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Latest news for Australian Pharmacy
5TH JUNE 2012
WWW.PHARMACYNEWS.COM.AU
Guild backs investigation into Chemist Warehouse ad
NICK O’DONOGHUE
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
has come out in support of a TGA
investigation into Chemist Warehouse’s
controversial “free generic Lipitor”
advertisement.
The ad ran in several mainstream
newspapers over the weekend and has
been criticised by pharmacy bodies,
including the Guild and PSA.
Welcoming the announcement that
the TGA had started an investigation
into possible breaches of advertising
regulations, a Guild spokesperson told
Pharmacy News, it was one of a number
of agencies that could be looking
into ads for discounting prescription
medicines.
“The Guild supports a TGA
investigation, but the TGA is just one of
several agencies that may be looking at
this practice,” the spokesperson said.
While the TGA has announced it has
commenced an investigation into the
advertisement, a spokesperson from the
Department of Health and Ageing said it
welcomed competition in the pharmacy
sector.
“The Government has worked hard
to make medicines more affordable to
consumers,” the spokesperson said.
“That’s why we also welcome
competition on both price and service in
the community pharmacy sector.”
The DoHA spokesperson added that
the price of PBS medicines and the
dispensing fees for those medicines
could be discounted by pharmacies in a
range of situations.
Under the National Health Act 1953,
pharmacies are allowed to compete on
price for prescription medicines in the
following situations:
•
If they are dispensing a
private prescription.
•
When dispensing a PBS
medicine to a general patient when
the Commonwealth Price is below the
general patient co-payment, and the
value recorded against the PBS safety
net does not exceed the amount paid by
the patient.
If a consumer has a PBS prescription
dispensed at a discounted rate during
the promotion, they are still able to have
subsequent repeats dispensed at a later
date under the PBS by any approved
pharmacy, according to the legislation.
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PFIZER DIRECT NOT DETRIMENTAL TO ACCESS: DOHA
NICK O'DONOGHUE
Pfizer’s direct-to-pharmacy
distribution system is not
hampering consumer access to
PBS medicines, according to the
Department of Health and Ageing.
Speaking at a Senate Community
Affairs Committee meeting
last week, David Learmonth,
DoHA deputy secretary, rejected
suggestions that the exclusive
supply arrangements had
diminished the timely supply of
medicines in Australia.
Responding to questions from
Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells,
Mr Learmonth accepted there were
problems with the Pfizer Direct
system, but said they were not
systematic.
“It is fair to say that the Pfizer
distribution system has not been
perfect,” he said.
“Overall, as the minister said,
we are not seeing any evidence of
systematic detriment to access.
“The Consumers Health Forum
is well in touch with grassroots
consumers through their respective
organisations and have not raised
any concerns with us.”
Mr Learmonth told the
committee that the department
investigated reports of flaws in
the system, and said Kim Bessell,
the DoHA’s chief pharmacist,
had visited pharmacies to access
complaints.
“I personally, am reasonably
regularly fed examples of issues
that arise from NPSA (National
Pharmaceutical Services
Association).
“We track all of them down to
try to understand what is going on
in the system. Indeed, I have had
Mr Bessell, our chief pharmacist,
darken the door of a number of
pharmacies, or ring them on the
phone actually to inquire and to
follow through on some of these
issues that arise.”
Patrick Davies, NPSA president,
told Pharmacy News the DoHA
was “not asking the right questions
or ignoring the hundreds of
complaints from pharmacists
who spend their days protecting
customers from the supply issues
caused by the exclusive supply of
Pfizer medicines.”
Pfizer was unable to provide a
comment at the time of publication.
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Conflicts of interest concerning
KATE COWLING
CHEMIST WAREHOUSE AD – LINK
skills and view them as shopkeepers
and not educators”.
The authors also found consumers
were not willing to pay for
pharmacy-based weigh loss services.
Mr Ferguson said their lack of
formal nutrition training and the
invasion of scam marketing products
made some pharmacists unfit to give
trustworthy advice.
“How can you trust someone who
invariably welcomes scam weight
loss products with open arms?” he
said.
TO COMMENT CLICK HERE>
Big discount pharmacies are banking
on high volume and putting pressure
on pharmacists working there who are
concentrating on volume and ignoring
proper counselling which possibly
affects customers' health.
I think Government should put a
limit on, and enforce, the number of
maximum scripts a pharmacist can
dispense on average per day.
It is important to determine
how many scripts a pharmacist can
dispense on an average day with
proper counselling and after advising
patients on primary health care. If that
number for a pharmacist is 100, then
any pharmacy dispensing 600 scripts
per day should employ six full time
pharmacists in that shop for the day.
It will create job opportunities for the
young pharmacists
H Shun
What a surprise. The Guild is not
happy with something the discounters
are doing.
I am not happy either, but I know
what will come of it all. Nothing!!!! At
worst a bit of a frown or maybe a small
fine for violating the spirit of the rules
of the game or some crap like that. The
amount of money the discounters will
make by doing this will supersede any
'wrist-slapping' that they may receive.
Optimus Prime
If we are following the letter of the law,
NHS supplies are not allowed to be
discounted.
That means pensioners will have to
pay their fees.
If it is to be processed as a private
script then any repeats will have to
be dispensed as privates and they will
have to pay.
Now general patients, again if
dispensed as NHS, should be paying
the NHS price and hence get safety net
records. If they are dispensed as private
then patients are not entitled to safety
net provisions and technically should
not be using NHS stationery at all.
Let’s see if Medicare has any teeth
and polices this properly.
Jim T
NE
W
Consumers are increasingly sceptical
of pharmacists’ motives when it
comes to the sale of weight loss
products, a new study reveals.
Tony Ferguson, pharmacy
weight loss expert, told Pharmacy
News, customers were right to be
suspicious, saying a “catalogue
mentality” is responsible for poor
nutrition knowledge and unethical
marketing.
The research, published in the
journal, Health Expectations, found
only 36 per cent of consumers
would consider asking pharmacists
for advice about weight loss in the
future, with concerns over potential
conflicts of interest the primary
reason.
“Some consumers described how
a pharmacist’s advice, which should
be honest and professional, may be
biased in order to profit from the sale
of products,” authors said.
Of the remaining consumers who
would not turn to a pharmacist for
advice, “many do not recognise the
extent of pharmacists’ training and
COMMENTS
Introducing
For dosage instructions, warnings, precautions, contraindications and side effects refer to the Product Information (PI). Full PI is available from the manufacturer Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Advil Children’s Chewable Tablets contain Ibuprofen 100mg per tablet. Advil Infant’s Suspension contains Ibuprofen in suspension 40mg/mL. Advil Children’s Suspension contains Ibuprofen in suspension 100mg/5mL.
Reference: 1. Summary of data on file. Pelen F, et al., Annales de pediatrie 1998.
Pfizer Australia Pty Limited ABN 50 008 422 348
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NE
W
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With Australia’s first
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From Advil. The world’s No.
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For dosage instructions, warnings, precautions, contraindications and side effects refer to the Product Information (PI).
Full PI is available from the manufacturer Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Advil Children’s Chewable Tablets contain Ibuprofen 100mg per tablet. Advil Infant’s Suspension contains Ibuprofen in suspension 40mg/mL. Advil Children’s Suspension contains Ibuprofen in suspension 100mg/5mL.
IMS World ranking for Analgesics, June 2011. Summary of data on file. Pelen F, et al., Annales de pediatrie 1998.
*
Pfizer Australia Pty Limited ABN 50 008 422 348
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