News
Opioids have minimal benefit in low back pain
New research from The George Institute for Global Health and the University of Sydney has found that opioid painkillers, commonly used in low back pain, provide minimal benefit. The findings …
Pharmacist pleads guilty to poisoning assistant
A NSW pharmacist has pleaded guilty to charges of repeatedly putting drugs in a pharmacy assistant’s drinks while at work. Yan Chi “Anthony” Cheung, 33, appeared before Waverley Local Court …
Barriers to e-cigarettes in smoking cessation
Australia needs to reconsider the ways it manages reducing smoking rates, including allowing some e-cigarettes to be sold legally, says an expert on substance abuse – but another expert has …
Reader reaction
Pharmacists fire up over low wages claim Readers have reacted to recent stories claiming that pharmacy graduates have some of the lowest wages of any profession, and the potential for …
Pharmacy bowel screens pass the test
Convenience trumps faecal aversion when it comes to bowel cancer screening, according to a new CSIRO-led study. While blood-based screening averts the need for faecal testing – which many can …
AUST L requirements encourage ‘shonky products’
Monash University’s Dr Ken Harvey has highlighted issues around the AUST L listing on complementary medicines, which consumers do not understand well, he says, as well as the process for …
Tobacco price rise helps, not harms, the poor
Instead of a regressive policy which targets the poor, the ongoing rise in tobacco excise benefits the poor more than it does the rich, say experts. Public health physician Dr …
Huge gaps in understanding paracetamol harm: study
A study of adults who had recently purchased children’s paracetamol has indicated that many people don’t know basic information about the commonly used medicine. Presented at last week’s National Medicines …
PBS copay, safety net rise to persist if Coalition returned: Ley
The increased PBS copayment and Safety Net amounts remain Coalition policy and will be revisited should the Turnbull Government be returned, Health Minister Sussan Ley says. The Prime Minister yesterday …
Guild, PSA welcome Labor PBS plan
Pharmacy stakeholders have welcomed Labor’s announcement that if elected, it will scrap the Turnbull Liberal Government’s cuts to the PBS. Labor says this will ensure that there will be no …
PBS price hike on the skids: ALP
The ALP plans to scrap the Coalition’s controversial plan to increase PBS prices if elected on 2 July. The move, flagged in the 2014 Abbott/Hockey budget, has been stalled in …
Pharmacy grads the lowest earners
Oversupply of pharmacists depressing salaries, union believes Graduates in pharmacy earn the lowest of all higher education graduates within the first several months of finishing their degrees, new data indicates. …