NSW Pharmacy Convention and Trade Show in 'the sweet zone' : 19/06/2012 :

Following the three-day NSW Pharmacy Convention and Trade Show held at Darling Harbour last weekend, NSW Guild President, Si Banks, said the event is now in “the sweet zone” and has proved a winner.

According to Mr Banks, while the event was not quite in the Las Vegas stakes, it did have a 'Wow factor'.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Counselling guide for non-prescription medicines : 18/06/2012 :

Counselling of patients within the pharmacy setting is an increasingly important role for pharmacists as the emphasis on advice and provision of professional services gathers momentum, says the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
 
To help pharmacists provide the best possible advice when talking to customers and patients about non-prescription medicines, PSA has published a new reference work, Non-Prescription Medicines in the Pharmacy: A guide to advice and treatment.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

NQ consultant pharmacist recognised by profession with QUM award : 18/06/2012 :

North Queensland consultant pharmacist, Joyce McSwan, has been awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) Pain Management award for 2012.

This award recognises an Australian pharmacist who has contributed to the development of quality use of medicine strategies in the management of pain. The award was presented to Joyce at the recent ConPharm conference in Darwin.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Some groups of Aussie men worse off than others when it comes to health : 18/06/2012 :

Certain groups of Australian males are at higher risk of poor health than other males, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The health of Australia’s males: a focus on five population groups, was launched last week at the Murrumbateman Men’s Shed by the Minister for Indigenous Health, the Honourable Warren Snowdon MP. The event was held as part of Men’s Health Week.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Major NIH grant to strike down superbugs : 18/06/2012 :

Monash Univerity's Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and Californian company Rempex Pharmaceuticals in California have won a A$4.48 million grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design new infectious diseases treatments and therapies.

The grant will support researchers design and develop new antibiotics that are effective against bacterial ‘superbugs’ that cause life-threatening infections and are resistant to all current antibiotics.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

RGH E-Bulletin: Antibiotic resistance : 18/06/2012 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Antibiotic resistance.

"The term antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of bacteria and other micro-organisms to withstand the effects of an antibiotic to which it was previously sensitive. Consequently, these resistant organisms are not inhibited by antibiotics at the serum/tissue concentrations achievable after normal dosing of the drug. In contrast to other drugs, antibiotics are unique in that the use of these agents in one patient can influence future efficacy - not only in the same patient but also for other patients and potentially a whole population."

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

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

AusPharm on your mobile phone : 15/06/2012 :

Have you checked out our (e)news on your mobile phone yet?

Commencing Friday 15 June, AusPharm started publishing a mobile phone version of our daily AusPharm(e)news.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

PSA holds most CPD records : 15/06/2012 :

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia website is where the majority of pharmacists record their CPD records.

54% of the respondents to this week's poll told us that's how they keep track of their CPD with the next most popular method of record keeping, at 20%, being 'I keep my own records'.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

New process for pharmacist immigration : 15/06/2012 :

While “pharmacist” in all its connotations is to remain on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL), the number of pharmacists actually granted visas will now be based on workforce demand, as assessed by a new Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) service called Skillselect.

Individuals on the SOL will be required to submit an Expression of Interest to work as a pharmacist in Australia to DIAC through SkillSelect. DIAC will limit the number of Expressions of Interest accepted for each profession based on workforce demand to ensure that genuine areas of skill shortages are addressed through migration. Only those applicants who ultimately receive an invitation from the Minister for Immigration will be able to submit an application for a skilled migration visa.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 15/06/2012 :

AFL Round 11

Round 11 of the 2012 AFL season saw the first bounce of the round between the Blues and the Cats at Etihad Stadium, in a close encounter it was the Cats who were victorious.

NRL Round 14

Round 14 of the 2012 NRL season saw the West Tigers defeat the top of the table Storm at AAMI Park 10-6 and many other interesting outcomes. Highlights for this week included the Raiders thrashing the Knights 32-16 in an intense game, the Sharks making a meal of the Titans winning 22-12 at Toyota Stadium and the Broncos defeating the Rosters at Allianz Stadium by a mammoth score of 40-22.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

This weekend's Expo - register now : 14/06/2012 :

Register NOW for this weekend!   The Guild Pharmacy Academy – National Convention & Exhibition opens on Friday and offers something for everyone!   Take advantage of the best value 3-day pass for just $99, or attend any or ALL of the free components.

The Trade Expo is FREE and includes complimentary access to the Friday Business Session and Plenary. ‘Facing the Facts’ will focus on the key threats to pharmacy and the Plenary Session will featuring financial analyst, Paul Clitheroe.  Both sessions are free and feature an impressive guest panel of industry and political professionals.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Resurgence of whooping cough heightens the importance of vaccination : 14/06/2012 :

The recent resurgence of whooping cough cases in Australia has heightened the importance of vaccination and isolating people who are infected, according to Dr Philip Britton and Professor Cheryl Jones of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the Sydney Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity Institute.
 
