Safety Advisory: simvastatin - new contraindications, precautions and dosage recommendations : 07/12/2011 :

The TGA yesterday issued a safety alert advising health professionals to limit the prescribing of high dose (80 mg/day) simvastatin and to be aware of new contraindications and precautions for the use of simvastatin with other medicines.

Patients on high dose simvastatin and those taking certain other medicines have an increased risk of developing myopathy (muscle weakness) and, more rarely, rhabdomyolysis. The TGA recommends that 80 mg/day simvastatin should only be used in patients at high risk of cardiovascular complications who have not achieved their treatment goals on lower doses.

Read the full text of the Safety Advisory on the TGA website here.

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Poll: online pharmacist registration : 07/12/2011 :

The deadline for pharmacists to renew their registration passed last week on November 30. For the first time, registration renewal was possible through an online portal at the website of the Pharmacy Board of Australia.

Did you take advantage of this? Please let us know by voting in this week's AusPharm poll.

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Vale Sam Loxton : 07/12/2011 :

Those who have attended the various Pharmacy Cricket events will be saddened by the passing of Sam Loxton.

Sam, with Neil Harvey, were the guest speakers at the first Pharmacy Cricket pre match dinner held at Bradman Oval Bowral in April 2000.

Sam has been a great friend of ours since that time and has been a wonderful supporter of Pharmacy Cricket. He has been our guest speaker at other times and has attended many of our games, delighting us all with his great stories of his time playing cricket.

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New paper shows need to complete clinical trial plan : 06/12/2011 :

According to Medicines Australia, a paper launched at Parliament House recently shows the Federal Government’s plan to invigorate the clinical trials industry is working but that implementation must be completed.
 
The paper, Keeping clinical trials in Australia: why action is needed now, argues that the recommendations of the Clinical Trials Action Group (CTAG) hold the key to ensuring the future of clinical trials in Australia. The CTAG was set up by the Government to help cement Australia's position as a good place to conduct clinical trials.

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'Hot headed' Sclavos nation's top lobbyist : 06/12/2011 :

Crikey offshoot The Power Index yesterday labelled Guild President Kos Sclavos the most powerful lobbyist in the country.

Author of the Sclavos profile, Matthew Knott, has it that "if you're looking for power that's concentrated, power that's embedded in our political system and power that's wielded through intimidation, not just persuasion, then Kos is your man."

The Power Index's assessment of the Guild President is worth a read - take a look for yourself here.

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AMA President calls for pharmacy reforms : 06/12/2011 :

In an opinion piece published on doctor website Medical Observer yesterday Australian Medical Association President Dr Steve Hambleton called for a number of reforms to the community pharmacy environment. Chief among these was the abolition of the pharmacist only ownership rules and the location rules.

According to Dr Hambleton these rules should be lifted so "so the health system can truly provide ‘joined up’ care in the primary care setting," adding that the current rules "make it difficult for younger pharmacists to establish their own businesses. They also prevent doctors from owning pharmacies. It is curious that pharmacists can own medical practices, but not the other way around."

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Award winning NPS iPhone app now includes a medicines reminder function : 06/12/2011 :

NPS has introduced a range of new features to its award-winning  Medicines List iPhone app that allow people to schedule in reminders to prompt them to take their medicine.

As part of the upgrade, people can also record whether they took their medicine on time — and if not, why not, which may be useful information to share when they next see their doctor or pharmacist.

NPS clinical adviser Dr Danielle Stowasser says the scheduling functions are a lifesaver for those who have trouble taking their medicines as recommended by their health professional.

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TGA set to announce reform agenda : 05/12/2011 :

The federal government is set to announce its response to several major reviews of the Therapeutic Goods Administration undertaken in the last 18 months, and will soon launch a consolidated response in the form of a blueprint for the TGA's future.

The response is expected to be released on Monday 12 December 2011.

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December NPS Radar Review : 05/12/2011 :

The December issue of NPS RADAR ­ which independently reviews new medicines recommended for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) ­ includes in-depth reviews of new medicines to treat schizophrenia, bipolar 1, severe chronic pain,  COPD and acute coronary syndrome.
 
Asenapine (brand name Saphris), a new antipsychotic medicine to treat schizophrenia and bipolar 1 disorder, is reviewed in this edition of NPS RADAR. Asenapine could be a better fit for a person with unacceptable weight gain or hyperprolactinaemia from other antipsychotics. However, this sublingual medicine is ineffective if swallowed and has a higher incidence of extrapyramidal side effects than that with olanzapine.

