Poll: would you dispense 'termination' drugs? : 05/09/2012 :

The TGA announced last week that it has listed 2 drugs on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Drugs that are indicated for the medical termination of pregnancy.

This raises the prospect that pharmacists may be asked to dispense these drugs on receipt of prescriptions from suitably accredited prescribers.

What is your attitude towards dispensing prescriptions for drugs indicated for the medical termination of pregnancy? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll.

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Joint ANZ early warning system for safety issues : 04/09/2012 :

One of five projects intended to signal the benefits to consumers, health professionals and the pharmaceutical industry of a joint Australian New Zealand therapeutic goods agency is to be an early warning system for potential safety issues with therapeutic products.

The TGA and NZ's Medsafe are now designing this system, having sought feedback from key stakeholders in a series of workshops held in April 2012. The workshops addressed when, what and how to communicate safety-related matters, and how to promote the scheme and measure its success.

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Pharmacy deregulation a
constant concern : 04/09/2012 :

The threat of deregulation is one which is ever-present in the pharmacy industry, and one which polarises both public and professional opinion.
 
Opponents of deregulation point out that the system protects the profession and consumers and ensures access to medicines and professional services.  Supporters of deregulation question why only pharmacies and newsagents are still protect by regulation and suggest greater competition would produce benefits for consumers, the industry and the government.

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Over-the-counter medicines reform : 03/09/2012 :

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe), are together reviewing the business processes for the evaluation of over-the-counter (OTC) medicine registration applications, to reform the current system and develop a common approach in both countries.

The two agencies believe that a streamlined, risk based approach to market authorisation processes, together with more rigorous pre-application requirements and fixed company response times, will improve the processes in both countries.

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RGH E‑Bulletin: Huntington’s disease : 03/09/2012 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Huntington’s disease.

"Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system, caused by an expansion in the trinucleotide CAG in the huntingtin gene. Clinical features of the disease include involuntary choreiform movements, psychiatric disturbances, dementia, weight loss and circadian rhythm disturbances. Multiple areas of the brain are affected by neuronal degeneration, with the predominantly affected neurotransmitters being dopamine, glutamate and GABA." 

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

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Blackmores Institute relaunched : 03/09/2012 :

Blackmores is to relaunch the Blackmores Institute with the aim of establishing it as a centre of excellence in the field of natural health research and education.

The main projects that will be undertaken by the Institute include research funding, systematic reviews on natural medicines, prescribing guidelines, research symposia and conferences, research updates and education programs.

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NSW pharmacist wins innovation grant : 03/09/2012 :

NSW pharmacist Daniel Rifkin, pictured at right, has been selected from a competitive field of young pharmacists as the recipient of the 2012 IMS Health - Australian College of Pharmacy Young Pharmacist Innovation Grant. The grant will allow Daniel to attend the 2012 FIP Congress in Amsterdam.

The Young Pharmacist Innovation Grant commenced in 2008 and is funded by IMS Health. Previous recipients include Georgina Twomey, Jana Fulcher, Rowan Lowe and Sarah Sinclair.

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Court stops Apotex launching generic Nasonex : 03/09/2012 :

Following an application lodged in July, the Federal Court on Friday granted MSD's application for an interim injunction to prevent Apotex selling a generic mometasone furoate aqueous nasal spray to compete with its NASONEX product.

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MIMS Monthly Medicine Update : 03/09/2012 :

The MIMS September 2012 Monthly Medicine Update is now available. Click the link to read it now.

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Pharmacists: 2022 outlook not good : 31/08/2012 :

Almost twice as many pharmacists think their professional satisfaction in 2022 will be less than today, according to the results of this week's AusPharm poll. The poll asked the question 'Will pharmacy will be more professionally satisfying in 10 years time, in 2022, than it is now?'

45% of respondents think that their professional satisfaction will be less in 2022 than today with 26% asserting the view that pharmacy will indeed be more professionally satisfying in 2022. A high 29% of respondents were unsure where we might be headed.

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Australian Pharmacy Council gets a new CEO : 31/08/2012 :

Ms Bronwyn Clark has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC), commencing November 2012.

Ms Clark’s previous role was as the Chief Executive and Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand, with overall responsibility for the regulatory functions carried out by the PCNZ and general management of the organisation.

