Half price Nicabate at Coles : 04/09/2009 :

I wonder why GSK are giving it away?Currently one in three packs of Nicabate are bought from grocery. GSK seems to be working hard to expand its non pharmacy stake.  (Click the link to see a larger version).

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Ventolin: Cash-N-Carry : 04/09/2009 :

On a more serious note, a mini pearl from Peter Allen:
 
Guys, some of us are doing it REAL BAD.
(Have a look at this study.)

"Have you had this before?"
"Yes"
Pay on your way out.
AAAARGH!

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Will Delaat elected to RUM Project Board : 03/09/2009 :

Medicines Australia Chair, Will Delaat, has been elected to the Board of the National Return and Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Limited (The RUM Project). Mr Delaat’s appointment was made at a recent Board meeting.

RUM Project Chairman, Dipak Sanghvi, said he was pleased with the appointment, listing Mr Delaat’s wide-ranging industry experience and knowledge as particularly beneficial.

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Roxon: Important Role for Pharmacists in Health Reform : 03/09/2009 :

Health Minister Nicola Roxon yesterday visited the Altona Meadows Amcal Pharmacy in Melbourne to launch ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week’.

The Minister said that the week highlights the important role community pharmacies and pharmacists play in Australia’s health care system, including in the Government’s health reform agenda.

Ms Roxon said that the Rudd Government recognises the important position pharmacists occupy in the national health landscape, adding that pharmacists are ideally placed in the front line of health service provision to form part of a multi-disciplinary team that delivers the services and resources most relevant to the needs of the community.

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PSA: 12 member Pharmacy Board works for us : 03/09/2009 :

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has welcomed the decision by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council to revisit its decision taken in May this year and expand the membership of the Pharmacy Board of Australia (and some other Boards) to include eight practitioner members and four community members.  

Acting President of the PSA, Grant Kardachi (pictured at right), said today that this was a key recommendation made by the PSA in its submission on the scheme.

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S100 discussion paper released : 03/09/2009 :

A review of the Section 100 supply arrangements as they affect community pharmacy is currently being conducted by Australian Healthcare Associates. The review focuses on the effectiveness and efficiency of the current supply and remuneration arrangements for community pharmacists and identifies the impacts of these arrangements. It will also develop options that address the identified issues.

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AusPharm CE: RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 15 : 02/09/2009 :

The next in our series of online CE activities for 2009 is the RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 15.

This CE activity assesses your understanding of four recent RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletins (Volumes 34-10 to 35-1  --> July - August 2009).

After completing this activity, pharmacists should be able to:

• Discuss clinical implications of the drug interaction between folate and phenytoin
• Describe the relevant factors to consider in relation to the use of zoledronic acid for osteoarthritis
• Understand the relevant clinical factors to consider if using glucosamine for osteoarthritis
• Describe the important adverse effects of the cholinesterase inhibitors

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

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

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Draft of National Primary Health Care Strategy released : 02/09/2009 :

Building a 21st Century Primary Health Care System: A Draft of Australia’s First National Primary Health Care Strategy was released on Monday.

According to Health Minister Nicola Roxon, improving access, better managing chronic disease, a more systematic focus on prevention, accompanied by a strong framework for quality and safety are key directions for change set out in the Draft Strategy.

And pharmacy gets a mention.

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Preventative Health Taskforce final report released - PSA says pharmacy can help : 02/09/2009 :

The final report of the Preventative Health Taskforce was released yesterday.

The Taskforce was commissioned by the Government to investigate and make evidence based recommendations on ways to improve health.

It has made several findings, set a number of what it describes as ‘ambitious’ targets, and made 35 recommendations and 139 sub-recommendations.

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Poll: photofinishing, does your pharmacy still do it? : 02/09/2009 :

Developing and printing photos was synonymous with pharmacy when AusPharm did our pre-reg year at Soul Patts Chatswood in 1979 (so was stacking up boxes of tomato sauce and dog food as 'specials' but that's another story...).

Does your pharmacy still do photofinishing? Please let us know by ticking the relevant box in today's poll below.

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Ask Your Pharmacist ... for more information : 02/09/2009 :

CMI provision by pharmacists is being highlighted by the Guild as part of its As Your Pharmacist Week promotional activity.

