Medica - Australian Healthcare News and Information

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has developed a tool, called MedsIndex, to help improve compliance with chronic disease medications.

A new tool to help pharmacists prepare for the approaching PBS reforms has been launched.

The National Prescribing Service is encouraging pharmacists to support it’s research of complementary medicines.

Bureau of Statistics figures indictate that the leading underlying cause of death for all Australians is still ischaemic heart diseases, contributing to 18% of all male deaths and 17% of all female deaths registered in 2006.

The National Prescribing Service has advised health professionals to be more aggressive in their management of patients with type 2 diabetes.

A pilot program in the Hunter Valley will involve pharmacists in the management of Australia’s fifth-biggest killer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

New research shows dying from a heart attack is less likely than it was 10 years ago, but the outlook for lung cancer is worse, particularly among women.

The National Prescribing Service has recommended that insomniacs try non-medicine strategies before using Stilnox.

The Australian Democrats have called for over-the-counter availability of the oral contraceptive pill.Debate over the downscheduling of the oral contraceptive pill.

The TGA has decided against re-classifying the sleeping pill Stilnox as a controlled substance….but instead has issued a warning about potential serious side effects.

New research published in the American Journal of Cardiology reports that 83% of patients who experienced muscle related side effects on previous statin therapy for high cholesterol were free of these symptoms after treatment with the prolonged release statin, Lescol XL 80mg.

Pharmacists appear to feel positively towards providing opioid substitution treatment.