Blog
24/7 Pharmacies
The Victorian State Government in Australia has committed $28.7m over the next four years to fund the establishment and running of 20 super pharmacies. The pharmacies will operate 7 days a week 24 hours a day and will employ a nurse to be on hand from 6pm to 10pm for...
Pain Relief and Pharmacy
Where do you go when you need pain relief medication? What is your initial thought? An interesting survey conducted in 2014 by Roy Morgan Research found that 48% of Australian consumers used pharmacies as the most common point of purchase followed by supermarkets at...
Revoked or Suspended Licence?
You have just been informed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that they will be suspending your Wholesale Dealers Authorisation (WDA). You are in a panic as you realise you have to cease all trading immediately. Other implications...
Distance Selling Pharmacies: Providing Enhanced and Advanced Services
One question we get asked time and time again with regard to Distance Selling Pharmacies is can you provide Enhanced and Advanced services from the premises? The answer is yes! But……. Although distance-selling pharmacies may provide advanced and/or enhanced services...
Customers?
‘Who is our customer?’ sounds like a silly question. Someone walks into my pharmacy presenting a prescription, it’s obvious isn’t it? Well yes and no, if the prescription is for that person then they certainly are a customer, but if the person is the patient’s...
Get in right first time!
Despite the exception from the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for new Distance Selling Pharmacy contracts, the application process is a tricky one and unless every detail is thought through you could be opening yourself up to representations being made against...
Are you wholesaling in the USA?
So how do you do your bona fides checks on new customers and new suppliers? Do you know where your medicines are being exported to or ending up and what responsibilities do you have? News this week of the FDA sending marshalls into a pharmaceuticals company and...
The move towards automation in Australia
As pharmacies grow and become starter and integrate technology into the dispensing process, robotics pharmacies like Willach will continue to grow. Statistics released this week from Willach show that they are on track to have 800 systems installed in Australia by...
Is it time to trust each other and work together?
As some vaccinations moved to delivery through the community pharmacy network, GP groups are vocal in opposing such a move. Doctors are on record stating that pharmacists were not trained for appropriate counselling and what to do in the event of adverse reactions. ...
Data, Privacy and Cloud Storage
In a recent Government tender for a report on the National Medical Stockpile, the Government has stated that all data must remain within the boundaries of Australia. National security was cited as the main issue. Therefore, tenderers would need to consider where...
E-Cigarettes: any health benefits?
As usage of e-cigarettes rise and they are continually being marketed as a method to aid quitting, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has issued a statement stating there is “insufficient evidence” whether the devices helped people quit or were...
The ‘Ice’ epidemic and tackling it from the pharmacy side
The drug ‘Ice’ is all over the news here in Australia as recent figures show a doubling in its use over the last 12 months. It is a destructive highly addictive amphetamine and concern is a point where appropriate funding is being sought within the budget to protect...