Editorial
Welcome to the March edition of i2P – Information to Pharmacists.
You may have noiticed if you receive i2P by email, that we have simplified our mail out presentation.
This was because the code in our earlier version appeared to be too unstable to maintain, hence the simpler presentation.
Columns
Rollo Manning: Pharma-Goss
John Dunlop: Inside NZ
Loretta Marron BSc: Health Watch
Barry Urquhart: Marketing Focus
Harvey Mackay: Strategic Thinking
Mark Neuenschwander: I`ve been thinking about...Recent Comments
Past Editions
Volume 1 Number 1
Volume 1 Number 2
Volume 1 Number 3
Volume 1 Number 4
Volume 1 Number 5
Volume 1 Number 6
Volume 1 Number 7
Volume 2 Number 1
Volume 2 Number 2
Pharma News
Staff Writer: SIGMA Pharmaceuticals suspends share trading before release of revised earnings outlookHospital News
Health Politics
Pat Gallagher: Health Informatics - The State of the Nation
Peter Sayers: The Three-Ring Circus
Dr David More: e-Health IdentifiersEPublications
ASMI Media Releases for February 2010
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Information and news from the Australian Self Medication Industry provided by Bob Bowden, Foresight Communications. Contact him on (02) 9241 2811 or 0412 753 298. | |
About ASMI: The Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI) is the peak industry body for the Australian self care industry representing consumer healthcare products including over-the-counter medicines and complementary medicines. ASMI’s mission is to promote better health through responsible self-care. This means ensuring that safe and effective self-care products are readily available to all Australians at a reasonable cost. ASMI works to encourage responsible use by consumers and an increasing role for cost-effective self-medication products as part of the broad national health strategy. www.asmi.com.au
18 February 2010
End of an era as Juliet Seifert plans to step down as Executive Director of ASMI
The President of the Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI), Mr Ralf Dahmen today extended his gratitude to longstanding ASMI Executive Director, Ms Juliet Seifert who has advised that she will be retiring from the position in August.
“Juliet has been at the helm of ASMI and its predecessor for almost 21 years and is one of the most highly respected figures in the healthcare industry,” Mr Dahmen said.
“I would like to express my sincere thanks to Juliet for her outstanding contribution to the industry over many years. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues and members of ASMI,” he said.
Ms Seifert has decided to stand down as Executive Director for personal reasons and will spend a period of time away from the industry with her immediate family. She joined the Proprietary Association of Australia - the forerunner to ASMI - in 1989.
“Juliet’s leadership qualities and her vision for the industry have transformed the way that we do business and helped establish the over-the-counter medicines industry as a key player in the healthcare sector,” Mr Dahmen said.
“I know that I speak for her many colleagues and friends in wishing her all the very best for the future.”
Ms Seifert said: “I am proud of our record of achievement in building ASMI into a credible and influential force in the consumer healthcare products sector.
“I believe we have established a strong industry voice with links to a wide range of professional and consumer organisations as well as key government policy making committees, while significantly expanding the range and breadth of services to members.
“I would like to thank ASMI members, industry colleagues and my team at the ASMI secretariat for the dedication and support that has made this possible,” Ms Seifert said.
The new Executive Director will be Dr Deon Schoombie, currently designated Deputy Executive Director of ASMI. He has been Scientific Director of ASMI since mid 2004.
Dr Schoombie is a general medical practitioner with a long history of experience in the pharmaceutical industry including in public policy, advertising, marketing and regulatory issues. He has also worked in international medical publishing and hospital management and has undertaken post graduate training in traditional Chinese medicine.
“I am honoured to be taking on this role and excited at the prospect of being able to represent ASMI members at a time of significant change in the health sector,” Dr Schoombie said.
“We face a number of opportunities in ensuring that Australians have appropriate access to safe, effective and affordable non-prescription medicines.
“There is significant scope for broader adoption of policies to encourage consumer self care, particularly in relation to minor ailments, chronic conditions and preventative health.
“Better access to medicines also entails the appropriate down scheduling of prescription medicines to non-prescription status, while enabling consumers to better utilize the services of pharmacists as a first point of call for some minor ailments,” he said.
Dr Schoombie will take up the post of Executive Director when Ms Seifert formally steps down in August.
9 February 2010
Training programs in the advertising of therapeutic goods
A series of information seminars is to be held around Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code Council (TGACC), in which the opportunities and pitfalls associated with advertising of therapeutic goods to consumers will be fully explored.
“Therapeutic goods have a special place in the world of advertising and are governed by a range of regulatory controls, including the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code,” said Ms Judith Brimer, Executive Officer of the TGACC.
“These forums explain what can and can’t be done in line with all of the requirements for responsible marketing and advertising of therapeutic goods.”
The seminars are essential for organizations advertising to consumers, and cover medical devices and self medication products, i.e. Over-The-Counter and complementary medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamin and mineral supplements, homeopathic medicines and traditional medicines.
