Pharmacy Direct sale : 17/04/2009 :

In our piece yesterday  on the sale of Pharmacy Direct to RX Direct P/L we noted that: "The sale also puts an end to the appeal by Coles against the Supreme Court decision that ruled the Coles ownership unlawful."

AusPharm received further information yesterday that now has us believing that this may not necessarily be a done deal.

Watch this space.

Guild Insurance goes offshore : 17/04/2009 :

Guild Insurance celebrated the launch of its first international office on Monday 16 March, in Wellington New Zealand.

Mayor of Wellington Kerry Prendergast welcomed Guild Insurance's decision to pick Wellington as its New Zealand base. She said: "It's a sign of Wellington's strength in tough times that a major company is investing, creating jobs and pursuing long term growth here. It's a positive sign for Wellington’s future."

Pictured below at the launch are Brian Benger, Managing Director, Guild Group with Ian Johnson and Annabel Young, President & CEO of Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand respectively, along with John Barrington, Guild Insurance Chairman and David Brown Guild Insurance, General Manager (click for a larger image).

Rural scholarships announced : 17/04/2009 :

The recipients of the Rural and Remote Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme for 2009 have been announced.

Thirty-five students from across the country were awarded the scholarship which provides them with up to $40,000 during their time at university. Scholarship holders receive $10,000 each year, for up to four years of study, to help cover the costs associated with studying away from home.

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Poll result: what should we do with codeine? : 17/04/2009 :

This week's AusPharm poll asked 'listers what they thought should happen with codeine scheduling - this in light of the NDPSC's proposal to make all OTC codeine S3.

39% of the respondents to our poll (n=140) expressed the view that a shift to S3 (+/- recordable) is the way to go with many others (34%)  thinking that a STOP like system is the answer. Only 28% are satisfied with the current scheduling - 72% of respondents think that a change in scheduling is necessary (click the image for a larger version).

Pharmacy Direct back in pharmacy hands : 16/04/2009 :

Coles yesterday announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell Pharmacy Direct to RX Direct Pty Ltd, a company whose directors and shareholders are the 7 current members of the Terry White Chemists Advisory Board.

According to the Pharmacy Guild, the sale demonstrates the resolve of the Guild to prevent supermarket chains, such as Coles and Woolworths, "seeking ownership or pecuniary interests in pharmacies in contravention of the law".

Coles is thought to have made a large loss on the deal.

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April Australian Prescriber online : 16/04/2009 :

The April edition of Australian Prescriber is now available. It contains articles on:

• Prescribing in liver disease 
• Managing pertussis in adults    
• Clinical use of botulinum toxin
• Treatments for severe psoriasis: update

Visit the website to read these and other articles: www.australianprescriber.com

Dipak Sanghvi joins Guild Group Board : 16/04/2009 :

On April 1, Victorian Guild President and Gold Cross Chairman Dipak Sanghvi joined the Guild Group Board.

"It's been exciting to watch the Guild Group expand its range of services for pharmacy over the years. I now look forward to being directly involved with the Guild Group's continued growth at a Board level," Mr. Sanghvi said.

APP a big hit : 16/04/2009 :

The recent Australian Pharmacy Professional conference, held on the Gold Coast a week or so back was the biggest ever according to organisers, The Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

There were a total of 3,215 in attendance this year, including day registrations. This compares to 2500 in 2008 and 2100 in 2007. There were 210 trade stands this year compared with 175 in 2008.

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Pharmacy self care tackles arthritis : 16/04/2009 :

Arthritis affects nearly 20 per cent  of all Australians and by 2050 it is estimated that there will be 7 million Australians suffering from this often debilitating and painful condition.
 
These figures were highlighted last week with the announcement that Pharmacy Self Care, in partnership with Arthritis Australia and the Australian Rheumatology Association, has launched a targeted Arthritis Health Campaign following Arthritis Awareness Week which was held last week.

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NPS urges caution on PPIs : 16/04/2009 :

NPS yesterday launched a therapeutic program urging prescribers to use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) judiciously.

PPIs are widely regarded as safe medicines but, according to NPS, evidence suggests they can cause serious adverse effects. For example, acute interstitial nephritis, a rare hypersensitivity reaction, has been reported following the use of all PPIs. Recent studies have also indicated that PPI use may increase the risk of Clostridium difficile infection and community-acquired pneumonia.

