Medicines Australia joins calls from the global pharmaceutical industry this week for a crackdown against online sales of counterfeit medicines around the world.

“Evidence is emerging of literally thousands of websites operating internationally engaged in the supply of counterfeit medicines. Sadly, it appears that the Asia region accounts for about half of counterfeiting, theft and illegal diversion incidents of pharmaceuticals,” said Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw.

“That’s scary when millions of doses of pills falsely claiming to be antibiotics, anti-cancer, anti-depression, pain killers or treatments for erectile dysfunction from rogue internet sites are finding their way into the marketplace.

“Unsuspecting patients have no idea what potentially toxic or dangerous ingredients lie in counterfeit medicines. Counterfeits have been found to contain everything from arsenic, brick dust, ink and paint.

“Counterfeiting medicines is first and foremost a crime against patients.

“A lot of work by the Australian medicines industry goes into ensuring patients here receive efficacious and genuine medicines they need at an affordable price.  Industry works with the Therapeutic Goods Administration to ensure a reliable supply chain and trusted pharmacy network. That, coupled with Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, provides timely, universal access to prescription medicines in this country.

“We support any initiative that will provide accurate information to health consumers on safe internet pharmacy sites.

“We urge patients not to put themselves or their families at risk by gambling on cheap internet alternatives. The best way to avoid the risk of counterfeit medicines is to get your prescription filled at a community pharmacy.”

A joint statement from  international pharmaceutical associations is available on the websites of: IFPMA, PhRMA, EFPIA, and JPMA.

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Contact Person:

Donna Edman
A/g Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 850 174
Email: donna.edman@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Inflation figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) measuring the Consumer Price Index (CPI) show a big fall in the prices consumers pay for medicines.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said that this fall showed that the Memorandum of Understanding between Medicines Australia and the Government for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is working.

Today’s figures show that in 2012 the pharmaceutical price component of the CPI had one of its biggest falls in the June quarter since modern records began”, Dr Shaw said.

The prices consumers pay for medicines fell by 1.7 per cent in the June quarter of 2012, according to ABS figures released today.

Expanded and Accelerated Price Disclosure, which was introduced as part of the MoU, drove significant reductions in the prices consumers pay for medicines on 1 April this year.

The ABS itself has flagged that the effects of these cuts on 1 April would have been included in the June quarter pharmaceutical price component of the CPI figures.”

“Today’s ABS CPI figures show that the MoU is delivering cheaper medicines for Australian consumers.”

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Contact Person:

Julie Johnson

Public Affairs Officer, Medicines Australia

Ph: 0422 141 784

A new Medicines Australia Code of Conduct will require member companies for the first time to provide public disclosure of aggregate payments to doctors and consumer groups.

The new provisions represent a major shift towards greater transparency and follow 18 months of consultation with consumer organisations, academics, peak doctor groups and other stakeholders.

Medicines Australia will also oversee the establishment of a working group to develop an effective and workable mechanism for ensuring even greater transparency in the relationship between industry and doctors.

The new Code of Conduct, which has been submitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for authorisation, will require Medicines Australia member companies to report in aggregate amounts:

• All payments made to healthcare professionals for advisory boards and consultancy arrangements
• All sponsorships of healthcare professionals to attend medical conferences and educational events
• All payments made to speakers at educational events
• All sponsorships of all individual consumer organisations for each financial year, including the value of non-monetary support.

The first of these reports will be published on the Medicines Australia website in June 2013 with others to follow, and are in addition to existing reports detailing hospitality provided at educational events.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the move to a stronger Code and greater transparency reflected changing community expectations.

“Consumers and peak doctor groups support industry moves to further transparency, and that’s why we’re committed to it,” Dr Shaw said.

“Transparency is critical because it builds public confidence in the valuable and necessary engagements industry has with consumers and healthcare professionals.

“Engagement with doctors is important and legitimate because patients want to be sure that their doctors know how to use the medicines they’re being prescribed.

“Now the nature of that engagement will be much more transparent.”

Other changes to the Code of Conduct include:

• A ban on all brand name reminders for healthcare professionals
• A ban on competition prizes for healthcare professionals
• An explicit ban on all personal gifts to doctors such as chocolates and flowers
• A new explicit requirement for companies to adhere to an International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) global position on disclosing clinical trial information and publishing clinical trial results in scientific literature.
• A requirement that any payments to healthcare professionals in relation to patient support programs is disclosed to patients.

Dr Shaw said the new Code would ensure the important relationships between the medicines industry, doctors and patients continued to meet the ethical standards expected by the community.

