Lithium is an invaluable and lifesaving treatment for a range of psychiatric disorders, but its origins lie in patent medicine and the pioneering work of an Australian doctor. People have been flocking to hot springs of lithium-heavy water for their...

PSA is hosting a range of events across Australia on Tuesday 25 September, inviting consumers to talk with their pharmacist about medication management, vaccinations, health services and screening. World Pharmacists Day is an initiative of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP),...

A pharmacist-led intervention targeted towards reducing the prevalence of sedative prescription in aged care has reduced antipsychotic prescribing by 13% and that of benzodiazepines by 21%. The University of Tasmania team led by Prof Greg Peterson and Dr Juanita Westbury...

To opt out or not to opt out: what role does a pharmacist have in helping patients make informed decisions about My Health Record? The commencement of the national My Health Record opt-out period has spurred relentless media attention. While...

Following distressing reports of inappropriate medicine use in aged care homes, PSA National President Dr Shane Jackson has welcomed a royal commission into the aged care sector. Announced earlier this week following revelations of poor treatment of older people in...

Geraldine Moses FPS wears many hats. She’s a hospital-based drug information consultant and clinical pharmacist, and provider of the Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) national drug information advisory service, Pharma-Advice. Dr Moses is also an adjunct associate professor at the University...

PSA has called for transformational change in the pharmacy profession within five years. So what could that future state look like? ‘By 2023, pharmacists within the health system will be more highly valued and their role optimised. They will be...

Responsibility for providing the highest level of patient care and safety as possible rests with no single healthcare provider. The best results will always come from collaboration. In August, I hosted a summit with representatives of medical and pharmacy organisations,...

New legislation passed on Monday night introduces mandatory reporting of shortages of all prescription medicines as well as other medicines deemed vital for public health. A medicine will be deemed to be in shortage if there is not enough, or...

Thalidomide’s period of use may have been short but its ramifications have lasted decades, both for people who suffer deformities from its effects and how we now regulate medicines. Like many ‘wonder drugs’ of the 20th century, thalidomide was first...