to Board President Steve Marty, the main focus of the meeting was discussion of the proposals that are the subject of the consultation process commenced today with the release on the Board's website of the Consultation paper on registration standards and related matters.

The paper canvasses a number of issues including standards on requirements for professional indemnity insurance, matters about the criminal history of applicants for registration, requirements for continuing professional development, requirements for English language skills and requirements in relation to previous practice, and registration standards for supervised practice and examinations.

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Community pharmacy’s role in diabetes management : 28/10/2009 :

The University of Canberra’s National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) released a report yesterday which estimates that one in seven Australians, or around 14 per cent of the population, will suffer with the disease in 2050. That’s nearly twice the current prevalence of type 2 diabetes, and a major challenge for health planners.

As part of the study, NATSEM examined five current evidence-based diabetes management initiatives, including the Pharmacy Guild’s Diabetes Medication Assistance Service (DMAS).

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