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RGH E‑Bulletin: Evaluating recommendations for dietary sodium restrictions : 05/12/2011 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Evaluating recommendations for dietary sodium restrictions.

"Dietary sodium is found in most foods as sodium chloride (salt), but also as sodium bicarbonate and monosodium glutamate in processed foods, and in food additives as sodium phosphate, sodium carbonate and sodium benzoate. The majority source of sodium for the Australian population is sodium chloride. Patients with hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease and greater age exhibit more salt sensitivity with consequent blood pressure raising effects. The recommendation to reduce sodium intake is based on evidence from published reviews assessing the effects of this approach as a means to lower blood pressure. It has been assumed there are ongoing benefits for reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality."

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

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SHPA comments on Pharmacist Coalition for Health Reform : 02/12/2011 :

The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Ausralia yesterday issued a statement reaffirming its position on the role of pharmacists in health and on its membership of the Pharmacist Coalition for Health Reform (PCHR).

The SHPA statement follows the withdrawal this week of peak student body NAPSA from PCHR and comments from both NAPSA and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia that PCHR comments supporting Australian Green's Senator Richard de Natali's call for a Senate inquiry into the 5th Community Pharmacy Agtreement were made without thier consent.

We've published the SHPA comment below, in full and unedited.

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APLF has more legitimacy than PCHR : 02/12/2011 :

Yesterday I wrote about the concerns that trouble me as a pharmacist.

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MIMS Monthly Medicine Update : 02/12/2011 :

The MIMS December 2011 Monthly Medicine Update is now available. Click the link to read it now.

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Bill Charman separately recognised by Monash University and The University of London : 02/12/2011 :

Potentially life-saving malaria research and the establishment of Australia's pre-eminent pharmaceutical science institution have earned two significant honours for Professor William Charman, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University.
 
During the last two weeks, Professor Charman has been appointed as a Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor at Monash University and awarded a prestigious Doctor of Science degree (honoris causa) by The School of Pharmacy, University of London – one of the leading pharmacy schools in the world.  

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New Medicines Safety Update published : 02/12/2011 :

The December 2011 issue of Medicines Safety Update (the old 'ADRAC' Bulletin) has been published on the TGA website.

It was included as part of the December issue of Australian Prescriber. but can also be downloaded as a stand alone document (here).

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Latest Edition of Australian Prescriber published : 02/12/2011 :

The December 2011 issue of Australian Prescriber is now available online. Topics featured in this issue include:

• The prescribing cascade
• Appropriate primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: does this mean more or less statin use?
• New drugs for osteoporosis

It also contains the most recent Medicines Safety Update.

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Pharmacists depressed about the future : 02/12/2011 :

This week's poll was an exact repeat of a poll we first ran in 2006 and then again in January this year. It followed, as PSA CEO described recent events in a PSA member communication yesterday, "a very difficult week for pharmacists and for the profession."

Pharmacists' outlook has become much more pessimistic since 2006 with a significant deterioration in 2011 alone.

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Pharmacy Board CPD audits - will your number come up? : 01/12/2011 :

The Pharmacy Board of Australia conducted two focus groups with practitioners in November to test the communications materials for the practitioner CPD audits, which will begin early next year.

Pharmacists will be randomly selected for the audit, which will assess whether they have met the Board's CPD requirements. Those fortunate to be chosen will be notified that they are being audited in a letter, which also outlines what they need to do to comply.

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Board Compounding Working Party : 01/12/2011 :

The Pharmacy Board of Australia has established a Compounding Working Party to advise it on compounding issues and to develop policy, codes and guidelines on compounding, including more complex compounding than the extemporaneous preparations contained in the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary.

At its October meeting, the Working Party discussed with Working Party members, which currently includes the Editor of the APF, Emeritus Professor Lloyd Sansom, options for suitable definitions for complex compounding and associated nomenclature. The next APF is expected to be published in February 2012 and the Board proposes to adopt definitions in its guidelines which are consistent with definitions published in the APF.

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New Government figures show PBS growing at just 1.6% in real terms : 01/12/2011 :

The latest Commonwealth annual review of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme shows that the program grew by just 5.2 per cent in 2010-11 – or 1.6 per cent in real terms.

This follows yesterday’s MYEFO, showing lower PBS growth this financial year.

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