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Medicines That Matter – Drug Schedules Administered by Pharmacists
It’s taken a long time for pharmacy proprietors and their leadership body to take a good look and this sector of medicines and actually do something with it. But at least it is being reviewed and that has to be a plus. Another sector, with only a handful of scheduled items within it is the…
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ASMI – CM Information
Consumers advised to discuss complementary medicine use with health Professionals 3 December 2014 – The Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) reaffirmed the importance of consumers discussing their use of complementary medicines with their health professionals. This was in response to new research from Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, regarding interactions between some complementary medicines and…
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Will “Complementary Medicines (CMs)” save us billions?
A pharmacy journal headline recently proclaimed “$1.8b benefit from [Complementary Medicine] CM”.Based on Potential Health Outcomes & Cost Savings in Australia, a report funded by the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI), only one of the six treatments investigated was actually “complementary”, in that they are a useful adjunct to doctor-prescribed therapies. Are claims that CM’s…
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ASMI Media Releases – ASMI Elections, ANZTPA Comment, Diamond Awards, Conference Highlights
Bayer’s Mark Sargent re-elected as ASMI President 20 November 2014 – The Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) today announced the reelection of Mark Sargent, General Manager Consumer Care Australia & New Zealand, Bayer Australia Limited, as its President. Speaking on his re-election, Mark Sargent said: “I am delighted to continue for another term as President…
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Pharmacists may be intellectually bankrupt today – financially bankrupt tomorrow
Pharmacists collectively deserve the derogatory comments proffered regularly by the AMA about providing professional services between the “toilet paper and the toothpaste”. Not enough has been done by pharmacy leadership organisations or individual pharmacy proprietors in terms of investment in appropriate clinical spaces. Nothing in terms of spatial identity and patient comfort has evolved anywhere…
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Functional Medicine – Embracing All That Is Needed in Health
Functional Medicine is a system that addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It talks about cures rather than just management and embraces all that is evidence-based in integrative medicine and other complementary medicine modalities. It is an evolution in health practice…
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PSA Media Releases – 1. Cannabis Debate 2.Prescription Real Time Monitoring
November 11, 201 Cannabis debate, Code of Ethics feature in latest edition of Australian Pharmacist The role of pharmacists in the medical cannabis debate is coming under scrutiny, with growing public support for medical cannabis underscored by a recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Survey showing 69 per cent of people supported legislation…
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ASMI – Media Releases 1. ASMI celebrates its 40th anniversary
17 November 2014 – The Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year at the ASMI 2014 Annual Conference and a gala dinner tomorrow. ASMI Executive Director Dr Deon Schoombie said: “Over the last 40 years ASMI has become the voice of Australia’s non-prescription medicines industry, significantly influencing medicines policy and…
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Is it ‘Wellness’ or ‘ Wellne$$’?
I was introduced to the concepts of ‘well-being’, and ‘wellness’ after my cancer was diagnosed 10 years ago. Have these terms, intended to guide patients back to good health, been high-jacked by the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) industry to exploit us? A definition of ‘well-being’ is “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy“.…
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ASMI Media Release – Complementary Medicines Improve Health
New Research: Complementary medicines can improve consumer health and reduce costs 15 October 2014. Specific complementary medicines can contribute to improved health and reduced consumer healthcare costs, according to a new study by economic research firm Frost and Sullivan. The study, ‘Targeted Use of Complementary Medicines: Potential Health Outcomes and Cost Savings in Australia,’ which…