Thursday 12 July 2012

Pharmacy Daily Thursday 12th July 2012 T 1300 799 220 W www.pharmacydaily.com.au page 1

Today in Pharmacy PHARMACY Daily is sporting twopages jam packed with the latestpharmacy news, plus a full pagefrom Instigo promoting itsPharmacy Catalyst as a completepharmacy solution, comprising aretail & buying group, LifeClubloyalty solution, retail consulting,staff training, marketing andprofessional services, see p3.

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UNAPPROVED pharmacies maydispense medicines listed on thePharmaceutical Benefits Schemeand RPBS, but only as non-PBS(private) supplies, according to thePharmacy Board of Australia. The ruling is outlined in a newFact Sheet produced by thePharmacy Board which outlines toall pharmacists the consequencesfor consumers in relation topharmaceutical benefitsentitlements when obtainingsupply from an unapprovedpharmacy and whenswitching between PBS andnon-PBS (private) supply. An unapproved pharmacy isdefined as a pharmacy which islicensed to operate as a pharmacybusiness, but is not authorised tosupply pharmaceutical benefits anddoes not have a PBS PharmacyApproval Number. The Fact Sheet stipulates that if apatient chooses to have aprescription that is eligible to besupplied on the PBS/RPBS, filled atan unapproved pharmacy thepayment made for that medicinewill not count towards the patient’sPBS Safety Net Threshold. In addition the patient cannotelect to “switch” any subsequentrepeats on that prescription to besupplied under the PBS/RPBS. As such, once an unapprovedpharmacy is used to dispense avalid PBS/RPBS prescription, thatsupply, and all subsequent repeats,must be supplied as non-PBS(private) supplies. Conversely if an approved

pharmacy is always used todispense an original PBS/RPBSprescription, and any subsequentrepeats, patients may choose to“switch” between PBS/RPBS andprivate dispensing at any time. Other restrictions for patientsusing unapproved pharmacies todispense PBS/RPBS approvedmedications, mean that they willnot be able to obtain a refund fromDHS-Medicare for any amount paidover and above the PBS copaymentfor a medicine. “If your customer wants theremaining repeats on theprescription that was previouslydispensed by an unapprovedpharmacy to be dispensed underthe PBS/RPBS, your customer willneed to go back to their prescriberand ask for a new prescription,” theBoard said. “The new prescription will thenneed to be taken to an approvedpharmacy for dispensing under thePBS/RPBS,” the Board added.

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Labelling consultation THE Therapeutic GoodsAdministration is remindinginterested parties that theconsultation period for its medicinelabelling and packaging review isclosing on 24 August. The consultation coversrecommendations to change thepresentation of information on thelabels and packages of medicines. The recommendations coverproducts purchased from asupermarket or a pharmacywithout a prescription, or productspurchased following a consultationwith a health professional, usuallywith a prescription. See www.tga.gov.au.

DMAA on Schedule 9 THE delegate of the Secretary ofthe Department of Health andAgeing has made an interimdecision on the scheduling of 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA). The delegate has proposed thatfrom 01 August 2012 DMAA be listedin Schedule 9 of the Standard forthe Uniform Scheduling ofMedicines and Poisons (SUSMP). For details see www.tga.gov.au.

Surgery in Australia OVER a quarter of allhospitalisations in Australiabetween 2010-11 resulted in anoperation, according to the latestdata from the Australian Instituteof Health and Welfare. The report found that during2010-11 around 1 million surgeryhospitalisations occurred in publichospitals and 1.4 million in privatehospitals. In addition, the AIHW said that inthe five years to 2011 admissionsinvolving surgery rose 2.4% perannum in public hospitals and 4.1%per annum in private hospitals. This trend however alteredslightly in 2010-11 with the annualgrowth in surgery admissions inpublic hospitals outstripping theannual growth in private hospitals2.7% to 2.1%. “This probably reflects a renewedemphasis by all levels ofgovernment to reduce electivesurgery backlogs in publichospitals,” said AIHW spokespersonAlison Verhoeven.

Unapproved Board rules

EDITORS Bruce Piper and Amanda Collins EMAIL info@pharmacydaily.com.au ADVERTISING Magda Herdzik EMAIL advertising@pharmacydaily.com.au page 2

Thursday 12 July 2012

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WELCOME to Pharmacy Daily’stravel feature. Each week we

highlight a couple of great traveldeals for the pharmacy industry,

brought to you by Dettol.