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Termination drugs go on the ARTG : 31/08/2012 :

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced yesterday that it has registered two drugs indicated for the medical termination of pregnancy, Mifepristone Linepharma (RU 486) and GyMiso® (misoprostol). The registration follows an application for registration of the medicines by reproductive health group Marie Stopes International Australia.

Mifepristone has been available in Australia since 2006 through the TGA Authorised Prescriber Scheme. With the drug now included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), medical termination, using this method, will now be more widely available.

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AusPharm CE: RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 50 : 30/08/2012 :

The next in our 2012 series of continuing education activities is the RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 50

This CE activity assesses your understanding of four recent RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletins (Volumes 46-10 - 47-1  --> June - July 2012).

After completing this activity, pharmacists should be able to:

• Discuss the clinical pharmacology of riluzole
• Describe the characteristics of a COPD action plan
• Understand clinical issues relating to the use of lactose containing medication products for those with lactose intolerance
• Discuss the management of calciphylaxis.

This activity has been accredited for 1 group 2 CPD credits suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist’s CPD plan. Accreditation number: A1208AP1.

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 MIMS.

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PDL appoints first female director : 30/08/2012 :

South Australian pharmacist Lynnette Banner has been appointed as the South Australian PDL board director, taking from Peter Bayly who represented South Australian pharmacists on the PDL Board for the past four years and who, in turn, followed pharmacy legend Alan Russell. Ms Banner is PDL's first ever female director.

PDL Chairman Dean Schulze paid tribute to Ms Banner on her appointment, highlighting her record of achievement as a pharmacist.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 30/08/2012 :

AFL - Round 22

Round 22 of the 2012 AFL season started off with the Tigers taking a win by 45 points over the Bombers, showing promise for next year’s season. Other matches for the round saw the Saints demolish the Giants at Etihad Stadium by a colossal 128 point margin, the Lions turning up the heat to defeat the Power by 11 points and Hawthorn clinching the win at the SCG defeating the Swans by a mere 7 points.

NRL - Round 25

Round 25 of the 2012 NRL season commenced with the Sea Eagles defeating the Broncos 16-6. Other games for the round saw the Raiders outplay the Bulldogs to secure the win 34-6 at Canberra Stadium, the Panthers defeat the Titans 36-22, and the Dragons defeat the NZ Warriors 38-6 at WIN Stadium.

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New NPS therapeutic program: Type 2 diabetes: priorities and targets : 30/08/2012 :

The latest therapeutic program from NPS MedicineWise — Type 2 diabetes: priorities and targets — encourages health professionals to take a holistic approach when caring for  patients with type 2 diabetes and to address blood pressure and lipids as a priority.

Having type 2 diabetes more than doubles a person’s risk of dying from cardiovascular (CV) causes. Tight control of blood glucose helps prevent CV events in the long term in people who are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However lowering blood pressure and LDL cholesterol has a more immediate effect in reducing cardiovascular risk in the short term (3-5 years).

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July PBS numbers released : 29/08/2012 :

PBS statistics for July 2012 were released yesterday by Medicare Australia.

They show decreases in both script numbers (-9.9%) and dollars (-12.2%) compared to July 2011.

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National Student Business Plan 2012 finalists announced : 29/08/2012 :

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s National Student Business Plan Competition, an Australia-wide challenge promoting creative entrepreneurship among students preparing for a career in community pharmacy, has announced the 2012 finalists.
 
The three teams who successfully progressed through the business plan, quarter-final and semi-final rounds are...

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Rural interns to get a training allowance : 29/08/2012 :

Around 200 young pharmacists working in rural Australia will benefit from a new training allowance funded under the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement.
 
The Rural Intern Training Allowance (RITA) will provide financial support to assist intern pharmacists from rural and remote areas to access compulsory intern training program activities.

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Poll: Practising pharmacy will be more professionally satisfying in 10 years time, in 2022, than it is now : 29/08/2012 :

Last week's AusPharm poll looked at pharmacist professional satisfaction in 2012 compared to the expectation expressed in 2002, 10 years earlier. It found that our 2002 pharmacists were overly optimistic about the 2012 pharmacy landscape.

How do you think things will be in 2022? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll.

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