NAPSA raises close to $20,000 for Day of Difference : 10/07/2012 :

NAPSA has this year raised $19,372.35 for the Day of Difference foundation, which was established in 2005 by Ron and Carolyn Delezio after their daughter Sophie was critically injured in 2003.

The amount was a substantial leap over the previous year’s $12,000 and was raised by NAPSA’s 16 branches participating in more than 30 different and often innovative fundraising activities.

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PSA slams 'misleading' news report : 09/07/2012 :

A television news report in Queensland  suggesting that the use of generics may not always be in the best interests of the patients and in some cases could be harmful was misleading says PSA.

Queensland PSA President, Associate Professor Lisa Nissen, said the report was concerning because it could dissuade consumers from taking their medicines.

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RGH E-Bulletin: COPD action plans : 09/07/2012 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is COPD action plans.

"Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are periods of worsening COPD symptoms, during which patients experience increased dyspnoea, cough and /or sputum production. Observational studies have shown patients often delay seeking medical advice for up to one week after symptom onset, and delays are associated with worse clinical outcomes and an increased risk of hospitalisation. Exacerbations become more frequent as COPD progresses, and in patients with severe COPD often result in hospital admission for management of respiratory failure."

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

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Drug information expert critical of TGA stance on zolpidem : 09/07/2012 :

Responding to recent publicity around zolpidem containing hypnotics the TGA has defended its decision to all these products to remain on the market.

In a statement posted on the TGA website on Friday, TGA says that, while there is evidence of some extreme side effects in some people, it believes that, used properly, zolpidem is of value to some patients, particularly patients with severe insomnia, and zolpidem containing products should remain available for use in Australia.

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PSA MedsCheck, Diabetes MedsCheck guidelines released : 09/07/2012 :

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has released guidelines for pharmacists providing MedsCheck and Diabetes MedsCheck services. The guidelines have been released to support the program roll out that commenced on 1 July 2012.

The Guidelines provide assistance to pharmacists on professional issues and obligations related to MedsCheck and Diabetes MedsCheck services and will help pharmacists exercise their professional judgement in individual circumstances and provide consistently high quality services. The Guidelines also incorporate practice tools, including an eligibility screening tool and consumer report template, to aid pharmacists in the appropriate provision and documentation of services. 

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Sydney Faculty of Pharmacy gifted $315k by former student : 09/07/2012 :

Former student Maurice Renshaw has gifted $315,000 to the Faculty of Pharmacy at Sydney University to support a PhD scholar and research project by one of the Faculty's academics, Associate Professor Alaina Ammit.

Associate Professor Ammit's research is investigating new anti-inflammatory strategies and airway remodelling in the treatment of asthma. As current drugs for treating airway remodelling have side effects - steroids have dose-limiting effects and 10% of asthmatics are corticosteroid resistant - the Faculty research aims to identify effective alternative anti-inflammatory strategies, with reduced side-effects.

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Photo of the week from Bente Hart: Rural HMRs : 06/07/2012 :

These are some of the roads that I meet on my HMR trips in the rural region I live in.
 
In the week I took these I drove 206km of which 78km was on dirt roads to do 3 reviews in a PhARIA 4 area. None of this was eligible for HMR rural loading allowance from the Guild. I can't help but feel that the current setup of travel allowance for rural areas is only there to help with getting accredited pharmacists out from the bigger centres to do reviews and not support us who live in rural areas.

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Almost half of pharmacies experienced violence in the last 12 months : 06/07/2012 :

This week's poll asked 'listers whether they or their work-mates had experienced violent incidents in the last 12 months and, if so, what level of violence.

46% answered in the affirmative with 21% saying they'd experienced a 'high level' incident and 25% having been through a 'low level' incident.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 06/07/2012 :

NRL - Round 17

Round 17 of the 2012 NRL Season commenced with the Sharks and the Broncos, in an intense game it was the Sharks that swam away with the game 26-12. Other results of the round included the Knights defeating the Eels at Parramatta Stadium 20-12, the Warriors outplaying the Cowboys at Mt Smart Stadium 35-18 and the Rabbitohs defeating the Panthers 38-12.

A notable game for the round was the Raiders win over the Dragons at Canberra Stadium 22-18. The last game of the round saw Queensland VS New South Wales in the third State of Origin match; New South Wales showed a surge of dominance however Queensland pulled it together in the last few minutes to seal the game with a miraculous field goal 21-20.

