THE Pharmacy Guild's MedsASSIST online codeine tracking system has recorded more than 3.5 million transactions since its launch earlier this year, with Guild president George Tambassis hailing the system as a "great success" at yesterday's ASMI conference in Sydney.
Tambassis said he believes sales of codeine products have declined as a result of patients being counselled about the use of codeine for acute rather than chronic conditions, saying it was an example of pharmacists putting "patients before profit".
He urged governments to mandate use of the system which has seen a take-up rate of up to 90% of pharmacies in some jurisdictions, while in NSW it's more like 70-75%.
The Guild president also spoke about proposed S3 advertising reforms, saying if they go ahead he would urge suppliers to engage with the Guild and the PSA to ensure pharmacists are educated on any items before they are promoted to the public.
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