From Pharmacy News (AU):
Tighter controls on over-the-counter codeine combinations will not address the problem of misuse of the products and will put significant pressure on pharmacists, say the profession's peak bodies.
Both the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) have expressed disappointment with the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) decision to upschedule OTC combination analgesics containing codeine (CACC) to Schedule 3 in a bid to address concerns of misuse and abuse of the products.
The Guild said the scheduling changes would only mask the problem and were unlikely to influence individual misuse behaviour.
It said it was regrettable that the committee rejected its proposal to adopt real-time monitoring and reporting of these products through its NotifyRx technology, calling it a "missed opportunity". ...more
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Pharmacists try to cash in on swine flu
From News.com.au:
Fears have emerged that pharmacists are trying to cash in on the shortage of the one drug experts say can treat swine flu.
A pharmacist in Sydney's northwest has been found selling a course of 10 tablets of Tamiflu for $68.85. That is about $20 more than his four competitors who are within walking distance.
Customers are paying the price after finding that other pharmacists have run out of the tablets or do not realise they are paying too much.
"He is taking advantage of people because a lot of people need this," the mother of a nine-year-old boy who was prescribed Tamiflu said yesterday.
"I went there after another chemist had none but I didn't realise I was paying more. He has hiked up the price because there is not enough around."
Even one of his competitors expressed surprise yesterday at how much the pharmacist was charging, saying it was "a bit steep". ...more
Fears have emerged that pharmacists are trying to cash in on the shortage of the one drug experts say can treat swine flu.
A pharmacist in Sydney's northwest has been found selling a course of 10 tablets of Tamiflu for $68.85. That is about $20 more than his four competitors who are within walking distance.
Customers are paying the price after finding that other pharmacists have run out of the tablets or do not realise they are paying too much.
"He is taking advantage of people because a lot of people need this," the mother of a nine-year-old boy who was prescribed Tamiflu said yesterday.
"I went there after another chemist had none but I didn't realise I was paying more. He has hiked up the price because there is not enough around."
Even one of his competitors expressed surprise yesterday at how much the pharmacist was charging, saying it was "a bit steep". ...more
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Condom controversy hits NT teens
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
Pharmacists in the Northern Territory would have to report any 15-year-old buying condoms under new underage sex laws, the Territory's Minister for Child Protection has confirmed.
The Australian Medical Association has described the legislation as unworkable because it makes it illegal not to report teenagers under 16 years of age who are sexually active.
The AMA warns the laws could increase teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections because young people would be afraid of seeking sexual health advice and contraception.
Malarndirri McCarthy has told Triple J's Hack program that under the new laws, pharmacists would be obliged to inform authorities about teenagers under 16 years of age buying condoms. ...more
Pharmacists in the Northern Territory would have to report any 15-year-old buying condoms under new underage sex laws, the Territory's Minister for Child Protection has confirmed.
The Australian Medical Association has described the legislation as unworkable because it makes it illegal not to report teenagers under 16 years of age who are sexually active.
The AMA warns the laws could increase teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections because young people would be afraid of seeking sexual health advice and contraception.
Malarndirri McCarthy has told Triple J's Hack program that under the new laws, pharmacists would be obliged to inform authorities about teenagers under 16 years of age buying condoms. ...more
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Doctor calls for pharmacists not to sell homeopathic products
From New Zealand Doctor Online:
“Pharmacists are scientists, and I urge them not to sell products that are proven to be ineffective”, states Dr. Shaun Holt in the latest issue of Pharmacy Today.
Mirroring a similar call made by Professor Ernst in the UK, Dr. Holt said that homeopathic products did not contain any active ingredient but supposedly had energy of substances that were in the product before they were diluted away. “Not only does this make no sense, it has never been demonstrated and there is a US$1 million prize for the first person to show that this occurs”.
Dr Holt continued: “homeopathic products are not just very diluted – they are so diluted there’s nothing there. It is like pouring a cup of coffee into Lake Taupo and then taking a cup of water from the lake the next day and describing that water as “dilute coffee”, and saying that you will get an even bigger boost from it than regular coffee as the dilution has increased its power”. ...more
“Pharmacists are scientists, and I urge them not to sell products that are proven to be ineffective”, states Dr. Shaun Holt in the latest issue of Pharmacy Today.
Mirroring a similar call made by Professor Ernst in the UK, Dr. Holt said that homeopathic products did not contain any active ingredient but supposedly had energy of substances that were in the product before they were diluted away. “Not only does this make no sense, it has never been demonstrated and there is a US$1 million prize for the first person to show that this occurs”.
Dr Holt continued: “homeopathic products are not just very diluted – they are so diluted there’s nothing there. It is like pouring a cup of coffee into Lake Taupo and then taking a cup of water from the lake the next day and describing that water as “dilute coffee”, and saying that you will get an even bigger boost from it than regular coffee as the dilution has increased its power”. ...more
Monday, March 09, 2009
Bitter pill for 'uncaring' pharmacists
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
Suburban pharmacies sheltered from supermarket competition routinely failed to live up to their claims of being caring professionals, according to the consumer organisation, Choice.
