Rural and ATSI scholarship recipients announced : 13/05/2013 :

The names of the 42 successful applicants for the 2013 Rural Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme scholarships were announced by the Pharmacy Guild on Friday.

Scholarship holders receive $10,000 each year, for up to four years of study, to help cover the costs associated with study away from home. They also participate in a mentor program aimed at reinforcing the students’ ties to rural and regional Australia.

The name of the sole recipient of a 2013 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme grant was also announced on Friday.

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Senate Committee Chemotherapy Services Report triggers war of words : 13/05/2013 :

The report of the Senate Committee enquiring into the supply of chemotherapy drugs, released on Friday, appears to suggest that top up pharmacy funding for chemotherapy services be sourced from 5th Agreement funds.

The Pharmacy Guild, unsurprisingly, immediately took issue with this saying that, if it were to happen, the Guild 'would have no choice but to trigger the Agreement's formal dispute provisions'.

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Free conference registration for ACP intern members : 10/05/2013 :

The Australian College of Pharmacy is offering interns who are members of the College free registration for its Annual Conference. The conference runs from 5-8 July, 2013 and is being held in Brisbane.

Interns who take advantage of the offer will be able to attend the Saturday and Sunday sessions and the welcome reception on Friday 5 July.

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Proposed CPD tax limit would threaten conference viability : 10/05/2013 :

Conference planners would need to seriously rethink their offers if a $2,000 limit is put in place for CPD tax deductions.

More than 1/3 of the respondents to this week's poll told us that such a limit would make it 'less likely' they would attend a conference.

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Global drug safety conference and exposition - call for abstracts : 10/05/2013 :

Organisers of the Global Drug Safety (GDS) Conference and Exposition have called for abstract submissions for the unique event being held in Brisbane from 14-16 October 2013.

With the theme of Revitalising Drug Safety – The Decade of the Patient, the conference   will feature leading international speakers including  and bring together   government leaders, drug regulatory agencies, drug safety specialists, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical industry, healthcare technology providers, health insurance providers, patient safety advocates, and consumer groups from all over the globe.

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Meridian Lawyers appointed honorary solicitor for Pharmacists’ Support Service : 10/05/2013 :

Meridian Lawyers has been appointed honorary solicitor for The Pharmacists’ Support Service (PSS). Meridian Lawyers is widely recognised as the leading pharmacy law practice in Australia acting for literally hundreds of pharmacists throughout the country and is a principal legal advisor to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, a number of their state branches as well as a number of the pharmacy educator institutes.

John Coppock, President of PSS, welcomed the support from Meridian Lawyers by saying “Their experience with pharmacy and their familiarity with the pharmacy profession are very valuable to PSS as we provide support to pharmacists.  The advice provided by Meridian to PSS will benefit the pharmacy profession through our work in assisting pharmacists.”

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College conference: Complementary Medicines Master Class, Monday 8 July : 09/05/2013 :

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are an important facet of pharmacy practice. In a time of struggling retail income, the complementary medicines market is booming.

Therefore, it's becoming even more important for pharmacists to be knowledgeable about CAMs when dispensing, compiling a medication profile or conducting a review of medicines.

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Guild President acknowledges pharmacist oversupply : 09/05/2013 :

Having previously argued that new pharmacy professional service programs would provide jobs for the growing number of young pharmacist emerging from schools of pharmacy, Guild President Kos Sclavos now acknowledges that an unemployment / underemployment problem does indeed exist in Australian pharmacy.

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Guild boss lambasts Consumers Health Forum : 09/05/2013 :

Writing in this week's forefront Guild Executive Director David Quilty took a swipe at the Consumers Health Forum (CHF) over its 'overblown and inflammatory rhetoric' on chemotherapy funding.

Mr Quilty described as 'outlandish' the CHF claim that the industry had ‘used vulnerable patients as pawns’ in this debate.

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Newcastle researchers question manflu myth : 08/05/2013 :

Newcastle researchers question manflu myth Men are popularly maligned for wilting like cheap supermarket flowers at the first winter sniffle, however data from Flutracking.net, Australia’s online influenza-like illness surveillance system, raises questions about the Manflu myth. 

An analysis of the 2012 weekly surveillance data of more than 16,000 Flutracking.net participants found that there was very little difference between the average duration of illness of men and women responding to the surveys.  Women took an average of 3 days off normal duties with cough and fever, whereas men took an average of 2.8 days off. Among those ill enough to visit an emergency department, women took an average of 4 days off, whereas men took 3.5 days off.

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Poll: capping CPD tax deductibility : 08/05/2013 :

Last month, Treasurer Wayne Swan floated the idea that a $2,000 limit be set in place for tax deductions for professional development. This caused some concern among pharmacists but, reportedly, much more concern among doctors and other professionals.