Writing in June’s Australian Prescriber, Dr Britton and Professor Jones say older children and adults do not always show classical symptoms of the disease however are often a source of infection for young infants, for whom whooping cough can be very dangerous.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Poll: how do you record your CPD? : 13/06/2012 :

Compulsory CPD has been a fact of life for pharmacists for almost 2 years now - the second reporting year is soon to end, on September 30, after which time pharmacists may be asked to demonstrate to the Pharmacy Board that they have met their CPD obligations of amassing 30 CPD credits for the year ending September 30.

There are a multitude of ways pharmacists can keep track of their CPD. How do you do it? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Antidepressants top the list of frequently asked medicines questions: NPS : 13/06/2012 :

More calls answered by NPS Medicines Line pharmacists relate to questions involving antidepressants than any other class of medicine, says NPS.
 
In response, NPS has launched a new online knowledge hub on depression and antidepressant medicines, which covers many of the questions asked via the Medicines Line.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Lipoderm® Transdermal Delivers Up to Four Medications At Once : 13/06/2012 :

Professional Compounding Chemists of Australia (PCCA) has announced the results of a landmark study on Lipoderm transdermal bases which confirmed that simultaneous delivery of up to four pharmaceutical medications can be achieved through a transdermal vehicle.

In the two-month study, Lipoderm was tested using the Franz Skin Finite Dose Model, which utilised samples of human skin, in vitro, to evaluate the percutaneous absorption of four different drugs.  The active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), selected because of their frequent use in topical pain formulations, were ketamine HCl, gabapentin, clonidine HCl and baclofen.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

RGH E-Bulletin: Systemic effects of topical ophthalmic preparations : 12/06/2012 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Systemic effects of topical ophthalmic preparations.

"Ophthalmic medications are used for a number of conditions such as glaucoma, infection, allergy and inflammation, often on a chronic basis. Generally the drugs used in this manner have good safety profiles, but they do have the potential to cause significant adverse drug events, and can interact with other systemic medications. The pharmacokinetic profile associated with ocular drug delivery resembles that of intravenous administration more closely than that of oral administration. Ophthalmic medications pass through the lacrimal sac and have access to the highly vascular nasal mucosa. Drugs are variably absorbed from this site, but importantly they avoid first-pass hepatic metabolism."

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

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Continuing rise in number of older Australians hospitalised after a fall : 12/06/2012 :

The number of older Australians hospitalised after a fall is rising, according to a number of reports released last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The first, Hospitalisations due to falls in older people, Australia 2008-09, shows that there were 78,600 hospitalised injury cases due to falls in people aged 65 and over in 2008-09.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Counselling guide for non-prescription medicines : 12/06/2012 :

PSA has published a new reference work, Non-Prescription Medicines in the Pharmacy: A guide to advice and treatment, to help pharmacists provide the best possible advice when talking to customers and patients about non-prescription medicines.

This reference book is a practical guide to the counselling advice that should be given when selling non-prescription and complementary medicines. It is an ideal resource to use when providing training for pharmacy assistants and students which can help them in advising on self care strategies for minor illnesses.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

In vitro studies indicate goji berry potential in diabetic retinopathy : 12/06/2012 :

Assisted by a PhD scholarship from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Sydney researcher Ms Min Song has conducted in vitro tests indicating that a taurine-rich goji berry (Lycium barbarum) extract may have some value in protecting the retinal barrier in diabetic patients.

According to the lead researcher, Basil Roufogalis (Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry), "diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness for people with diabetes. Typically what happens is proteins in the eye become oxidated and high glucose levels force retinal cells to die."

The pharmacy researchers initially undertook work showing the goji berry and its taurine component activated a nuclear receptor protein, PPAR-gamma. This protein plays a crucial role in regulating the retinal cells. This paved the way for further investigation of Lycium barbarum (goji) and its potential to activate the PPAR-gamma receptor.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Training pharmacists in smoking cessation : 12/06/2012 :

Campaigns to quit smoking continue to be a high, and highly visible, public health priority. A recently updated Cochrane review identified and analysed randomised trials (conducted up to March 2012) in which the intervention was training of health care professionals in smoking cessation.

Of the 17 trials considered, one involved pharmacists exclusively, and 3 others involved a combination of healthcare professionals that included pharmacists. The study locations were predominantly the USA, but also included Switzerland, Germany, UK, Canada and Taiwan.

You need to log in to read the rest of this article. Click here for details

Click here to go to the old "Industry News" page (pre 01/09/2006).