Australian pharmacist John Bell re-elected as FIP Vice President : 30/08/2010 :

At the FIP2010 Congress, which commenced in Lisbon over the weekend, Australian pharmacist John Bell was re-elected for a second four year term as one of three FIP Vice Presidents. Mr Bell was first elected to the position in 2006 and was the first of three Vice Presidents elected this weekend.

Mr Bell is a past past national president of PSA and a past president of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association. He has been awarded fellowships of both the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to pharmacy in 1993. Mr Bell received the FIP André Bédat Award for his significant contributions to pharmacy at the international level in 2004.

Bill Arnold caught up with John immediately after his election. Click the More link to hear what he had to say.

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Spiriva joins the Mirixa Australia stable : 30/08/2010 :

Mirixa Australia and Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Ltd have announced the rollout of a distinctly different Mirixa Australia program, named the “Spiriva New to Therapy Program”.

For this program, pharmacists initiate newly prescribed Spiriva patients to the medicine and HandiHaler device then follow up with the patient 1 month later. The pharmacy will be paid professional service fees per patient session.

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International survey on pharmacists’ views : 30/08/2010 :

The results of an international survey on pharmacists’ views on their changing roles, prepared by FIP with support from medicines manufacturer Pfizer, will be presented today at the 2010 FIP Congress in Lisbon, Portugal.

Of all the countries surveyed, Australia had the lowest percentage (31 per cent) of respondents saying pharmacy is “worse off than it was five years ago”. The average across all countries shows that 54 per cent believe pharmacy is worse off.

The biggest issue seen to be facing pharmacy globally is 'Third party payers, reimbursement, generic drugs pricing control/ regulations' but in Australia the biggest issueis seen by pharmacists to be  'competition' closely followed by 'Job security, lack of career evolution, too many pharmacists'.

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Oncology Pharmacy Grants awarded by SHPA : 30/08/2010 :

Two hospital pharmacists, John Coutsouvelis and Getta Sandhu, have been awarded EBEWE Pharma 2010 Oncology Pharmacy Grants.

EBEWE Pharma 2010 Oncology Pharmacy Grants, sponsored by Interpharma Pty Ltd, make available a sum of $10,000 to a pharmacist member of The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) for professional development or research activities relevant to oncology pharmacy practice. The grants are part of SHPA’s Research and Development Grants Program.

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Which diets work effectively? : 27/08/2010 :

This year's PAC agenda includes a presentation by dietician, Dr Tim Crowe to help pharmacists identify which of the myriad of diets being promoted are effective and safe.

Dr Crowe, a senior lecturer in Nutrition at Deakin University and accredited practising dietician, will explore, from an evidence-based perspective, how the different dietary approaches of low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-GI, high-protein, low energy density, and meal replacement products compare over both the short and long term.

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Ask your pharmacist week starts Sunday : 27/08/2010 :

This year's Ask your pharmacist week runs from Sunday August 29 to Friday September 4. As part of the week, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia is launching a new community service video announcement, featuring the tagline: “For advice about medicines or minor ailments, ask your pharmacist – best to be sure.”

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Pharmacist error to blame for swimmer's ban? : 27/08/2010 :

Following media reports yesterday (here and here) that Australian swimmer Ryan Napoleon has been banned from international competition for three months after a pharmacist's error led to him testing positive to a banned substance, PSA has reminded pharmacists of the need to be aware of the circumstances under which medications are dispensed.

Acting President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Grant Kardachi, said the case highlighted the need for pharmacists to have the resources available to check on the medications they are dispensing and, in the case of elite sport people, to be able to check if they are banned substances.

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Panvax Junior goes off : 27/08/2010 :

Following stability testing by the TGA of the Panvax H1N1 2009 Junior vaccine, which showed a decline in potency in the Panvax supplied in 0.25 ml pre-filled syringes, the TGA has advised that all stocks of the vaccine for children supplied in 0.25 ml pre-filled syringes, should now be considered expired.

Panvax in multidose vials is not affected, nor are the trivalent seasonal influenza vaccines. The safety of the vaccine is also not affected.

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OTC codeine works for pharmacists : 27/08/2010 :

This week's poll asked 'listers whether they'd tried OTC codeine containing analgesics and, if yes, whether they'd found them more effective than plain paracetamol/ibuprofen.

Well yes, say over 2/3 of respondents, representing 78% of those who'd tried these products. If you allow for the 5-10% of the population said to be slow metabolisers (2D6 deficient), this produces a 'yes, this works' outcome approaching 90%.

Given that the evidence suggests codeine is ineffective in doses less than 30mg, what's going on here? Is the apparent efficacy of these products in our sample a placebo effect? Is the evidence flawed? Perhaps one of our academic 'listers might like to propose an explanation.

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A renewed approach to quitting smoking - being positive : 26/08/2010 :

QUIT Victoria is launching a new anti-smoking campaign that uses positive messages about quitting rather than focusing on the negative aspects of continuing to smoke.