If the proposal gets up in next Tuesday's budget will it have any impact on your practice? Please tick the most relevant box in today's AusPharm poll below.

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ASMI: pholcodine OK : 08/05/2013 :

Referring to recent media coverage in which the Australian and New Zealand Anaesthetic Allergy Group called for restrictions on the availability of pholcodine-containing cough medicines, the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) said yesterday that the benefits of pholcodine continue to outweigh its risks for the treatment of non-productive cough.

The allergy group called for pholcodine containing products to either be banned or have access to them restricted on the basis of research linking pholcodine to anaphylaxis in patients given neuromuscular blocking agents for some types of surgeries.

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Register for PAC and get a free 7-inch, 4.1 android tablet computer : 08/05/2013 :

Registrations have opened for Australia’s premier pharmacy event, the Pharmacy Australia Congress (PAC13). This year’s event is being held in Brisbane with a new format and extra features to ensure that attendance at the congress is an experience second to none.

In a first for a pharmacy conference in Australia, full registration delegates to PAC13 will receive a 7-inch, 4.1 android tablet containing the conference handbook and other features, as part of their conference satchel.

The theme for PAC13 is ONE profession, ONE focus, ONE voice which will focus on unity in the profession, in the delivery of services and in the goal of better health outcomes is the key to the profession growing in the future and remaining viable and sustainable while continuing to improve the health and wellbeing of the population.

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PHARMeFOOTY weekly wrap : 08/05/2013 :

NRL - Round 8

Round 8 of the 2013 NRL Season commenced with the Rabbitohs victorious 26-12 over the Broncos. Other results of the round included the Bulldogs thrashing the West Tigers 40-4 at ANZ Stadium, the Raiders defeating the Storm 24-20 and the Cowboys taking the win from the Eels 14-10.

AFL - Round 6

Round 6 of the 2013 AFL season commenced with the Friday night blockbuster featuring the Magpies and the Saints. Both teams fought hard, however it was the Magpies who took the win by 26 points. Other highlights of the round included Essendon remaining undefeated by defeating the GWS Giants 120-81 at Etihad Stadium and the Kangaroos defeating Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena by 10 points.

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beyondblue launches anxiety campaign : 07/05/2013 :

beyondblue has launched a national awareness campaign to help Australians recognise the most common symptoms of anxiety conditions.

The centrepiece of the Get to Know Anxiety campaign is a short film starring Australian-born and internationally acclaimed actor Ben Mendelsohn. As the personification of anxiety, he introduces anxiety’s symptoms and challenges audiences to do something about it now that they recognise the signs.

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Chemmart Pharmacy Assistants Conference attracts record attendance : 07/05/2013 :

Over 250 delegates attended the recent Chemmart Pharmacy Assistants conference, held every second year in Melbourne.

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Wash your hands : 06/05/2013 :

Yesterday's World Hand Hygiene Day should serve as a reminder to health professionals about the importance of good hand hygiene in preventing the spread of infectious diseases says NPS MedicineWise.
 
Yesterday marked the fifth annual World Hand Hygiene Day – a World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to promote simple, low cost and effective infection control and prevention in hospitals, primary care settings and the community.

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Alphapharm cans drug info service : 06/05/2013 :

As of today generics company Alphapharm will cease providing medical information about its products direct to consumers and health care professionals, including pharmacists.

The company says that PBS changes has meant it needs to identify "more efficient and even better ways to serve the needs of the pharmaceutical market".

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PSA National Intern Training Program - 2013 second intake now open : 06/05/2013 :

Enrolments for the 2013 second intake of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) National Intern Training Program (NITP) are now open.

According to PSA, as the largest and most experienced intern training provider, it is in tune with the needs of interns and preceptors, and  provides 'unsurpassed support, flexibility and professional guidance'.

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RGH E‑Bulletin: Oral iron supplementation to correct post-operative anaemia : 06/05/2013 :

The topic of this week's RGH E‑Bulletin is Oral iron supplementation to correct post-operative anaemia.

"Anaemia is very common after surgery (present in up to 90% of patients) and may be associated with significant fatigue and lethargy, as well as potential functional exacerbation of conditions such as ischaemic heart disease and congestive heart failure. The severity of post-operative anaemia is highly variable and may be dependent on the pre-operative haemoglobin level, the extent of peri-operative blood loss (this is the most common influencing factor), and the use of blood transfusions. Although oral iron supplements are frequently prescribed in the post-operative period to treat anaemia associated with surgery; there does not appear to be a clear consensus on the appropriate approach to treatment of postoperative anaemia."

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

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