Pharmacy Debate & News

After completing my first year of Pharmacy, I thought it would be interesting to hear from medical students / other health allied students their opinions on these current topics that are currently debated in pharmacy schools.

Debates:

1. Should a Pharmacist have the right to prescribe? Yes or No?
- This is an action which may be enforced in the later future, but we are not sure of the rights the pharmacist will have yet. There will be some protocol to it for e.g a patient has been prescribed a certain medication for a long period of time but his/her prescription expires. A pharmacist may soon have a right to prescribe a new one without having to send the patient back to the doctor. I personally would say no for many factors, but I thought it would be nice to hear your thoughts/opinions.

2. Should people without a pharmacy degree be able to open up a Pharmacy?
My response. No Thanks.

3. Should a Pharmacy be opened/ integrated within a supermarket?

4. Should the SUSDP (The Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs & Poisons ) be changed to SUSMP (Medicines & Poisons) ? - I think it was changed due to the bad connotations of "drugs" as well other factors which I am currently unaware of. This changed officially on the 1st of July 2010 *sad face*.

Pharmacy News:

+ The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has welcomed the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) announcement of a national registration and accreditation system for health professionals. Nine health professions, including pharmacy, will be subject to the new system. “A national registration system will ensure that registered pharmacists can practise anywhere in Australia." This occurred on the 1st July 2010.

1. Should a Pharmacist have the right to prescribe? Yes or No?

Absolutely, pharmacists know drugs. I know our pharmacist back home frequently rings the doctor/hospital and changes the prescription, or suggests a better one. They know what they're doing. A friend of mine told me around intern time at the hospital, the pharmacist often has to ring up the hospital and tell the intern that the prescription will kill the patient.

The degree of how much they can prescribe, I'm not sure about.

2. Should people without a pharmacy degree be able to open up a Pharmacy?

umm no... sounds like they just want to make money...

3. Should a Pharmacy be opened/ integrated within a supermarket?

meh

4. Should the SUSDP (The Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs & Poisons ) be changed to SUSMP (Medicines & Poisons) ? - I think it was changed due to the bad connotations of "drugs" as well other factors which I am currently unaware of. This changed officially on the 1st of July 2010 *sad face*.

Yes, typically drugs means illicit drugs. I try to change this frequently saying "I'm on drugs" when I have cough medicine, but people still look shocked. Medicines can kill people. I think its important for people to remember that when they take their panadol.

I think I debated the pharmacy ownership point two or so COAG meetings a go, arguing as well that supermarkets should not own pharmacies, but I was debating with Kyle and he argued much more convincingly than I did. Essentail premise being that, yes, supermarkets are just out their to make money but, look at all the discount chemists etc, how are they any different to a supermarket model. Pharmacists are just out to make money too.

I really couldn't mount a convincing argument against this.

Originally Posted by Matt

I think I debated the pharmacy ownership point two or so COAG meetings a go, arguing as well that supermarkets should not own pharmacies, but I was debating with Kyle and he argued much more convincingly than I did. Essentail premise being that, yes, supermarkets are just out their to make money but, look at all the discount chemists etc, how are they any different to a supermarket model. Pharmacists are just out to make money too.

I really couldn't mount a convincing argument against this.

One scenario is supermarkets would make pharmacies a monopoly, kill off all the independents, and in the long term pharmaceuticals could be of greater expense to the community.

I just don't like the fact that I could buy my food like fruit and veggies as well as medications in the same shop :P It looses that whole health professional aspect to Pharmacy. Though in NZ I did see a pharmacy integrated within Woolworths. Within the woolworths entrance just infront of the checkouts and it didnt give a nice impression to me. It didnt seem a great place to put it/ give that " im in the best care". Under law a Pharmacist would have to own it anyway. Supermarkets already sell complementary medications. I guess it just depends where the line will be drawn in the near future.

Originally Posted by NoobyMcNooberton

One scenario is supermarkets would make pharmacies a monopoly, kill off all the independents, and in the long term pharmaceuticals could be of greater expense to the community.

Arguably this is already happenign with the 'warehouse' pharmacies. They're very hard to compete with for an independent! Futher, it's very much more expensive to buy pharmaceuticals from smaller independents, the idea being you pay for better personalised-service, which is, of course, debatable.

Hutcherson, you and all other pharmacy-types have a huge conflict of interest that shouldn't go unnoticed.

Originally Posted by Matt

Arguably this is already happenign with the 'warehouse' pharmacies. They're very hard to compete with for an independent! Futher, it's very much more expensive to buy pharmaceuticals from smaller independents, the idea being you pay for better personalised-service, which is, of course, debatable.

Hutcherson, you and all other pharmacy-types have a huge conflict of interest that shouldn't go unnoticed.

For sure, your dead right. A lot of the independents would run at a loss if they were to even match prices with the "warehouse" chains. However, many independents now run as franchises to gain buying power. Much alike Independent Grocer's of Australia (IGA).

I suppose you could argue that the sheer size, financial backing and market dominance of large supermarket chains are a completely different story when compared to the current "warehouse" chains.

Well, either way, if your argument goes on price the big supermarkets will have you beat. There's no contending with them there. The monopoly argument doesn't really work since there is not a monopoly on supermarkets in Australia. I suppose what this might do is make Woolies and Coles even more unassailable. *shrugs* If you argue on service? 'Sif discount chemists are any better than Woolies or Coles.

It's hard to justify the continued requirement of being registered pharmacist in order to own a pharmacy, I think.

Well I suppose you don't have to be a doctor/dentist to own a surgery...

My argument will be , we need to draw a line between health professional services and food services. Next thing, GP's will be a branch of Woolworths :P