AusPharm CE: The Management of Neuropathic Pain : 16/08/2012 :

The latest AusPharm CE topic is The Management of Neuropathic Pain - it's been put together for us by Angus Thomson.

"Optimising management of pain has become an increasing priority for many health professionals and health systems around the world. One of the major drivers for this is the high prevalence of pain, in particular chronic pain which is estimated to affect around 1 in 5 of the population, both in Australia and overseas"

The Learning Objectives for this activity are:

• Describe the typical presenting features of neuropathic pain
• Outline the advantages and disadvantages of key therapy options for neuropathic pain
• Identify opportunities to optimise the management of neuropathic pain.

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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No cough and cold meds for under 6's : 16/08/2012 :

The TGA has completed its review of the safety and efficacy of OTC cough and cold medicines in children and recommends that they not be used at all in children under 6 and, in children aged 6-12 years, only on the advice of a doctor, pharmacist or nurse practitioner.

The 2009 review examined all of the available data in the literature and the TGA records relating to the safety and efficacy of OTC cough and cold medicines containing one or more of the active ingredients listed here for the treatment of symptoms of coughs and cold in children aged less than 12 years. A full list of the affected products is available here.

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Use of insulin pumps rising among people with Type 1 diabetes : 15/08/2012 :

The use of insulin pumps to manage Type 1 diabetes is increasing and more people are starting on a pump sooner after diagnosis, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Insulin pump use in Australia, shows that at 30 June 2011 there were 10,510 insulin pump users in Australia, representing 10% of people with Type 1 diabetes. The report shows almost 50% of all insulin pump users were under 25 years old and over 60% were female.

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Medicines Australia sets up 'transparency' taskforce : 15/08/2012 :

Medicines Australia has invited the AMA, the Royal Australian College of Physicians, the Consumers Health Forum and other key healthcare and consumer organisations** to join a newly established Transparency Working Group.

The Transparency Working Group, to be chaired by Medicines Australia Board member Dr Dominic Barnes, will develop new measures to increase transparency of pharmaceutical company payments to healthcare professionals.

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Poll: get rid of the intern year? : 15/08/2012 :

In his feature article yesterday (and in a previous feature last year) Justin Lee canvassed the idea that Schools of Pharmacy could be producing graduates who are ready to enter the workforce as registered pharmacists. According to Justin, this could be done by beefing up the time spent in clinical placements and would remove the need for an intern or 'pre-reg' year. This might go some way, he argues, towards redressing the rural / urban maldistribution of pharmacists.

What do you think? Should the system be tweaked so that graduates are 'fit to practice' autonomously when they graduate or is the intern year still a necessary part of a pharmacist's education? Please let us know your view by voting in today's AusPharm poll.

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Ophthalmic chloramphenicol back to S4? : 15/08/2012 :

At its October 2012 meeting the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling (ACMS, the old NDPSC) will consider an application to UP-schedule ophthalmic chloramphenicol preparations to Schedule 4.

Other scheduling changes up for discussion at the meeting include a proposal to increase the number of units allowed in a Schedule 3 pack of 20mg pantoprazole from 14 to 28, a proposal to create a Schedule 3 entry for low strength topical mometasone and a proposal to create a Schedule 3 entry to allow a weekly dose of Vitamin D up to 175 micrograms (7000IU) per recommended dose.

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Advanced pharmacy practice framework closer : 14/08/2012 :

Following the release in March of a consultation paper on a draft framework for advanced pharmacy practice the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework Steering Committee recently met to consider the submissions received.

While the group acknowledges that the finalisation of an advanced pharmacy practice framework is a primary goal, it has identified the potential for other work on advanced practice, including the establishment of a mechanism or pathway for formal recognition of those pharmacists considered to be practising at an advanced level.

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Aussie students star at IPSF World Congress : 14/08/2012 :

12 NAPSA delegates have just returned from the 58th International Pharmacy Students' Federation (IPSF) Congress, held in Hurghada, Egypt from the 1st to the 11th of August. Over 450 delegates from 50 countries were in attendance.

Bronwyn Jones, NAPSA Secretary (University of Tasmania), Stephen Stanton, Immediate past IPSF Chair (University of Sydney) and Catherine Brown (Monash University) represented NAPSA as official delegates at the IPSF General Assembly.

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eMIMS gets a CAM interaction module : 14/08/2012 :

MIMS has announced plans to include an Australian, evidence based complementary v mainstream drug interaction module in its eMIMS product.

The project to develop the interactions database has been headed up by Sydney University's Professor Basil Roufogalis and Professor Andrew McLachlan, and has been updated and expanded regularly since its inception in 2002. The database includes over 500 entries and, to date, has only been available via the Australian integrative medicines website IMgateway.

