How to extract the code*ne from Nuro*en / Pana*en Plus : 07/07/2008 :

Ever wondered what those too regular Nuro*en / Pana*en Plus customers do with their purchases?

Well, all is revealed here. A rough and ready 'cold water extraction' of the codie*e seems quite simple. These people take heroic doses of cod*ine.

Also, take a look at this; it's about the recreational use of dext*omet*orphan, including a description of a simple method of extracting it from Robitussin DX.

There's hours of enlightening reading on this website, including accounts of encounters with pharmacy assistant / pharmacists (eg here and here).

So, what was last week's mystery object? : 07/07/2008 :

Identifying this 'mystery object' proved a little harder for 'listers but we did eventually get a correct answer, once again from Professor Nerida Smith, who seems very good at this stuff! Owen Naidoo also sent along an answer very close to correct.

The following description was provided by Geoff Miller, Australian Academy of the History of Pharmacy.

"This is a Searce or sieve - it has a bowl about 450mm in diameter and about 40mm deep. The hole in the bowl is covered with a fine mesh and the bottom of the bowl has a threaded cap which fills with powder as it passes through the sieve. The resulting fine powder is released from the base cap by simply unscrewing it from the bowl and shaking out the powder

This particular Searce is made from fruit wood and varnished, as were many treen ("of wood" ) objects used as pharmacy tools For examplle pill silkverers and pill rounders were always made of treen."

Nerida and Owen each win one of our fine AusPharm calculators for sending along the best answer.

Final reminder: what's this then? (2) : 04/07/2008 :

We haven't yet had a correct answer folks, so there's still a good chance for you to win the prize. 

*Hint: the bowl is about 450mm in diameter*

Here is another 'mystery object' for 'listers to have a go at identifying. We think this one might be a little harder than the last one. What do you think it is? (Click the image for a [slightly] larger version).

Once again on offer is one of our AusPharm calculators for the best answer to us by email by midnight this Saturday night. Click here to submit your entry.

(Thanks to Geoff Miller, Australian Academy of the History of Pharmacy, for this mystery object.)

Poll result: violence in pharmacies : 04/07/2008 :

We have to say that we are not a little surprised by the result of this week's poll which seems to show that in fully 2/3 of pharmacies, on at least one occasion in the last 12 months, a staff member has been involved in an incident involving a threat, intimidation or assault (presumably from a customer!).
We'd be interested in exploring this a little further and would like to hear from people who have been involved in such incidents, either as a post to AusPharmList or as a personal email to Mark Dunn.

API confirms PBS pricing arrangements for July : 03/07/2008 :

In a letter to its customers on Monday evening API confirmed its pricing arrangements for the July lead in to the key PBS Reform date of August 1.

It confirmed that the price of most F2T generics dropped on July 1 (details here) and that the price of ALL remaining F2T and F2A molecules will drop on July 18. According to API, as a result of their initiative, pharmacies will not need to change their regular ordering patterns in the lead up to August 1.

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Trade Practices Reforms introduced into parliament : 02/07/2008 :

The Trade Practices Amendment Legislation Bill 2008 has been introduced into Federal Parliament. The Bill will strengthen the Trade Practices Act and help better protect small businesses, including community pharmacies, from unfair and anti-competitive behaviour.

Commenting on this, Acting Guild National President, Patrick Reid, said: “The Guild has long advocated for the Trade Practices Act to be strengthened to make it easier for small businesses to access legal recourse for anti-competitive practices.”

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Old pharmacy clique digs in on change : 02/07/2008 :

PDA President Geoff March's letter to the editor of the Financial Review in response to it's recent articles on community pharmacy has been reproduced in full on the APESMA website. Click here.

VALMER needs your help : 01/07/2008 :

The University of Tasmania is currently undertaking research into the economic benefits of Home Medicines Reviews (HMRs). The study will use sophisticated economic modelling techniques to give an accurate analysis, but researchers urgently need community pharmacists to provide them with HMR data.
The research, entitled VALMER (Economic Value of Medication Reviews), is being undertaken by the Unit for Medication Outcomes Research and Education (UMORE) at the University of Tasmania’s School of Pharmacy in collaboration with the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy. In aid of UMORE, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia has awarded the project an Investigator-Initiated research grant.

Click here to listen to an interview with VALMER Project Pharmacist Andrew Stafford.

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RUM turns 10 : 01/07/2008 :

This month the Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) Project celebrates 10 years service to Australia’s consumers.

The RUM Project allows consumers to return unwanted and out of date medicines to pharmacies for safe disposal. Over 10 years the RUM Project has grown to such an extent that an average of 36 tonnes of unwanted and out of date medicines are now returned to pharmacies from communities across Australia every month.

For more information about the RUM Project, contact the Project Manager, Simon Appel, on 1300 650 835 or rum@netconnect.com.au or visit the RUM website.