The consumer group has seized on fresh research that says pharmacies are failing to give customers advice on drugs. It wants consumers to have a voice in the secretive negotiations between the Pharmacy Guild and the Government over the billions of taxpayer dollars paid to pharmacists to provide dispensing services.
University of South Australia researchers have found that nearly half the customers surveyed said they rarely got advice on drugs from pharmacists.
This was despite the $5.44 pharmacists receive from the Government each time they dispensed a prescription, in adddition to their retail mark-up.
"Most consumers are not routinely given or offered written or oral medicine information at the time a medicine is dispensed," concludes a report by the university's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. ...more
Suburban pharmacies sheltered from supermarket competition routinely failed to live up to their claims of being caring professionals, according to the consumer organisation, Choice.
The consumer group has seized on fresh research that says pharmacies are failing to give customers advice on drugs. It wants consumers to have a voice in the secretive negotiations between the Pharmacy Guild and the Government over the billions of taxpayer dollars paid to pharmacists to provide dispensing services.
University of South Australia researchers have found that nearly half the customers surveyed said they rarely got advice on drugs from pharmacists.
This was despite the $5.44 pharmacists receive from the Government each time they dispensed a prescription, in adddition to their retail mark-up.
"Most consumers are not routinely given or offered written or oral medicine information at the time a medicine is dispensed," concludes a report by the university's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. ...more
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Pharmacist guilty of misconduct by supplying pills to rogue doctor
From the New Zealand Herald:
An Auckland pharmacist's actions in dispensing 773 prescriptions for the pseudoephedrine-based drug Sudomyl - a total of 46,380 60mg tablets - have been found to be professional misconduct.
So far known only as Mr Y, the pharmacist filled prescriptions from "rogue doctor" Rhys Cullen over five months to March 31, 2007, the Health Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal says.
Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical for manufacturing illicit street drugs known as meth or "P".
The tribunal suspended Dr Cullen from practice on March 29, 2007, and subsequently had his registration as a doctor cancelled. He was fined $15,000.
The tribunal said in a professional conduct committee decision released yesterday that Dr Cullen's practice delivered bundles of prescriptions for Sudomyl and paid for them in cash. ...more
An Auckland pharmacist's actions in dispensing 773 prescriptions for the pseudoephedrine-based drug Sudomyl - a total of 46,380 60mg tablets - have been found to be professional misconduct.
So far known only as Mr Y, the pharmacist filled prescriptions from "rogue doctor" Rhys Cullen over five months to March 31, 2007, the Health Practitioners' Disciplinary Tribunal says.
Pseudoephedrine is a precursor chemical for manufacturing illicit street drugs known as meth or "P".
The tribunal suspended Dr Cullen from practice on March 29, 2007, and subsequently had his registration as a doctor cancelled. He was fined $15,000.
The tribunal said in a professional conduct committee decision released yesterday that Dr Cullen's practice delivered bundles of prescriptions for Sudomyl and paid for them in cash. ...more
Monday, January 19, 2009
Pharmacists uneasy about sick notes
From 6minutes.com.au:
In the first year that pharmacists have been able to write medical certificates, only a few pharmacists have been willing to provide them, according to the Pharmacy Guild.
As reported in 6minutes in 2008, guidelines from the pharmacy professional bodies were jointly released on medical certificates early last year but a spokesman for the Guild said that there had not been a big take up.
The exact number of pharmacists who have so far issued documentation for employees’ sick and carer’s leave is not known, but he believed that numbers were was low, he said. ...more
In the first year that pharmacists have been able to write medical certificates, only a few pharmacists have been willing to provide them, according to the Pharmacy Guild.
As reported in 6minutes in 2008, guidelines from the pharmacy professional bodies were jointly released on medical certificates early last year but a spokesman for the Guild said that there had not been a big take up.
The exact number of pharmacists who have so far issued documentation for employees’ sick and carer’s leave is not known, but he believed that numbers were was low, he said. ...more
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Codeine-laden painkillers stay on sale
Note: Nurofen Plus is a combination of ibuprofen and codeine.
From News.com.au:
Heavy-duty painkillers containing codeine will remain available over the counter but pack sizes could be reduced to stop drug abuse, a government committee has ruled.
Doctors and pharmacists have welcomed a decision not to reclassify codeine combination medicines such as Nurofen Plus as prescription-only.
The drug class was under investigation due to mounting claims of serious medical complications among addicted Australians, with one online forum suggesting 7000 people were hooked.
A report released last month linked high use to serious side-effects, like perforated stomach ulcers and renal failure, and death. ...more
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Pharmacy Guild urges looser rules on repeat prescriptions - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
The Pharmacy Guild is recommending changes which would allow patients to buy repeat prescriptions from chemists for certain drugs for up to two years, without permission from their doctor.
The change is being proposed by the Pharmacy Guild to cut the number of unnecessary visits people pay their GPs.
Under the plan, there would need to be a record of a patient being prescribed the drug previously, before it could be dispensed again.
Guild president Kos Sclavos says the system would cover a range of common drugs.