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Feedback sought on medicines issues in palliative care paper : 15/04/2009 :

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) is inviting health professionals and interested health organisations to provide feedback on a consultation report about medicines issues in palliative care and end of life, which will guide future NPS programs in this area.

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Poll: codeine, S3 or not? : 15/04/2009 :

There has been united opposition from pharmacy groups to The National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee's (NDPSC) proposal to upschedule codeine containing products to schedule 3 (pharmacist only). You can read all about it here.

What do you think should happen? Please let us know by voting in today's online poll below.

PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 15/04/2009 :

AFL round 3 seemed easy for tippers with 12 picking all 8 winners! Gai Williams from Williams & Goldby Pharmacy tipped the perfect margin to take the weekly win from Tracy Hawes and Paul Naismith, both from Fred.

Congratulations Gai, $50 is heading your way! The AFL leaderboard sees a 5 way tie at the top with Alex Hardman of Kings Meadows Capital Chemist still ahead by margin with Katie Wait of Terry White Chemists close behind. What will Round 4 bring?

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AusPharm chats to Aaron D'Souza on Mirixa : 14/04/2009 :

Aaron D'Sousa, International Vice President, Mirixa Australia, has just returned from the US, where he's been working with the US Mirixa team. Mirixa is a pharmacy specific technology which guides and delivers pharmacist medication related care programs.

While at APP recently, AusPharm's Bill Arnold caught up with Aaron.

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Want to be a NAPSA associate member? : 14/04/2009 :

The National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA) is now offering associate memberships to all in the pharmacy industry.

Associate Membership with NAPSA gets you four editions of NAPSA’s quarterly publication Placebo, four quarterly eNewsletters and invitations to all NAPSA events, including the NAPSA Congress Gala Ball, held each January and the NAPSA AGM Dinner, held each July. The annnual membership fee is $50.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Renal colic : 14/04/2009 :

"Renal colic typically presents as a sudden onset of acute, intermittent colicky flank pain (on the side of the body, between last rib and hip) that may radiate towards the lower abdomen or groin. It is often associated with nausea and vomiting. It has an annual incidence of approximately 16 in 10,000 people and a lifetime incidence of 2-5%."

Click here to read the bulletin in full.

The E-Bulletin is archived and previous editions can be viewed on the AusPharm website here.

Play the community pharmacy online game : 14/04/2009 :

A careers focused interactive website that highlights the role of pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in the community was launched online over the Easter weekend.

The interactive program is designed to give students and other interested people a snapshot of what life is like in a community pharmacy, with a bit of light-heartedness.

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Pharmacy lines up against S3 codeine : 14/04/2009 :

Pharmacy industry groups are united in their opposition to The National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) proposition to up-schedule all codeine containing products to 'pharmacist only'.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia said on Thursday that the decision was premature. President of the PSA, Warwick Plunkett, said while the Society fully supported moves to stop the illicit use of codeine-based products, the NDPSC proposals would greatly disadvantage the vast majority of codeine users who used the products for legitimate therapeutic purposes.

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Need a hand? : 11/04/2009 :

The Victorian-based Pharmacists' Support Service (PSS) has introduced a new telephone number and can now be contacted from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call. PSS offers support to pharmacists who wish to talk to a colleague about any issue including workplace stresses, pharmacy practice matters, work or personal pressures, health issues including mental health concerns and drug and alcohol misuse.

PSS offers non-judgmenetal support in all situations. Callers can remain anonymous and privacy and discretion are assured. All the pharmacists answering calls are volunteers trained in the Lifeline model of telephone counselling and they can link callers to other services when neccesary. Put the new PSS phone number in your phone now as you never know when you may need to call.

1300 244 910

Tax breaks on point of sale and computers now apply to pharmacies : 10/04/2009 :

Pharmacies are now eligible for business tax breaks on purchases of point-of-sale and computer hardware, under the Federal Government’s economic stimulus package announced on 3 February.

The tax concessions and bonuses, which are designed to support individual and business taxpayers, include additional tax deductions of 10% or 30% on top of existing depreciation for spending on new, tangible assets.

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