Eli Lilly hit with $60,000 fine over Cial*s Once Daily 'advertisement' : 30/06/2008 :

Back in early May we reported that Melbourne academic Dr Ken Harvey had lodged a 'Code of Conduct' complaint with Medicines Australia over an Eli Lilly media release that prompted a flurry of media reports (eg here) on the new Lilly product Cial*s ® once a day. Consumer organisation CHOICE lodged a similar complaint with Medicines Australia at the time.

The substance of the complaints was that while the press release purported to release as 'news' a company commissioned piece of research that supported the use of the drug it was, in fact, promotion of the prescription drug Tad*lafil to the general public.

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Guild, SHPA part of new Primary Health Care Partnership : 30/06/2008 :

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia are both members of The National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP), officially launched by Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon last Friday at Parliament House in Canberra.

Chair of the NPHCP Kate Carnell welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to develop a national primary health care strategy.

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Poll result: paying staff for attending out of hours training : 27/06/2008 :

The week's poll asked 'listers to tell us how (or whether) pharmacy assistants in the pharmacy they work in are paid to attend (mandatory) training sessions outside of normal trading hours. The results are shown below.
They show that in 56% of respondent's pharmacies staff are paid at either standard or penalty rates, if applicable. Another 36% provide staff with a meal but don't pay them.

AusPharm isn't sure what is legally required here but wonders whether the 9% of respondents who neither pay their staff nor provide them with a culinary enticement to attend these sessions might usefully review their policy on this.

ACCC flags reform of grocery sector ahead of inquiry findings : 26/06/2008 :

 A report in last Friday's edition of Inside Retailing (here) has it that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is considering tough new reforms for Australia's grocery industry.
In January the ACCC was asked by the Federal Government to hold a public inquiry, with broad ranging terms of reference, into the competitiveness of retail prices for standard groceries (details here). The ACCC is due to provide its report to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs by 31 July 2008.

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Poll: payment for out of hours training : 25/06/2008 :

Most pharmacies conduct staff training sessions or hold staff meetings outside of regular trading hours so that all staff can attend. Often, attendance at these events is mandatory. But are pharmacy assistants paid to attend?

Please let us know what happens in the pharmacy you work in by ticking the relevant box in this week's AusPharm poll at left.

2008 'Most trusted profession' survey : 25/06/2008 :

Readers Digest recently released the results of its annual 'Most trusted profession' survey for 2008. Pharmacists once again featured towards the top of the list, coming in this year in 5th position.

Ambulance officers took top spot followed by firefighters, pilots and nurses. Pharmacists were also in 5th place in 2007, up from 8th place in 2006.

NPS: Good hygiene not pills the best way of avoiding a cold : 25/06/2008 :

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) yesterday launched its 2008 Common colds need common sense, not antibiotics campaign.

The key message this year is that good hygiene will do more to stave off a cold than taking vitamins, mineral supplements and other herbal remedies.

According to the Executive Manager of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Programs for NPS, Karen Kaye, “the evidence currently at hand seems to indicate that vitamin C supplements, zinc and echinacea do not assist in cold prevention. In the case of echinacea particularly, the quality of these medicines can differ greatly and most have not been tested in good quality clinical trials.”

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Methadone treatment 'too expensive' for addicts : 24/06/2008 :

"A new report has found the cost of methadone programs is too high for most heroin addicts. The Federal Government funds methadone treatment, but most pharmacies charge a $60 dispensing fee."

These words led off an ABC online news item yesterday, sourced from a report on yesterday morning's ABC radio's AM program.

It got worse. Also from the ABC news story: "Those medications are supplied, the cost is subsidised and the dispensing fee is completely subsidised. [Dr James Rowe]".

No it's not Dr Rowe. Greedy, greedy pharmacists.

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National Prescribing Service wins prestigious international award : 23/06/2008 :

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) has won a Gold Quill Award for excellence in communication for its 2007 Get to know your medicines and Generic medicines are an equal choice national awareness campaigns.

The Award for Excellence in Communication Management – Multi-Audience will be presented to NPS by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) at the awards ceremony in New York on 23 June 2008.

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APC echoes NPS concerns on generics : 23/06/2008 :

The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) last week released a statement reiterating advice recently issued by the National Prescribing Service (NPS) that pharmacists should keep consumers’ health and wellbeing and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) principles in the front of their minds when switching medication brands for patients.

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PSA announces new CEO : 20/06/2008 :

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia yesterday announced the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer, Bryan Stevens.

Mr Stevens comes to the position with a career to date in federal government, regulatory agencies, state governments and industry.

"He has a track record as a leader with a strong reputation for delivering results through cooperation, collaboration, drive, initiative and decision-making within a strategic framework" said PSA National president, Brian Grogan.

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