Travel Specials

When you travel it’s important to take enough of your regular medications with you. Also pack Dettol Healthy Touch Hand Sanitiserfor convenience to help stop the spread of germs.www.germhub.com.au

Pharmacy leader sleeps on the streets

CATHIE Reid, CEO of APHSPackaging spent a night sleepingrough on the streets in a bid to helpraise funds for the homeless. Joined by 150 other beanie cladbusiness leaders at the annualVinnies CEO Sleepout, Reid saidthat as mental illness is often acontributing factor to homelessness,it was important to her, as arepresentative of the pharmacy andhealth sectors, to help raiseawareness of the issue in Australia. “The Vinnies CEO Sleepout hasreally opened my eyes to thegrowing number of homelesspeople in Brisbane – in particularthe growing number of women and

children who find themselves incircumstances where they have noroof over their head,” she said. “I hope my brief encountersleeping in the open helps makeme a better ambassador for thosewho sleep rough every night andwho lack, not only a place to callhome, but a voice,” she added. For her efforts, APHS staff,suppliers, customers andstakeholders helped Reid raisemore than $10,000 for St Vincentde Paul homeless services, doubleher target. Reid is pictured above rugged upand ready for a cold evening on thestreets.

Dementia needs funding OVER half of all Australiansmistake the symptoms of dementiafor being a normal part of ageing,according to a new Newspoll survey. According to the survey, nearlyone in five Australians said that if afamily member had memory loss orconfusion they would think it was anatural part of ageing, whilst 10%of people aged 19-34 toldresearchers that they never heardof Alzheimer’s disease. Discussing the survey, ItaButtrose, President of Alzheimer’sAustralia, said that worrying resultsreflected a lack of awareness andstigma surrounding dementia,which can lead to social exclusionnot only for people with dementia,but also their carers and families,along with delays in seekingmedical help. “Dementia research is grossly

underfunded in relation to healthand care costs, disability burdenand prevalence compared to otherchronic diseases,” Buttrose said. “We want to get the messageacross that as a society we can beatdementia in the same way we havetackled HIV/Aids, cancer and heartdisease,” she said. As such, Alzheimer’s Australia isadvocating for an increase of $200min government investment forresearch, which it says would beequivalent of 1% of the total cost ofcare. “And what could be more positivethan the next stage of ourcampaign to invest in research andstart working now towards a worldwithout dementia,” Buttrose said. “It is an ambitious goal, but onewhich I know is worth fighting for,”she added.

ADVENTURE World hasreleased early bird specials forAustralian love birds planningtheir Cook Islands wedding,including a five night escapeincluding return flights from only$999 per person. The deal includes five nightsaccommodation for the price ofthree in a luscious garden roomat the Edgewater Resort & Spa,return economy flights with AirNew Zealand, airport taxes,return airport transfers and atropical breakfast daily. In addition, couples can add aTipani Wedding Package forbookings of a minimum of fivenights at the Edgewater Resort,and will receive a 50% discount. The Tipani Wedding Packageincludes a beachside weddingceremony overlooking the resortlagoon, a personal weddingplanner, marriage license andcertificate, transfers to andfrom the registry office andservices of a celebrant or minister. Call 1300 320 795.

BENTOURS is offering a 20%discount on a 13-day voyagethrough Antarctica in November. Priced from $6,335pp for Novdepartures, the voyage includesone night accom in Ushuaia withbrekkie, 11 nights and all mealsonboard, lectures and aneducation program, landings andcruises in Antarctica. Call 1800 221 712.

LUCKY escape. A British man has walked awayfrom a car crash that could havevery easily ended his life, withonly a few scrapes and bruises. The man’s girlfriend was drivingthe car when it crashed through afence surrounding the home ofpensioner Howard Hamilton. The event was captured byHamilton’s security camera andshows the car slam through thefence almost tipping sideways inthe process and throwing theman six feet out of the car via thevehicle’s sunroof. Despite the violence of theaccident, the man simply rolledover, dusted himself off andstood up. “It was like something out of apolice action film,” saidHamilton. “Somebody could have easilybeen killed if they had walkingby,” he added. To view the clip CLICK HERE.

LOOKING to retire? Got a spare$4.5 million? If you are interested in leavingthe pharmacy behind for lazydays of relaxation on your ownprivate island, then $4.5 millioncould make your dream a reality. The island, for sale in Scotland,measures 260 acres, and is aptlynamed ‘King’s Island’ or ‘EilaenRigh’. Located a mere 320 metresfrom the Scottish mainland, theisland can only be accessed byboat, plane or helicopter andcomes replete with a fourbedroom house, a boat house anobservatory, and its very ownhelipad. For nature lovers, the islandhas its own troupe of deer whichswim across from the mainlandto enjoy its delights, and is alsofrequented by dolphins, otters,sea eagles and ospreys. The current owner is formerGoldman Sachs partner ChristianSiva-Jothy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HEREhttp://www.instigo.com.au/

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