Pharmacists CM experts
September 10, 2015
Pharmacists are “ideally
placed” to help patients decide
how best to self-medicate with
complementary medicines (CMs)
according to a position statement
released by the Pharmaceutical
Society of Australia (PSA) today.
PSA’s complementary medicines
position paper says CMs may be
used as an adjunctive therapy with
conventional medications, if there
is evidence supporting their use.
National president of the
PSA, Joe Demarte, said PSA
was committed to supporting
pharmacists help consumers make
informed decisions around CMs
and continued to advocate strongly
for a partnership approach with
consumers to promote the Quality
Use of Medicines and responsible
self-medication.
“This is a partnership between
the pharmacist and the consumer
where the pharmacist as the
medicines expert can advise on the
appropriate use of complementary
medicines the consumer may be
considering,” Demarte said.
“There is a wealth of information
available about complementary
medicines which can be confusing
and the pharmacist can assist
in ensuring that consumers are provided with the best available
information about the current
evidence for efficacy, as well as
information on any potential side
effects, drug interactions and risks
of harm.”
Demarte stressed the PSA
does not support the sale of
homeopathy products in pharmacy,
endorsing the NHMRC report,
released in March, which found
there were no health conditions for
which there was reliable evidence
that homeopathy was effective.
MEANWHILE Complementary
Medicines Australia has responded
to the PSA paper, acknowledging
the provision of CM guidance
but expressing concern at the
endorsement of the NHMRC report.
CMA ceo Carl Gibson said “no
valid conclusions can be drawn”
from the homeopathy review -
more details in PD tomorrow.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Sep 15To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 10 Sep 15