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RGH E‑Bulletin: Use of LMWH in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis. : 13/08/2012 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Use of LMWH in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis.

"Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) are commonly used in the prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolic (VTE) diseases. However, there is limited evidence to guide the use of LMWH in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis. It is well known that patients with advanced liver disease are affected by haemostatic alterations that can create a hypocoagulable state. The mechanisms that create this issue are firstly, decreased synthesis of vitamin K clotting factors II, V, VII, IX, X and XI, and secondly, decreased platelet production." 

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

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Dementia the 9th National Health Priority Area : 13/08/2012 :

Dementia has been designated the ninth National Health Priority Area.

The move, decided at a meeting of state and federal health ministers in Sydney last week, is expected to enhance the development of a new National Framework for Action on Dementia, which will contribute to current and future work being undertaken to tackle dementia, including the national research effort.

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15 new headspace sites : 13/08/2012 :

Fifteen new headspace youth mental health service sites have been announced to support young people dealing with depression, substance abuse and other mental health issues.

headspace provides assistance in areas ranging from mental health issues, to drug and alcohol problems, physical health, social and vocational support.

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Drop in average PBS script cost : 13/08/2012 :

Unable to continue with its usual focus on PBS sustainability following the recent release of puzzling June PBS stats, the Medicines Partnership of Australia, representing key PBS stakeholders, has instead highlighted a decline in the average cost to government of PBS prescriptions in its August PBS scorecard.

The drop in average PBS script cost is apparent in the June 2012 PBS data – the first month of data to include the full impact of the major 1 April 2012 price reductions - but the extent to which the anomalous June stats impact the veracity of this data is not known.

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Big turnaround in pharmacist satisfaction levels : 10/08/2012 :

43% of the respondents (n=390) to this week's AusPharm poll say they 'hardly ever' enjoy their work as a pharmacist.

This stands in stark contrast to the result of an identical poll we ran exactly 5 years ago in which only 18% responded that they 'hardly ever' enjoy their work as a pharmacist.

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Rural Pharmacy Scholarship winners announced : 10/08/2012 :

The recipients of the Rural Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme scholarships for 2012 have been announced.

Forty-one students from across the country were awarded scholarships, which provides them with up to $40,000 during their time at university.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 09/08/2012 :

AFL - Round 19

Round 19 of the 2012 AFL season started off with Hawthorn and Geelong, Geelong started off well with a 9 goal 1st quarter however the Hawks managed to pull it back together to narrowly go down to the Cats by a mere 2 points

NRL - Round 22

Round 22 of the 2012 NRL season commenced with the Dragons and the Roosters, in an intense match it was the Roosters who were victorious 26-10. Other games for the round saw the Storm hit a bit of form and thrash the Panthers 46-6 at AAMI Park, the Bulldogs defeating the Knights 26-10 and the Sea Eagles narrowly defeating the Cowboys 8-6 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

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Nurofen maker to continue with 'targets the site of the pain' message : 09/08/2012 :

Nurofen maker Reckitt Benckiser said yesterday that, despite the TGA ordering it to withdraw its 'Live well headache' TV ad as it is misleading, it will continue to promote its message of 'targeted pain relief in relation to pain, including headaches'.

“Reckitt Benckiser is delighted with the TGA Delegate’s ruling as it validates our decision to challenge the CRP findings, specifically in relation to our ability to communicate our long standing messages of targeted pain relief in relation to pain, including headaches,” said Regional Director of Reckitt Benckiser Australasia Mr Lindsay Forrest.

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26,547 registered pharmacists : 09/08/2012 :

The Pharmacy Board of Australia yesterday published details of the Australian pharmacy workforce as of 30 June 2012. There is little change from the March 31 figures, covered in detail here.

As of 30 June there were 26,547 registered pharmacists on the Board's books including 1,730 pre-regs. NSW had the highest number of pharmacists (31.1%) followed by Victoria (24.6%). 50% of pharmacists are 35 years of age or under and approximately 57% of pharmacists are female.

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Rural pharmacists needed for research study : 08/08/2012 :

In a recent study funded by the former Pharmacists Board of Queensland our group explored extended healthcare practitioner roles and existing gaps in medication supply and management in a rural community in Queensland.

The study revealed a range of issues, including a lack of clinical pharmacy services and support in rural hospitals that did not employ a pharmacist and the absence of a remuneration model for pharmacists to provide medication support in rural areas.

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Nissen: get ready to prescribe : 08/08/2012 :

Pharmacist prescribing rights may be closer than most pharmacists think, according to Associate Professor Lisa Nissen. Her prediction came during a presentation to delegates at last weekend's Australian College of Pharmacy conference in Brisbane.

A/P Nissen has been researching non-medical prescribing for 15 years and is the lead author of a 2010 study likely to feature strongly in its progression.

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