Pharmacy Daily Tuesday 28th June 2011 T 1300 799 220 W www.pharmacydaily.com.au page 1

Tuesday 28 June 2011

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Patients not CVD aware A RECENT survey conducted byMerck has revealed that four out offive diabetes patientsunderestimate their risk of heartdisease and stroke. According to researchers, onlyone out of five surveyed listedheart attack/failure and stroke astheir biggest worry regardingdiabetes complications. The survey also found that 40% ofphysicians surveyed underestimatedthe number of patients who diefrom cardiovascular disease. “Heart disease is the leadingcause of death among people withtype 2 diabetes,” said Dr GeorgeGrunberger from the GrunbergerDiabetes Institute. “There is a need for morecommunication between patientsand physicians about the heartdisease risks associated withdiabetes,” he added.

Adcetris approval THE European Medicines Agencyhas approved TakedaPharmaceuticals’ Adcetris(brentuximab vedotin) for thetreatment of relapsed or refractoryHodgkin lymphoma and relapsedor refractory systemic anaplasticlarge cell lymphoma.

UQ partners with Pfizer AUSTRALIA may become thegroundbreaker in peptide-basedmedicines for the treatment ofmajor diseases, following analignment between researchers atthe University of Queensland anddrug giant Pfizer. The partnership, made possibleby a $2.5m grant from the AustralianResearch Institute as well as $2.4mfrom Pfizer, will see ProfessorsDavid Craik and David Fairlie fromthe UNQ’s Institute for MolecularBioscience work with Pfizer todevelop a new generation ofmedicines that will bridge the gapbetween existing orally bioavailable

small molecules and injectablebiotherapeutics by delivering a newgeneration of orally activetherapies for diabetes andcardiovascular disease and that willhelp overcome the limitations ofexisting treatments. “We are engineering new types ofmolecules based on peptides andproteins that are stable enough tobe taken orally, yet sufficiently largeto be target-specific and helplessen the side effects seen withsmall molecules,” Professors Craikand Fairlie said. “This project will provide afundamental understanding for thedevelopment of new classes ofmedicines with the potential to treata range of diseases,” they added. Speaking on behalf of Pfizer, DrDan Grant Head of ExternalResearch & DevelopmentInnovation (Australia, New Zealandand Singapore) said that peptideresearch is one of the mostpromising fields in thedevelopment of the new medicines. “The discovery of these innovativetherapies may dramatically improvethe quality of life for hundreds ofthousands of Australian diabetessufferers,” he said.

New AusPARs THE TGA has published newAustralian Public AssessmentReports for prescription medicines(AusPARs) on its website. The new AusPARs relate toBristol-Myers Squibb Australia’sOrencia (abatacept) and Helex-A’sOralair Sublingual Tablets (AllergenPollen Extract of 5 Grasses). Other new AusPARs includeBiogen Idec Australia’s Ferriccarboxymaltose (Fampridine) andInvida Australia’s Sancuso(Granisetron).

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EDITORS Bruce Piper and Amanda Collins EMAIL info@pharmacydaily.com.au ADVERTISING Lisa Maroun EMAIL advertising@pharmacydaily.com.au page 2

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Weekly Comment

Don’t miss out on PPIs!THIS coming Thursday 30 Jun isthe LAST CHANCE for communitypharmacies to maximise thebenefits offered by PharmacyPractice Incentives (PPIs). From 1 July, communitypharmacies all over Australia canaccess a range of PPIs, whichreward pharmacies for theirdelivery of quality health services. Importantly, though, eligiblepharmacies – that is, quality-accredited Sect ion 90 pharmaciesthat agree to adhere to anddisplay the pat ient charter –registering by 30 June will alsoreceive signif icant once-only start-up payments for three of the sixPPI priority areas. It was announced recently (PD24 Jun) that the total value of thestart-up payments has beensignificantly increased. The total amount for the threestart-up payments, based onregistration uptake, has now beenconfirmed at $8070. If your community pharmacy isalready quality-accredited but hasnot yet registered for PPIs thenyou must hurry to ensure that yourpharmacy receives maximumbenefit from the PPI start-uppayments. Visit www.5cpa.com.au or phone1300 555 262 to register.

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New malaria drug THE European Medicines Agencyhas recommended the approval ofa new malaria treatment, Eurartesim. The fixed combination drugconsists of dihydroartemisinin andpiperaquine phosphate andintended for the treatment ofuncomplicated Plasmodiumfalciparum malaria in adults,children and infants aged 6 monthsor over and weighing 5 kg or more.

Breast concerns ACCORDING to a US report,exposure to certain householdchemicals early in life may disruptthe development of the mammarygland, and may cause problemswith breast development,producing breast milk, and couldultimately lead to breast cancer inboth men and women. The study, conducted by the USNational Institutes for EnvironmentalHealth Sciences, the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency as well as theSilent Spring institute, called fortougher testing standards in thechemical industry, to include thepossible effects on early mammarygland development. Chemicals under the studymicroscope included pesticidessuch as atrazine, fatty food dioxins,bisphenol A (found in waterbottles and some canned foods),flame retarding polybrominateddiphenyl ether and nonylphenolwhich is found in laundry detergent.

Non-contagious kills more MORE people worldwide die fromnon-contagious diseases thancommunicable diseases andinfections, according to a newstudy conducted by the UnitedNations and released this week. Four main conditions: cancer,diabetes, heart and lung diseasehave arisen as the main killer oftwo-thirds of the world’spopulation, outstripping otherdiseases such as HIV. UN Secretary-General Ban KiMoon said the diseases “have

emerged relatively unnoticed inthe developing world and are nowbecoming a global epidemic.” Researchers found that in 200863% (36m) of worldwide deathswere due to a non-contagiousdisease, around 80% of which werefrom the developing world. The main factors responsible forthe quartet’s dominance,according to the UN, includesmoking, unhealthy dietary habits,alcohol abuse, and lack of physicalactivity. Other factors include an ageingpopulation, trade globalisation andincreasing urbanisation. Worryingly, UN researchers,using current projections, estimatethat by 2030 cancer, diabetes andheart and lung cancer will claimthe lives of around 52 millionpeople worldwide each year. “No health problem in thehistory of the world has ever goneso hidden, misunderstood andunder-recorded,” said John Seffrin,CEO of the American CancerSociety, responding to the report.

A USE for all that sink collected hair. An inventive Aussie farmer,Jonathon Arkins, has found a wayto outwit foxes looking to prey onhis lambs, by stuffing stockingswith human hair. According to reports, Arkinsdevised the idea after predatorsdevastated his flocks last year. To achieve fox-free flocks,Arkins collects hair fromhairdressing salons, stuffs it intostockings and ties the stockingsto fence posts which surroundhis lambing ewes and lambs. So far Arkins has said thestockings have worked, with theirhuman scent keeping foxes out ofhis paddocks. “Foxes hate the smell ofhumans,” he said.

SOLVING sleepless nights. London’s Crowne Plaza ishoping to offer its guests a quietnight’s sleep, by trialling a ‘SnoreAbsorption Room’, for snorersand their suffering partners. To create the rooms, CrownPlaza, has used egg-shell foamand a sound absorbing headboard. Guests also enjoy an anti-snoring pillow, as well as a devicewhich encourages the snorer tosleep on their side. “We’ve all been there - lyingwide awake at three o’clock inthe morning burying our headunder a pillow to drown out ourpartner’s snoring,” said a hotelthe spokesperson.

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