Endometriosis can result in reduced quality of life and significant burden to the health system. This evidence summary presents the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of oral contraceptives for the management of pain associated with endometriosis. For the full...

Thalidomide’s period of use may have been short but its ramifications have lasted decades, both for people who suffer deformities from its effects and how we now regulate medicines. Like many ‘wonder drugs’ of the 20th century, thalidomide was first...

Fewer than half of all Australians can correctly identify asthma as a chronic disease that doesn’t go away, according to new Asthma Australia research.¹ In the lead up to Asthma Week (1–7 September), Asthma Australia commissioned a survey of 1,012...

With medication issues the top cause of complaints in aged care homes (ACH), we examine attitudes towards the current services, and canvass possibilities for more effective models of care delivery. In the summer of 2016, Bob Spriggs was given 10...

The TGA has approved a new preventative treatment for migraine, with a new medicine that targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor. Patients experiencing migraine will soon have a new preventative medicine available that targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor....

Despite an increase in anticonvulsant use for back and neck pain recently - an increase of 535% in the last 10 years - researchers have found such medicines are ineffective for low back or lumbar radicular pain.¹ A systematic meta-analysis...

Scenario A patient, who identi­fies as an Aboriginal person, presents to the pharmacy for her monthly prescriptions. Her prescriptions are not annotated as ‘CTG - Closing The Gap PBS Co-payment Measure’. She queries why she has to pay for her...

There is rising concern over the side effects of long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use but limited evidence to warrant discontinuation, a literature review has concluded.¹ Although short-term PPI therapy side effects such as headache, rash and dizziness and gastrointestinal...

Around one in 16 Australians will suffer from depression at some time during their life.1,2 What evidence is there that complementary medicines such as S-Adenosyl-L-methionine and St John’s wort offer any relief?  The World Health Organization has predicted that depression will...

Checking technicians would allow pharmacists to spend more time on patient-focused activities in both community and hospital pharmacy settings, New Zealand research has found. Based on overseas models in the US and UK, where a specific checking technician role has...