The multi-media campaign focuses on encouraging quit attempts, recognising that the majority of smokers already want to quit but most of them will not manage to quit at the first attempt. Recent research from the Cancer Council of Victoria showed that 8 out of 10 Victorian smokers have tried to quit at least once, while more than half of Victorian smokers have tried to quit multiple times.

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SHPA conference early bird registration closes 3 Sept : 26/08/2010 :

Early bird registrations for this year's SHPA Medicines Management national conference close on 3 September. The conference will be held in Melbourne, 11-14 November, and has a diverse agenda covering:

Infection control - What can pharmacists and prescribers do to try and curb or re-emerging bacteria and viruses? Update your knowledge on resistance, re-emergence and viruses.

Living longer - pharmacy roles and challenges in keeping older people healthy longer.

Pain management in various settings

Broadening the profession - different career path options and the future of pharmacy.

Technician roles - how they have changed since the 1970s.

Register online at www.mm2010shpa.com.

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New NAPSA executive meet during Women's Pharmacy Congress : 26/08/2010 :

With support from the Guild, the new 2010/2011 executive of the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association met together for the first time at last weekend's Women's Pharmacy Congress, held in Hobart. 

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Clinical pharmacist educator needed for 12 months in Tonga : 26/08/2010 :

The Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program is seeking a Clinical Pharmacist Educator for a 12 month placement in Tonga.

Being part of the youth program, the applicant must be under 30 years of age at the time of applying. Applications close on 10 September 2010. Full details can be found at http://www.ayad.com.au/assignments - search for the assignment number 30TOHE-A05.

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AusPharm CE: Cytochrome P450 interactions : 25/08/2010 :

The latest AusPharm CE topic is Cytochrome P450 interactions - it's been put together for us by Debbie Rigby.

"Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes metabolise most medications, and the most important of these enzymes are CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4. In determining the clinical significance of CYP interactions it is important to consider the binding affinity (Ki value), whether the drug is a pro-drug and requires metabolism to an active metabolite, and multiple metabolic pathways to determine the likely clinical significance of the interaction."

Click here to do this Continuing Education activity. Or, if you prefer, 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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On the way to FIP 2010 : 25/08/2010 :

Bill Arnold's on his way to FIP 2010 in Lisbon and sent along these photos collected along the way.

"Santander Spain. One drop of blood, 5 minutes, all these answers.......

The pharmacy was closed, so I wasn't able to determine the cost."

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Medicines Australia awards scholarship for HPV vaccine research : 25/08/2010 :

The pharmaceutical industry association, Medicines Australia, has awarded a $15 000 HPV vaccine research scholarship to UNSW medical student, Dr Holly Seale.

Dr Seale will use the scholarship to research knowledge of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and attitudes towards HPV immunisation among young people with poor immune systems and their carers.

MA chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the aim of the scholarship was to advance research in an arena of public health that brings an enormous health benefit to all Australians.

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Independent patient information published on Januvia and Galvus : 25/08/2010 :

Two independent reviews on Januvia (sitagliptin) and Galvus (vildagliptin) have been published in plain language for type 2 diabetes patients, by the NPS.

The reviews appear in the August 2010 edition of Medicines Update, and explain who the medicines are suitable for, how they work, ways in which they differ from existing medicines for type 2 diabetes and possible side effects.

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Workshop on new technique of motivational interviewing of patients : 25/08/2010 :

Motivational interviewing techniques for helping patients manage behaviour or lifestyle changes to improve health outcomes will be workshopped at this year's PAC in Melbourne on Sat 30 October.

Motivational interviewing is a relatively new concept to pharmacy; it was originally developed in the early 1980s and has been adapted and used in many health-care settings, ranging from alcohol addiction to assisting with medication adherence.

 

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Poll: Personal experience with OTC codeine-containing analgesics : 25/08/2010 :

It's tough to ignore anecdotal evidence sometimes. Pharmacists, just as much as anyone else, have personal experience of how well analgesics work for them. Sometimes the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of a medicine from personal experience(s) is at odds with known evidence. This has been discussed recently on AusPharmlist with a number of pharmacists sharing their personal successes with various OTC pain relief products that the evidence or the authorities indicate does not warrant the indication.

AusPharm is curious to gauge the breadth of this type of "n=1" experience amongst pharmacists in using OTC codeine-containing compound analgesics rather than plain NSAIDS or paracetamol.

Vote in this week's poll to let us know whether you've used a combination OTC codeine analgesic and felt it to be more effective due to the codeine content.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 25/08/2010 :

NRL Round 24 saw just one tipster select all 8 winners correctly. Nhung Huynh of Torrens Road Gordon had the perfect round and wins the weekly prize, great work Nhung. In 2nd place was Kellie Baker from APHS with Paula Oliver of Hurstbridge taking 3rd spot.

AFL Round 21 went well for tipsters with 15 selecting all 8 winners. Tim Norton of David and Ingrid Norton's was closest to the margin and wins the weekly prize, well done Tim. In 2nd place was Paul Hunter from Creswick Pharmacy with Jack Cooper of Barry Dobyn Pharmacy in 3rd spot.

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