'Listers commemorate ANZAC Day : 26/04/2013 :

Almost three quarters of those responding to this week's AusPharm poll told us they would either be attending an ANZAC Day service or 'spending a quiet moment in active reflection'.

Only 3% responded that ANZAC Day 'is just another day for me'.

6% ticked the 'little or no interest, this is not part of my cultural heritage' box.

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Guild calls on Pharmacy Board to investigate 4 Corners claims : 24/04/2013 :

Reports in last Monday's ABC TV Four Corners program of a Melbourne compounding pharmacist supplying performance enhancing drugs to AFL players have the potential to damage the good reputation of community pharmacy in Australia says the Pharmacy Guild.

The Guild says it is appalled at the alleged behaviour adding that the ABC decision not to name the pharmacist involved slurs the name of all compounding pharmacists.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 24/04/2013 :

AFL - Round 4

Round 4 of the 2013 AFL season started off with the Cats and the Swans at the SCG. The Swans fought hard however it was the Cats who took the win, 124-103. Other matches for the week saw the Hawks fire up to defeat the Dockers at Aurora Stadium by a 42 point margin.

Due to a number of representative matches being held last weekend, including the Australia / NZ test match, there were no NRL matches.

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NAPSA makes a Difference – Charity Cup 2013 : 24/04/2013 :

Once again in 2013 the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA) is running its annual Charity Cup campaign in which pharmacy students across sixteen universities participate in Charity Cup events, which run throughout April.

NAPSA is calling on those in the pharmacy industry to support its fundraising efforts.

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PSA pilots Ethics Advisory Service : 24/04/2013 :

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has launched a pilot Ethics Advisory Service to provide information and advice to PSA members, or to act on complaints from members.

The new service, which is a first for pharmacy and is available free-of-charge to PSA members, is based on PSA’s Code of Ethics for Pharmacists which consists of a number of principles covering five main areas of focus which are core to pharmacists and pharmacy practice. These areas of focus are the consumer, the community, the pharmacy profession, business practices and other health-care professionals.

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PBS restrictions eased on Alzheimer's drugs : 24/04/2013 :

The criteria for PBS access to donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and memantine to treat Alzheimer's Disease have been eased following the completion of a post market review of the drugs and subsequent consideration by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

Previously patients have had to show a minimum level of improvement in an Alzheimer’s disease test each time they needed a new prescription. Now patients can continue treatment for as long as their doctor and carers consider it to be effective, and doctors can use a streamlined authority approval system.

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Looking for a new challenge? Keen to expand your horizons and build on your clinical knowledge? : 23/04/2013 :

If you answered yes to the questions above, join your colleagues at the ninth Annual Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP) seminar ConPharm 13 at the Hilton Hotel Adelaide from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June 2013.

This year’s program has something for all pharmacists, regardless of their area of practice. Each year the planning team strives to blend a range of speakers and topics that will have broad appeal. Come and see for yourself why ConPharm is ‘Once again a truly valuable update - a fantastic array of evidence-based presentations providing information that I can put to use in my practice immediately’.

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Complementary medicine industry lobbying for regulatory reform : 23/04/2013 :

Presumably as part of a co-ordinated response to the current TGA "Consultation: Evaluation of complementary medicine substances for use in listed medicines", the Complementary Healthcare Council of Australia (CHC) and the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) both put out statements yesterday arguing for regulatory reform of the sector.

The CHC statement said that complementary medicines 'differ from pharmaceutical drugs' as they do not claim to be 'a medical solution to a medical problem'; rather, they look at how to assist the overall ‘wellness’ of consumers, prevent illness or reduce the duration of and illness 'by maintaining a healthy balance'. The group maintains that the current form of regulation in Australia is at risk of suffocating 'an important industry'.

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Poll: how will you acknowledge ANZAC Day? : 23/04/2013 :

This Thursday is ANZAC Day, probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.

Will you personally acknowledge ANZAC day by attending one of the many commemorative events around the country or is it 'just another day' for you?

How will you 'put the day in'? Please let us know by voting in this week's AusPharm poll.

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New member for NPS Medicinewise Board : 22/04/2013 :

GP and professional education advocate Dr Roger Sexton has been appointed as director of the NPS MedicineWise board in the role of Health Practitioner (GP) director.

Announcing the appointment NPS MedicineWise Chair Dr Janette Randall said that Dr Sexton is an active contributor to the medical profession bringing broad professional experience and a desire to positively influence lifelong medical education, quality prescribing and optimal patient care.

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RGH E‑Bulletin: Omalizumab for chronic urticaria : 22/04/2013 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Omalizumab for chronic urticaria.