These seminars also benefit all people working in the media, as consumer advocates, regulatory and marketing staff, healthcare professionals, advertising agencies, government and retailers.
Presenters and trainers are those working at the coal face in the advertising arena including the TGACC, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI), and the Complementary Healthcare Council (CHC).
The seminars will be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane between March and June and consist of a one-day introductory seminar covering the fundamentals of therapeutic advertising, as well as a half-day advanced course for those who have previously attended the one-day seminar.
The “Fundamentals” seminar covers the essential elements of the three levels of advertising controls – regulation, co-regulation and self-regulation. The key aspects of the system, including the application of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code, the approvals process and complaint resolution mechanisms, are explained.
The “Advanced” seminar has a strong regulatory focus and is of benefit to those seeking more detailed knowledge about structuring of submissions and responses.
To view the seminars or to register, visit: www.tgacc.com.au/events
4 February 2010
‘Minor ailments’ strategy needed to ease GP waiting lists and generate savings to health budget, says ASMI budget submission
The Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI), the industry body representing non-prescription consumer healthcare products, today proposed measures to generate long term savings to health budgets by redirecting some minor ailments away from overstretched GPs.
In its budget submission released today, ASMI proposes a health education and awareness program to highlight the choices available to consumers with minor ailments such as using the pharmacist as a first point of contact.
The Executive Director of the Australian Self-Medication, Juliet Seifert said, “It’s a question of whether in a 21st century health system, people need to physically visit an overburdened GP for such things as coughs colds and sore throats. These changes would allow doctors to apply their skills and training to best use in treating more serious conditions as well as to longer term preventative health,” Ms Seifert said.
The proposal has been supported by one of Australia’s leading health experts, Dr Tony Hobbs, a NSW-based GP and former Chair of the External Reference Group for the National Primary Health Care Strategy.
“We need a primary health care system that better encourages and supports people to look after themselves. This will require more resources committed to improve health literacy levels and to support people with chronic illnesses to self-manage their conditions more effectively.
“Important enablers of this agenda will be a primary healthcare system that allows more effective use of interactions with community pharmacy, general practice and allied health providers with timely, secure sharing of information between providers.”
The scale of minor ailments was highlighted in the December 2009 ‘Bettering the Evaluating and Care of Health’ (BEACH) report, a joint study into general practice by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and the University of Sydney. It showed that of the 30 most common ‘Reasons for Encounter’ with a GP, a total of 19 or 63 per cent comprised symptoms such as cough, throat and back complaints, and rash.
A separate study, commissioned by ASMI and conducted in 2008 by international health industry consultants, IMS, found that 15% of all GP consultations involve the treatment of minor ailments, and 7% involve the treatment of minor ailments alone. When projected nationally it equates to a total of 25 million GP consultations annually, or approximately 96,000 consultations per day. Approximately 59% of minor ailments resulted in a prescription, suggesting almost 15 million prescriptions being provided for minor ailments.
Building on that study, health economist, David Gadiel, has estimated that the top 10 minor ailments alone take up as much as 7% of Australia’s GP workforce - the full time equivalent of up to 1,000 GPs. He also estimates some $260 million in ‘waste and resource misallocation’ as a result of Medicare benefits associated with GP treatment of minor ailments.
ASMI has proposed the development of a program to promote education and awareness about the choices available to consumers before presenting to a GP with a minor ailment. In the initial phase, the program should have a focus on the most prevalent minor ailments, notably upper respiratory tract infections and back pain, ahead of a later stage which could move to other disorders.
The program would focus on measures to improve health literacy to enable people to recognise self-limiting minor ailments and help them to navigate the health system, for instance, by promoting pharmacy as the first port of call for such cases. The program should provide for the development of a ‘self care in practice’ booklet, website and related collateral to be made available to consumers and healthcare professionals through schools, pharmacies, GPs and practice nurses.
Dr Hobbs said that an important part of empowering people to self-manage their conditions is consideration of better access to medications. “The appropriate down-scheduling of more medications from prescription-only to over the counter availability would facilitate this happening. We should be informed by the developments in other OECD countries in this area,” he said.
Ms Seifert said that even if it were possible to achieve the modest target of some 20% of GP consultations for minor ailments shifting to self care, that would translate into some 20,000 fewer GP consultations daily.
To view the ASMI Budget Submission visit: www.asmi.com.au
About ASMI: The Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI) is the peak industry body for the Australian self care industry representing consumer healthcare products including over-the-counter medicines and complementary medicines. ASMI’s mission is to promote better health through responsible self-care. This means ensuring that safe and effective self-care products are readily available to all Australians at a reasonable cost. ASMI works to encourage responsible use by consumers and an increasing role for cost-effective self-medication products as part of the broad national health strategy. www.asmi.com.au
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