Many pharmacies in financial distress : 12/03/2012 :

300 pharmacies are in financial distress and on 'bank watch lists' according to Guild President Kos Sclavos.

Speaking during the panel session at APP2012 last Friday the Guild President said this followed more than 100 pharmacy bankruptcies in 2011.

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Pharmacy Guilds sign memorandum of understanding : 12/03/2012 :

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aiming to strengthen the relationship between the organisations.

The MOU renews calls to work more closely together while pursuing common interests for community pharmacists.  For example, developments in Australia around e-health initiatives may influence pharmacy in New Zealand.

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Sclavos: national wages audit likely : 12/03/2012 :

Following the release last week of the Fair Work Ombudsman's report showing high levels of staff underpayment in Queensland community pharmacies a national audit is likely says Guild President Kos Sclavos.

Mr Sclavos expressed this view in response to a question posed during a panel discussion at APP2012 last Friday.

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Harper: Government has lost control of PBS distribution : 12/03/2012 :

The Federal Government has lost control of a key element of National Health Policy and can no longer guarantee the timely and reliable supply of taxpayer funded medicines, according to a leading economist from Deloitte Access Economics.

Speaking at APP2012 on Saturday, Professor Ian Harper said the Government had reneged on its long-standing commitment to patients and allowed a global pharmaceutical company to control the distribution of key PBS medicines.

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New group aims for quality use of complementary medicines : 12/03/2012 :

A coalition drawn from the healthcare profession, industry and consumer groups and led by academics from Monash University are to conduct a project that aims to to identify the elements required to develop an appropriate complementary medicines (CM) version of the quality use of medicines (QUM) regime, similar to that currently applying to pharmaceutical medicines.

The initiative was outlined by Dr Ken Harvey, Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, La Trobe University, at a private function at APP2012 over the weekend.

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Swisse fights back : 12/03/2012 :

As reported on AusPharm last week, the Swisse vitamin company has been asked to withdraw a number of TV ads for its products because the ads make therapeutic claims that are unable to be substantiated by the evidence.

However, the company is contesting the Complaints Resolution Panel (CRP) finding that the ads, which featured celebrity 'endorsements', made claims that were either misleading or were likely to arouse unrealistic expectation in consumers.

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RGH E-Bulletin: Dopamine dysregulation syndrome : 12/03/2012 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Dopamine dysregulation syndrome.

"Dopaminergic replacement therapies such as laevodopa and dopamine agonists are a mainstay in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. As well as motor symptoms such as motor fluctuations and dyskinesias, dopaminergic drugs can cause behavioural adverse effects such as mood fluctuations, psychosis, and impulse control disorders. Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome (DDS) is a recently described complication of long-term dopaminergic therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Patients with DDS develop a pattern of addictive and excessive use of dopamine replacement therapy. Medication use is often escalated by the patient without doctor’s advice and the doses taken are in excess of those required to control motor symptoms."

Click here to read the bulletin in full. The E‑Bulletins are archived on the AusPharmList website here.RGH E-Bulletin: Clostridium Difficile Associated Diarrhoea (CDAD) & PPIs

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Government won't support Senate Inquiry : 09/03/2012 :

In her keynote address at the APP2012 conference yesterday Health Minister Tanya Plibersek made it clear that the government would not be supporting Greens Senator Richard di Natale's proposed inquiry into the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement.

The Minister praised the benefits of the Community Pharmacy Agreement for health consumers saying that the recently legislated continued dispensing measure was “good for patients”. She also described the fact that over 4700 pharmacies had become quality assured by the end of the first year of the Agreement as a “real success story”.

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Top gong goes to remote pharmacy : 09/03/2012 :

Cape York Guardian Pharmacy in Weipa, Far North Queensland, is the QCPP Pharmacy of the Year for 2012.  The announcement was made by the Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek at the Australian Pharmacy Professional (APP) conference on the Gold Coast yesterday.

Owner pharmacist Scott McCahon, who accepted the award on behalf of his team, explained why he entered this competition this year. “The pharmacy had reached a point where I was proud of where we’d come from. The community has embraced us since we’ve come here and I wanted to show the town that we deliver a level of service, and a pharmacy, that is comparable with anywhere in Australia.”

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Weight Watchers launches in pharmacy : 09/03/2012 :

The Weight Watchers company has launched a pharmacy only range of weight management products.

Three information kits will be made available to consumers in pharmacies, catering to those who want to attend Weight Watchers meetings, those who prefer an online format and those who choose an 'at home' format. The kits have been endorsed by Guild subsidiary Gold Cross.