"Type 1 hypersensitivity reactions underlie many common allergic conditions, including allergic asthma, conjunctivitis, rhinitis, anaphylaxis and urticaria. This type of reaction involves the presentation of an antigen to T helper cells, which activate B cells to produce further IgE antibody. These antibodies then bind to mast cells and basophils causing sensitisation, and on repeat exposure to the antigen there is rapid release of inflammatory mediators such as leukotrienes, prostaglandins and histamine. On this basis, IgE has become a target of considerable interest for drug design."

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

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Penrith Pharmacy Battle : 22/04/2013 :

A group of western Sydney pharmacy owners is engaged in a protracted legal battle with entities associated with a Chemist Warehouse site in the Penrith Supacentre.

The dispute concerns the granting of a Council approval to operate the site as a permissible use in a bulky goods precinct, on the basis that a retail pharmacy forming part of the development would  be ancillary to other uses. A group of local pharmacy owners challenged the council consent on the basis that a retail shop is operating at the site and that this shop is not incidental or ancillary to the other uses of the site.

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Nicole Kidman Joins The Checkout + Dodgy Swisse Labelling : 22/04/2013 :

Last Thursday we alerted 'listers to the upcoming ABC TV Checkout story on the Swisse company and events surrounding the removal of of its 'Swisse Ultiboost Appetite Suppressant' from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and subsequent replacement with the identical, but renamed, product 'Swisse Ultiboost Hunger Control'. The (very funny) video is now available online.

"Consumer affairs Ambassador Nicole Kidman speaks out for the first time about her Swisse ads. And Craig follows up The Checkout's first investigation into dodgy labelling of complementary medicines, analysing Swisse's dodgy reaction to their dodgy products being banned."

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Flu season rapidly approaching : 22/04/2013 :

With winter approaching, NPS MedicineWise is rolling out its annual reminder to consumers that having the flu vaccination is the single best way to protect against the infection and its potential complications.
 
“We’re urging people who are most at risk to have the flu vaccination this autumn, because influenza can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia,” said NPS MedicineWise clinical adviser Dr Philippa Binns.

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Depression and quitting smoking : 22/04/2013 :

Quitting smoking can significantly improve people’s mental health, according to new beyondblue funded research.

The research underpins a new booklet, Depression and quitting smoking, which addresses the unique challenges that people with depression face when trying to give up.

Quit Victoria Executive Director Fiona Sharkie said the perception that people with depression can’t or don’t want to quit is wrong.

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Consultation: Evaluation of complementary medicine substances for use in listed medicines : 22/04/2013 :

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is seeking comments from interested parties on the draft document Australian regulatory guidelines for complementary medicines (ARGCM) Part C: Evaluation of complementary medicine substances for use in listed medicines.

The ARGCM Part C is a revision and restructure of the current document 'ARGCM Part III: Evaluation of complementary medicine'. Changes to the original document include formatting, corrections and clarification of information. While the revised document does not introduce any new procedures or procedural changes, the existing ARGCM Part III contained outdated information which has been amended to reflect current regulatory practice.

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IMS: we're innocent : 22/04/2013 :

Following media speculation late last week and over the weekend about the ethical status of aspects of its data collection program from pharmacies, IMS Health has moved to reassure patients, pharmacists and prescribers that it only onsells de-identied data and that there is no provision of personal information, including contact details of medical practitioners, to third parties.

Pharmacists were accused of providing IMS with data that may have allowed the company to identify specific prescribers and prescribing patterns and onsell that information to third party clients of IMS. Consumers, regulators and doctors expressed concerns that this might be happening.

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Discrimination, bullying present in 1/4 of pharmacies : 19/04/2013 :

Following a post to AusPharmList on Monday in which a 'lister reported what may have been workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, this week's AusPharm poll sought to determine how prevalent 'discrimination' is in Australian pharmacies. Our poll preamble spelled out that discrimination might be on the basis of age, gender, race, religion or on other grounds.

29% of respondents reported that they had seen an example of discrimination in the last 12 months with an additional 9% reporting seeing discrimination in the last 5 years.

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GPs sending 1 million eRX scripts every week : 19/04/2013 :

Doctors have now achieved a milestone of one million new prescriptions being uploaded to eRx Script Exchange each week, with more than 13,000 doctors sending eRx scripts every day.

This milestone came as eRx was formally recognised by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) as a provider of ETP (electronic transfer of prescriptions).

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Rise in hospital admissions for older people : 19/04/2013 :

Hospital admissions for older Australians are rising rapidly, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Australian hospital statistics 2011–12, shows that the number of hospital admissions for people aged 85 and over rose by 9% each year between 2007–08 and 2011–12. This compared with an average increase of 4% per year overall for hospital admissions over this period.

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