ACT after hours program well supported : 12/04/2013 :

The launch of the After hours Health Care in the ACT program for pharmacists and their staff has been very positively received, with immediate high uptake of the educational workshop which is an integral part of the program.

The initiative, developed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) ACT Branch, in conjunction with ACT Medicare Local (ACTML), consists of two components; a one-day workshop and a special edition Self Care health campaign for all ACT pharmacies.

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Another 'weight loss product' bites the dust : 11/04/2013 :

The Therapeutic Goods Adminstration (TGA) announced yesterday that it has removed the product 'Swisse Ultiboost Appetite Suppressant' from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

The reasons cited are that 'there was insufficient evidence to support the indications for the product and the presentation of the product was unacceptable.'

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Guild v PSA in NSW : 10/04/2013 :

Monday's AusPharmList carried a post from NSW pharmacist Roy Stevenson which called on NSW Guild president Si Banks and NSW PSA president John Bronger to 'kiss and make up'.

His comment followed a Si Banks editorial published in the Guild's NSW newsletter critical of PSA and a response from John Bronger in an email to PSA NSW members.

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Poll: time for a new pharmacy award wage? : 10/04/2013 :

Much has been written in recent years on AusPharmList and elsewhere about declining pharmacist wages. Some pharmacists are said to be working for $23-25/hr, which is the minimum specified by the Pharmacy Industry Award.

Despite the icy relationship that exists between the Pharmacy Guild and employee pharmacist union, the recently rebadged Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA), it has been suggested to AusPharm that it would be in the best interests of the profession as a whole for the two groups to work together (with other stakeholders) to try to have the minimum award wage set at a level that better reflects the tertiary qualifications pharmacists possess and the responsibilities they carry, perhaps to $30/hr.

What do you think? Please let us know by voting in today's AusPharm poll.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 10/04/2013 :

AFL - Round 2

Round 2 of the 2013 AFL season commenced with a Friday night blockbuster featuring the Tigers and the Saints fighting hard for the win; the Tigers held on to defeat the Saints by 17 points. Other highlights of the round included the Swans showing the young guns the Suns how it is done, to win by a convincing 41 point margin; and the Dockers defeating a determined Doggies outfit by 28 points.

NRL - Round 5

Round 5 of the 2013 NRL Season commenced with the Sea Eagles victorious 20-6 over the Bulldogs. Other results of the round included the Broncos defeating the Titans at Skilled Park 32-12; the Eels outplaying the Sharks 13-6; and the Cowboys defeating a scoreless Panthers outfit 30-0. A notable game for the round was the Rabbitohs VS the NZ Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium. The Warriors gave it their all, however, went down 24-22. The last games of the round saw the Dragons defeating the Knights in a close encounter 19-16 and the Raiders going up against the Roosters at Canberra Stadium. Both teams fought, however, it was the Raiders that clenched on to the game to win 24-22.

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Di-Gesic and Doloxene to remain on the market : 10/04/2013 :

In a finding handed down by the the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) on Friday but not yet published on its website, the Tribunal decided that both of Aspen's dextropropoxyphene containing products, Di-Gesic and Doloxene, should remain on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), subject to the implementation of conditions to promote their safe use.

The AAT’s decision was made after considering the evidence of scientific and medical experts put forward by both the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Aspen over the course of a week during 2012, and a further hearing in February 2013. The TGA had originally proposed in December 2011 to remove all dextropropoxyphene containing products from the ARTG.

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Organ Donation rates on the increase : 09/04/2013 :

Australia’s official organ donor rates increased to record levels in the first quarter of 2013.

Figures from the Australia and New Zealand Organ Donation Registry show consistent record growth in organ donation and transplantation month on month this year.

“In the first quarter of 2013, the national outcome of 119 donors is a 55% increase on donors for the same period for 2012. This means 70 more people have benefited from a transplant in just the first three months of this year, compared to the same time last year,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Shayne Neumann.

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Australian Pharmacy Council seeking Council, Committee members : 09/04/2013 :

The Australian Pharmacy Council Ltd (APC) is calling for applications and nominations for membership of its governing Council and two operational committees; the Examining Committee and the Accreditation Committee.

APC has two Councillor (director) positions available from 1 July 2013. Appointments are for an initial three year term, and Councillors are eligible to reapply at the end of that term. The Examining Committee has two new positions available. One is for an early career pharmacist and the second is for a specialist in statistics/psychometrics or assessment. The Accreditation Committee has two positions available for academic members from the second half of 2013.

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Number of new clinical trials continues to fall : 09/04/2013 :

New figures from the Therapeutic Goods Administration show that the number of clinical trials undertaken in Australia has fallen for the fourth time in five years.

The TGA’s latest Half-Yearly Performance Report shows 602 new clinical trials were begun in Australia in 2012, down from 635 trials in 2011 – a decline of 5%.

Clinical trial numbers are down 30% from their 2007 high of 865.