Guild President Kos Sclavos says, “The best way to guarantee you are getting reliable information about your medicines is to ask your pharmacist for a CMI. Meanwhile, one website that can be relied upon for authentic and trustworthy information on medicines is www.medicines.org.au. At this website, you can find CMIs for most of the prescription medicines available in Australia. There is also a great range of health information available on the recently redesigned Ask Your Pharmacist website at www.askyourpharmacist.com.au.”

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 02/09/2009 :

NRL Round 25 had some more favourable results with 3 tippers selecting all 8 winners. Kevin O'Connor from BMMR selected the margin perfectly so is this weeks $50 prize winner, well done Kevin.

AFL Round 22: The final round of the AFL season saw 3 tippers select all the 8 winners. The closest to the margin was Richard Thorpe of Health Focus so Richard is awarded this seasons final $50 prize, congratulations Richard.

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Guild: Community pharmacy is saving the health system billions : 01/09/2009 :

The value of community pharmacy services is an important focus of Ask Your Pharmacist Week this week, says the Pharmacy Guild.

According to the Guild, the vast majority of the professional pharmacy services are provided to patients free of charge. A study conducted as part of the  Guild's Research and Development Program found that pharmacies prevent approximately 486,000 people from having to visit their GP or go to hospital through providing non-prescription medicines – saving the health system an estimated $2.75 billion each year.

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Members of new national Pharmacy Board announced : 01/09/2009 :

The inaugural members of the Pharmacy Board of Australia were announced yesterday. The Board's Chair is Victorian pharmacist and Registrar of the Victorian Pharmacy Board, Stephen Marty. There are 12 Board members in total, 8 pharmacist members, one from each state and territory and 4 consumer ('community') representatives.

The appointments have been made now so that the national boards can begin preparatory work for the commencement of the new National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions on 1 July 2010. The first meeting of the new Pharmacy Board of Australia will be held later this month.

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Track your BP online : 01/09/2009 :

A new online tool offered by the National Stroke Foundation, BP Tracker (part of the Know your numbers program), is being launched this week by the National Stroke Foundation to assist the community to manage their blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke.

One in three Australians over 25 is affected by high blood pressure and high blood pressure is the most significant risk factor for stroke.

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Swine flu resources for pharmacy : 31/08/2009 :

AusPharm has put together a page with links to resources likely to be of use to those of us who will be at the front line.

We'd love to have suggestions for links to include on the page. Thanks to those who have already sent along additional links- we've added these where appropriate.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Drug interactions with urinary alkalinisers : 31/08/2009 :

"Urinary alkalinisers are used to relieve the discomfort associated with urinary tract infections, help treat certain types of renal stones, or may be used in the specialist setting to treat some metabolic and renal disorders. All of the urinary alkaliniser preparations available on the Australian market are unscheduled preparations. People who purchase or are prescribed these preparations may well be taking other medications which could potentially interact if taken concomitantly with the urinary alkaliniser."

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

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It's 'Ask Your Pharmacist' week : 31/08/2009 :

The 2009 Ask Your Pharmacist week starts today and will run through until Saturday. It will be officially launched on Wednesday morning by Health Minister Nicola Roxon at a morning tea in Melbourne. Guild personnel will be appearing on radio during the week and the Ask Your Pharmacist website has been given a make-over.

The key message being put across during the week is that 'Community pharmacy is here to help you'.

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Some other questions to ask your pharmacist : 31/08/2009 :

A 'lister has sent along some other questions pharmacists might be asked during the week and comments that:

"I feel that, as pharmacists, we should be able to answer these questions. Most would be able to answer why only pharmacists should own pharmacies, but some of the other questions (like lunch breaks, maximum number of scripts, 50% off etc), might prove trickier!"

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Guild welcomes Minister’s award intervention : 31/08/2009 :

Late last week, in response to Pharmacy Guild concerns, Workplace Relations Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard moved to make changes to the proposed Pharmacy Industry Award 2010.

Additional penalty rate costs will now be phased in over 5 years and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will now take another look at some parts of the proposed award to ensure hours of work and overtime penalty arrangements do not discourage employers from offering additional work to part-time employees.

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Click here to go to the old "Industry News" page (pre 01/09/2006).