"Simple products like the contraceptive pill, once a doctor has initiated therapy," he said. ...more
The Pharmacy Guild is recommending changes which would allow patients to buy repeat prescriptions from chemists for certain drugs for up to two years, without permission from their doctor.
The change is being proposed by the Pharmacy Guild to cut the number of unnecessary visits people pay their GPs.
Under the plan, there would need to be a record of a patient being prescribed the drug previously, before it could be dispensed again.
Guild president Kos Sclavos says the system would cover a range of common drugs.
"Simple products like the contraceptive pill, once a doctor has initiated therapy," he said. ...more
Sunday, June 15, 2008
New powers for pharmacists on the cards
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
Pharmacists may one day gain limited prescription powers to ease pressure on GPs.
Advocates say pharmacists are well qualified for the extra role.
Tasmania's Health Minister, Lara Giddings, says GP numbers are expected to fall as demand grows.
She says pharmacy prescription is one of several solutions that should be considered. ...more
Pharmacists may one day gain limited prescription powers to ease pressure on GPs.
Advocates say pharmacists are well qualified for the extra role.
Tasmania's Health Minister, Lara Giddings, says GP numbers are expected to fall as demand grows.
She says pharmacy prescription is one of several solutions that should be considered. ...more
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Tough rules coming for cough medicine
From the Batemans Bay Post Star (NSW, Australia)
Children younger than two years will soon have to see a doctor if they need cough syrup.
The National Drugs and Scheduling Committee has decided sedating antihistamines, found in medicines like Demazin and Dimetapp, will be classified as prescription medicines from September 1.
The decision follows reports of bad reactions like agitation, insomnia, hallucinations and oversedation in children in the US and UK.
At the moment, the medicines could only be bought under pharmacist supervision, Surf Beach Pharmacy pharmacist in charge Renee Hall said. ...more
Children younger than two years will soon have to see a doctor if they need cough syrup.
The National Drugs and Scheduling Committee has decided sedating antihistamines, found in medicines like Demazin and Dimetapp, will be classified as prescription medicines from September 1.
The decision follows reports of bad reactions like agitation, insomnia, hallucinations and oversedation in children in the US and UK.
At the moment, the medicines could only be bought under pharmacist supervision, Surf Beach Pharmacy pharmacist in charge Renee Hall said. ...more
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Coles's pharmacy role in doubt after court ruling
From the Sydney (Australia) Morning News:
Wesfarmers-owned Coles's back-door entry into the $9 billion pharmacy sector appears under threat after a court ruled that its purchase of a Sydney-based cut-price pharmacy chain may have breached laws restricting ownership to qualified pharmacists.
The threat comes after the NSW Supreme Court judge Peter Young ruled yesterday that because Pharmacy Direct, a mostly online chemist that Coles bought two years ago, is not owned by a pharmacist, it has breached the pharmacy act.
Justice Young is yet to make his final orders, but when the case resumes later this month he could force Wesfarmers to transfer or sell Pharmacy Direct to a pharmacist or pharmacist-owned corporation.
The retailer, which Coles bought for $56 million, is one of only 30 pharmacies in NSW that operates under a corporate licence. It claimed it had been acting lawfully since Coles bought the business in 2006 from the founder and pharmacist Peter Brown. However, Coles was widely criticised by the industry as having used a loophole to encroach on the territory held by mostly independently owned chemists. ...more
Wesfarmers-owned Coles's back-door entry into the $9 billion pharmacy sector appears under threat after a court ruled that its purchase of a Sydney-based cut-price pharmacy chain may have breached laws restricting ownership to qualified pharmacists.
The threat comes after the NSW Supreme Court judge Peter Young ruled yesterday that because Pharmacy Direct, a mostly online chemist that Coles bought two years ago, is not owned by a pharmacist, it has breached the pharmacy act.
Justice Young is yet to make his final orders, but when the case resumes later this month he could force Wesfarmers to transfer or sell Pharmacy Direct to a pharmacist or pharmacist-owned corporation.
The retailer, which Coles bought for $56 million, is one of only 30 pharmacies in NSW that operates under a corporate licence. It claimed it had been acting lawfully since Coles bought the business in 2006 from the founder and pharmacist Peter Brown. However, Coles was widely criticised by the industry as having used a loophole to encroach on the territory held by mostly independently owned chemists. ...more
Sunday, February 03, 2008
AMA cautions against pharmacist sick certificates
Australian pharmacists can now write a legal sick note for their patients (and charge for this service). As expected, physicians are not happy about this. I'm not so sure how I feel about this one. Is a pharmacist really able to make an assessment that a person is too sick to go to work or school?
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says allowing pharmacists to write sick certificates could have serious repercussions for pharmacists, and lead to misdiagnosis.
Pharmacists across Australia will soon be able to issue medical certificates to sick workers in need of a day off.
However AMA national president Doctor Rosanna Capolingua says it could mean some people will not receive appropriate treatment for a serious illnesses.
"Apart from something such as a headache which could turn out to be significantly serious like meningitis, a tummy upset or a gastroenteritis which is a viral infection, it could in fact be something as serious as a bleeding ulcer," she said. ...more
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