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FINAL DAY: AusPharm April upgrade special : 08/04/2013 :

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RGH E‑Bulletin: Biological Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) : 08/04/2013 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Biological Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs).

"Biologic DMARD agents include anti-tumour necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF-α) agents, which bind to and inhibit the activity of TNF-α (a cytokine involved in inflammatory & immune response) and cytokine modulators, which inhibit activity of the pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 and interleukin-6. Therapy may result in increased risk of serious infection (e.g. sepsis) which could be of importance in the event of surgery. All carry a risk of infusion reactions, usually in the form of pruritis, urticaria and flushing."

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

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Guild, PSA CEOs pledge to work together : 08/04/2013 :

Following a meeting this week between the Pharmacy Guild, PSA and the Department of Health and Ageing, the two pharmacy groups say they will work together on a range of key initiatives for the profession.

The Executive Director of the Pharmacy Guild, David Quilty, and Chief Executive Officer of the PSA, Liesel Wett, agreed at the meeting to build on the 'cooperative and collaborative' work being done by both groups in a range of professional and pharmacy practice areas.

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April NPS RADAR now out : 08/04/2013 :

The April issue of RADAR is now available on the NPS website.  It contains reviews of:

• Pregabalin (Lyrica) for neuropathic pain: An alternative analgesic adjuvant for refractory neuropathic pain
• Imiquimod cream (Aldara) for superficial basal cell carcinoma: An alternative topical treatment for low-risk lesions
• Sitagliptin with simvastatin (Juvicor) fixed-dose combination therapy for type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia: A fixed-dose combination medicine for treating two different conditions

as well as a number of 'in brief' news items.

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Board seeks input on advertising, social media, mandatory notifications policies and on Code of Conduct : 08/04/2013 :

Along with the 13 other National Health Professional Boards, the Pharmacy Board has released a consultation paper relating to:

• revisions to the Guidelines for advertising (common to all Boards)
• revisions to the Guidelines for mandatory notifications (common to all Boards)
• a social media policy (common to all Boards), and
• revisions to the pharmacy specific Code of conduct

The consultation paper is here.

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Searching for quality CPD with a clinical focus? : 08/04/2013 :

Keen to hear a series of evidence-based presentations on a wide range of therapeutic topics to bring your knowledge up to date and earn up to 30 group two CPD credits?

Register now for pharmacy’s pre-eminent clinical pharmacy seminar, ConPharm 13 at the Hilton Hotel Adelaide from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June 2013. Immerse yourself amongst a group of dedicated and passionate pharmacists who are really making a difference to patient’s lives with their medication reviews.

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Probiotics over-recommended? : 05/04/2013 :

This week's AusPharm poll tried to get a sense of how often 'probiotics' are recommended by pharmacy staff for patients who are prescribed antibiotics.

15% of respondents told us this happens 'frequently' in their pharmacies with a further 37% saying it happens 'sometimes'. 27% told us that prpbiotics are only recommended by pharmacists and only in scenarios where there is good evidence to support the practice. 21% of respondents never recommend probiotics to people taking antibiotics.

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Baby Boomer Boozers- Risky drinking under the spotlight : 05/04/2013 :

It has been described as an ‘invisible epidemic’, an epidemic that is often either misdiagnosed or simply not recognised by many health professionals but one which threatens to blow out into a major health issue for Australia as our population rapidly ages.

The epidemic is alcoholism and at-risk drinking among the elderly and the problem can be compounded by the fact that it is often harder to diagnose because the symptoms of alcoholism can be very similar to the effects of old age.

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MIMS Monthly Medicine Update : 05/04/2013 :

The MIMS AApril 2013 Monthly Medicine Update is now available. Click the link to read it now.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 04/04/2013 :

AFL - Round 1

Round 1 of the 2013 AFL season commenced with a Friday night blockbuster featuring the Dons and the Crows in an intense match. It was the Dons who broke away to defeat the Crows by a convincing 35 points. Other highlights of the round included the Dockers firing up to defeat their rivals, the Eagles, by 28 points and the Tigers defeating a flat Blues outfit by a slim 5 points.

NRL - Round 4

Round 4 of the 2013 NRL Season commenced with the Sea Eagles and the West Tigers, it was the Sea Eagles that were victorious defeating a scoreless West Tigers outfit. Other results of the round included the Bulldogs slipping and narrowly going down to the Rabbitohs 17-12, the Storm outplaying the Broncos 32-26 and the Dragons defeating the Sharks 25-12.

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More older people hospitalised after a fall, particularly women : 04/04/2013 :

The number of older people in Australia hospitalised after a fall continues to rise, with older women accounting for more fall cases than men, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Hospitalisations due to falls by older people, Australia 2009-10, shows that there were 83,800 hospitalised injury cases due to falls in people aged 65 and over in that year.

Women accounted for most of the hospitalised fall injury cases, making up 69% of cases. The rate of fall cases was higher for women than for men across all age groups.

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