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Number of new cancer cases expected to reach 150,000 by 2020 : 09/03/2012 :

According to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the number of new cancer cases diagnosed in Australia each year is predicted to rise by almost 40% from 2007, mainly due to the ageing of the population and growth in population numbers.

The report, Cancer incidence projections, Australia 2011 to 2020, examines trends to 2007 to estimate the number and rate of new cases (incidence) in Australia to 2020.

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Most pharmacies have good reference libraries : 09/03/2012 :

This week's AusPharm poll tells us that most pharmacies have good reference libraries.

58% of respondents told us they had 'the full Pharmacy Board recommended list'. Another 22%, while not having everything still had a 'pretty good' selection.

Of concern is that up to 20% have inadequate references.

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Cross replaces Will Delaat as Chair of industry group : 08/03/2012 :

Following the retirement of Pharmaceuticals Industry Council (PIC) chairman Will Delaat, pictured right, last week Dr Martin Cross, Managing Director of Alphapharm and Chairman of the Generic Medicines Industry Association, has been appointed as the PIC's interim chairman. Mr Delaat had served as the PIC chairman since its founding in 2006.

"I leave at a time when the industry is well placed to capitalise on key opportunities. Growth in PBS expenditure is extremely low, export earnings remain relatively high and meaningful progress is being made, albeit very slowly, to improve Australia's competitiveness as a destination for globa clinical trials," said Mr Delaat.

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Swisse ads pulled : 08/03/2012 :

The Swisse vitamin company has been told to withdraw a series of TV ads promoting its products because the ads make claims that are unable to be substantiated by the evidence.

In a finding handed down this week the Complaints Resolution Panel (CRP)  ruled that the ads, which featured celebrity 'endorsements', made claims that were either misleading or were likely to arouse unrealistic expectation in consumers.

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CVD risk factors examined : 07/03/2012 :

The topic of CVD risk factors will be examined in detail by Professor David Colquhoun as part of his cardiovascular presentations at the 2012 Offshore Refresher Conference being held in Istanbul from April 26-May 3.

Ever since the concept of risk factors for heart disease was introduced in 1959 by the researchers of the American Framingham Study, there has been debate as to how important these factors are and whether they are epiphenomena or targets of therapy.

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Use Training to Build your Business : 07/03/2012 :

What defines a good business from an owner's perspective?  What defines it from a customer’s perspective?  What brings customers back to your pharmacy rather than the health food store down the road, or the supermarket aisle?

The primary aspect is good service says business advisor, Jane Sugden, pictured right.

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Asthma first aid charts launched : 07/03/2012 :

The National Asthma Council Australia has updated its popular First Aid for Asthma chart and launched a new paediatric Kids’ First Aid for Asthma chart, with advice reflecting the latest evidence and medications. The chart is developed by a multidisciplinary panel of medical experts including respiratory physicians and primary care health professionals.

Both charts outline the established four step process for handling an asthma attack using typical reliever medications such as Ventolin, Asmol or Airomir, as well as practical advice on how to help someone in physical distress use their asthma inhaler correctly.

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Cross replaces Will Delaat as Chair of industry group : 07/03/2012 :

Following the retirement of Pharmaceuticals Industry Council (PIC) chairman Will Delaat, pictured right, last week Dr Martin Cross, Managing Director of Alphapharm and Chairman of the Generic Medicines Industry Association, has been appointed as the PIC's interim chairman.

Interim PIC chairman Dr Martin Cross paid tribute to Mr Delaat "I want to thank Will for his many years of dedicated service. He has been an outstanding advocate for this industry, and we will miss his leadership. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Will and also to be named the PIC's interim chairman".

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Global medicines industry updates Code of Practice : 07/03/2012 :

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) has announced the revision and expansion of its Code of Practice.

The Code of Practice, which Medicines Australia helped draft, is aimed at ensuring that engagements with healthcare professionals are undertaken ethically.

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AusPharm CE: RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 44 : 07/03/2012 :

The next in our 2011 series of continuing education activities is the RGH E-Bulletin Digest No. 44.

This CE activity assesses your understanding of four recent RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletins (Volumes 44-9 - 45-1  -->  December 2011- January 2012).

After completing this activity, pharmacists should be able to:

• Describe recent findings with respect to the effects of dietary sodium restriction
• Outline potential adverse interactions between alcohol and a range of medicinal drugs
• Understand the practical application of the recently promulgated updated “Beers” criteria
• Discuss the relationship between citalopram treatment and QT prolongation

This activity has been accredited for 1 group 2 CPD credit suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacist’s CPD plan. Accreditation number: CX120022C.

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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