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Pfizer hit with $50k fine over direct to consumer Lipitor 'ad' : 06/07/2012 :

Every pharmacist's favourite pharma company, Pfizer, has been hit with a fine for what the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct committee has ruled a newspaper advertisement published in May to be 'Promotion to the general public'.

The ruling is a response to a complaint lodged by Dr Ken Harvey. In his complaint Dr Harvey alleged that the advertisements 'were clearly prompted by the fact that Lipitor went off patent from May 2012 and more cost-effective generic versions of the same active ingredient are now available. I argue that the advertisements are a strategy of Pfizer’s to maintain market share of a product now exposed to competition.'

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Nominations open for PSA excellence awards : 05/07/2012 :

Nominations for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Awards for Excellence, widely regarded as the pharmacy profession’s most prestigious and sought-after awards, are now open.
 
The PSA’s Pharmacist of the Year, Young Pharmacist of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards are the most highly regarded awards in the profession and represent the profession’s pinnacles of achievement.

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1 in 3 prisoners have a history of mental health problems : 05/07/2012 :

Almost one-third of prison entrants in Australia have a history of mental health problems, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, The mental health of prison entrants in Australia: 2010, shows that 31% of prison entrants report having ever been told by a doctor, nurse, psychiatrist or psychologist that they had a mental health disorder (including drug and alcohol abuse).

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AusPharm CE: RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 48 : 05/07/2012 :

The next in our 2012 series of continuing education activities is the RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 48

This CE activity assesses your understanding of four recent RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletins (Volumes 46-2 - 46-5  --> April - May 2012).

After completing this activity, pharmacists should be able to:

• Discuss the clinical pharmacology of fampridine and linagliptin
• Describe the effects of renal impairment upon bleeding risk associated with dabigatran
• Outline recent developments in the understanding of weight gain associated with antipsychotic drugs

This activity has been accredited for 1 group 2 CPD credits suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist’s CPD plan. Accreditation number: CX120022J.

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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Pharma companies to disclose payments to doctors under new Code of Conduct : 05/07/2012 :

A new Medicines Australia Code of Conduct will require pharma companies to provide public disclosure of aggregate payments to doctors and consumer groups.

The new provisions represent a major shift towards greater transparency and follow 18 months of consultation with consumer organisations, academics, peak doctor groups and other stakeholders.

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MIMS Monthly Medicine Update : 04/07/2012 :

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

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Poll: have you been threatened / intimidated / held up at work : 04/07/2012 :

In a post to AusPharmList yesterday, a 'lister sought advice following a recent pharmacy hold up. Her post has attracted some high quality responses today.

Have you been the victim of a violent incident in the last 12 months?

Please let us know by ticking the relevant box in this week's AusPharm online poll.

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Final day: PDL to support intern attendance at College conference : 04/07/2012 :

Pharmacy Defence Limited (PDL) has generously offered to support ALL intern registrations to the Australian College of Pharmacy’s 23rd Annual Conference in Brisbane on 3-6 August 2012.

The offer is for all interns Australia-wide and (subsidised) intern registrants can attend the Saturday and Sunday sessions and the welcome reception on Friday 3rd August. To be eligible interns must register before close of business Friday 13 July, 2012.

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Over 18,500 people accommodated every night by homelessness services : 04/07/2012 :

Most pharmacies, particularly those operating any level of opioid pharmacotherapy program, will have homeless people as patients.

On average, 18,574 people were accommodated by specialist homelessness agencies on any given night from October to December 2011, according to the latest information on homelessness services released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

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Complaints panel finds against undoit : 04/07/2012 :

In an as yet unpublished finding dated 29 June 2012, seen by AusPharm, the Complaints Resolution Panel (CRP), has determined that consumer advertising for weight loss product Undoit ('have your cake and eat it too'), breached numerous sections of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code.

The CRP determination is a response to a complaint lodged by public health physician Dr Ken Harvey in February, alleging breaches of the Code. The CRP can only make 'requests' of product sponsors but has the power to refer non compliance with requests to the TGA for further action. In its determination, the CRP has made a number of requests of product sponsor undoit.com.au Pty Ltd.

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Blackmores acquires BioCeuticals : 03/07/2012 :

The Blackmores company announced yesterday that it is to purchase practitioner focused vitamin and supplement company BioCeuticals.

BioCeuticals was founded in 1993 and develops and markets a range of nutritional supplements to integrative medicine practitioners, natural health professionals, pharmacists and health food stores primarily in Australia and New Zealand. FIT-BioCeuticals’ main brands are BioCeuticals® and IsoWhey®, with a number of smaller brands including a biotechnology and research arm.

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