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Channel 7 Program Sunday Night Reports on Trasylol Cover-Up
Ross Coulthart, the Sunday Night investigative reporter from Channel 7 TV, broke a story involving the drug Trasylol, its grim history and the trail of destruction created after its original launch in the global marketplace. The story revolved around Jenny Lloyd, a Victorian woman who was two years old when her father (David Lloyd) died…
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PSA Media Releases – 10 Important Messages For This Week
October 12, 2014 PSA welcomes Dutton call at PAC14 to better utilise skills and expertise of pharmacists Calls by the Minister for Health, Peter Dutton, for the health professionals to work together to improve patient outcomes have been echoed in a discussion paper released by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia at the weekend. In a…
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Consumer Perspective in Service Design Innovation
Take the patient’s perspective when designing a new service model. Or, using the current “buzz” phrase, you need to become “patient-centred”. Some of the best innovations are brilliant in their after-the-fact simplicity. Take the US-based Minute Clinic. We all know “an ounce of prevention…” yet most of us still don’t go to the doctor for…
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ASMI Media Releases – 1. S3 Advertising Reform 2. TGA Review of OTC NSAIDs
ASMI says S3 advertising reform long overdue 13 October 2014 – The Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) said that S3 advertising restrictions constrain the ability of sponsors to make consumers aware of medicines that are available without a prescription, and regulatory reform is long overdue. In a presentation at the annual Pharmacy Australia Conference (PAC),…
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You Have to Wonder
Australian Doctor online recently ran a news item about GP’s and their “CAM Creep”. What they were saying was that because of the broad nature of general practice and consumer demand, doctors were susceptible to prescribing more CAM’s and were doing so in larger numbers. In so doing, it was claimed that obsession with complementary…
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CHF – New Friend of Pharmacy?
The Consumers Health Forum (CHF), not always known for a friendly approach with pharmacy, seems to be moderating its view in recent media releases. Currently, it is calling for the role of a pharmacist in primary health care to be debated. In a recent media release it states: “The Consumers Health Forum says the AMA‟s…
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Magnesium Supplementation Without the “Coke and Fries”
Elderly patients (increasing by the day as “baby boomers” turn 65) are at risk from magnesium deficiency, most commonly when they are taking diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, or both simultaneously. If you need help with your estate planning, you can check it out here! Magnesium deficiencies can also occur in the diet because many pasture…
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Deprescribing – the New Kid on the Block!
When I see words such as “deprescribing” I immediately think of advertising spin and the need to address our “sick” society. And make no mistake, these new spin words are introduced through the medical profession to highlight doctors as “good guys” and pharmacists as “bad guys”. “Deprescribing” is simply overprescribing inappropriately by doctors, directly creating…
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Fighting Quackery
I’m not popular with many cancer patients, particularly those who love their alternative practitioners. Many of us seem to want to believe in voodoo and witchcraft. We will happily throw away hard-earned cash, swallow buckets of pills and submit ourselves to weird and fanciful ceremonies – just because our naturopath, homeopath, chiropractor, intuitive healer or…
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ASMI Media Release – Consumer behaviour expert says Australian consumers want more prescription products as OTC
24 September 2014 – Australia’s system of scheduling medicines means that Australian consumers cannot access several non-prescription medicines over-the-counter (OTC) that are available without a prescription in many other countries, says consumer behaviour expert Professor Scott Koslow. Professor Koslow will present the results of new research on consumers’ current and future potential behaviour in relation…