Blackmores defends range
September 28, 2011
BLACKMORES has defended its
Companions range in the wake of
condemnation from health and
consumer groups, saying that much
of the information being bandied
about “has been misconstrued and
does not accurately represent the
integrity of this range”.
“In patient care both drug
therapy and nutritional support
are critical,” said Blackmores
Director of Education, Pam Stone.
“Every year Blackmores receives
thousands of enquiries about what
supplements they should take with
key pharmaceutical drugs.
“So, Blackmores developed a
range of four products to take with
these pharmaceutical medicines to
support our customers’ nutritional
requirements,” she added.
Pharmacists’ expertise, according
to the company, ideally places
them to assist customers to make
informed decisions about
complementary medicines and
nutritional supplements.
To that end, the range is
designed to ensure that
pharmacists become the advisors
on supplements to take with
prescription medicines.
“At Blackmores we believe they
[pharmacists] have a responsibility
to treat patients holistically by
considering their nutritional status
rather than simply administering a
drug, however it will be up to the
pharmacist to recommend this
range to their customers as
appropriate,” said Blackmores CEO
Christine Holgate.
Blackmores also defended the
scientific evidence supporting the
range, saying it had been reviewed
by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia
and the company is “confident in
the evidence of these products
and the role of supplements in
improving nutritional status”.
“We also see a need for GPs and
pharmacists to work together to
ensure better patient outcomes,” a
company statement said.
“This can be facilitated by both
healthcare professionals having an
open dialogue with patients about
the medications they are taking
and the impacts they may have on
nutritional status,” the statement
added.
MEANWHILE the NPS has
weighed in on the debate saying it
is important for pharmacists to
continue to tailor advice to
individual patients based on their
need and the available evidence.
“Pharmacists are trusted by the
community to work independently
and in the best interest of the
individual patient and it is
important that professional
standards are met,” said NPS CEO
Dr Lynn Weekes.
“Companion selling as a routine
practice is not an appropriate way
for pharmacists to provide
individual patients with what they
need, and it may cause more
confusion about medicines and
possibly adverse effects.
“Adding an additional medicine
should never be done lightly —
especially for people already on
multiple medicines,” Weekes
added.
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