“Sponsorship of doctors to attend conferences and educational events, and payments for speaking, consulting or serving on advisory boards are important activities and serve the interests of patients,” Dr Shaw said.

“Records of those payments will now be publicly available and open to scrutiny. This kind of transparency will help ensure we continue to earn the trust and confidence of the community.”

Dr Shaw said a new working group would be asked to recommend what further transparency measures should be introduced that would best serve the community.

“The working group will evaluate the different models for further transparency and identify an effective mechanism for ensuring additional transparency in what is a vital relationship for the effective operation of the health system.

“The industry has committed to this dialogue and we want it to produce a meaningful, worthwhile outcome for the community”.

The new Code of Conduct, which has been submitted to the ACCC for authorisation is available at: www.medicinesaustralia.com.au.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw today made the following statement in response to comments by the Greens Senator Richard Di Natale:

“The ongoing dialogue between doctors and the medicines industry is critical to patient health and safety.  It is a vital part of the health system and so it is important that those relationships are ethical, appropriate and stand up to public scrutiny.

“Medicines Australia has now almost completed an 12 month review of its Code of Conduct, which sets the rules for these relationships.  This review is an extensive process and is followed by a six month review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which is about to commence.

“That is why it is particularly disappointing that the Greens have effectively pre-empted the ACCC review.  The Greens’ remarks also prejudge the consultation the industry has undertaken with patient organisations, doctor groups and the broader community.

“Our track record shows that this consultation has led to the Australian medicines industry today being one of the world leaders in ethical behaviour.

“The Code of Conduct already bans lavish hospitality, entertainment, gifts and other inducements, and these were banned years ago.

“We are serious about maintaining an ethical industry that adds value to the role doctors play in treating patients and curing disease.

“The relationship between the medicines industry and healthcare professionals needs careful consideration to ensure we get the most effective outcome for patients, doctors and the industry.  That is why the Code review process is so important and why we are taking it very seriously.

“Banning the interaction between medicines companies and doctors will actually just end up being bad for patients because their doctors will find it harder to stay informed of the latest treatments.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia members yesterday voted unanimously to adopt edition 17 of the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct.

Edition 17 of the Code of Conduct will be submitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for authorisation on Wednesday, 4 July.

Medicines Australia will publish the draft Code of Conduct and provide information about it on Wednesday, 4 July.  Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw will be available for interview once the Code has been submitted to the ACCC.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

The listing of 11 prescription medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme announced by the Federal Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek will provide patients with affordable access to cost-effective treatments, Medicines Australia chief executive Brendan Shaw said today.

Dr Shaw said the new listings would provide additional options for patients suffering from conditions including Parkinson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

“These PBS listings will be welcomed by patients and I am encouraged by the Government’s commitment to making these medicines available,” Dr Shaw said.

“The Australian medicines industry continues to work hard to develop the medicines and vaccines that save lives, reduce pain and prevent disease.

“The bottom line is that the options available for Australian patients improve as a result of new medicines being developed and made available to the people who need them.”

The 11 new PBS listings are:

• Aflibercept (Eylea®), for age-related macular degeneration, manufactured by Bayer;
• Auranofin (Ridaura®), for rheumatoid arthritis, BNM Group;
• Bortezomib (Velcade®), bone marrow cancer, Janssen;
• Cabazitaxel (Jevtanal®), metastatic prostate cancer, Sanofi;
• Denosumab (Prolia®), osteoporosis, Amgen;
• Etanercept (Enbrel®), severe chronic psoriasis for children, Pfizer;
• Human menopausal gonadotrophin (Menopur®), IVF, Ferring;
• Icatibant (Firazyr®), hereditary angioedema (swelling that can impede breathing); Shire
• Mannitol (Bronchitol®), cystic fibrosis, Pharmaxis;
• Pazopanib (Votrient®), kidney cancer, GlaxoSmithKline;
• Rasagiline (Azilect®), Parkinson’s disease, Lundbeck.

These are either new medicines or new uses for existing medicines already on the PBS.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia has released the program for the biannual Medicines Australia industry conference, to be held in Sydney on Wednesday 24 October 2012.

The theme of the conference is Living Longer, Living Well: The role of medicines for an ageing Australia.

The conference will be opened by Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing. The keynote address will be given by industry veteran Dr Richard Barker, Director of the Oxford Centre for Accelerating Medical Innovations and former chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

Other speakers include Medicines Australia chairman Mark Masterson and chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw, former Hawke Government minister Barry Cohen, Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee chair Dr Suzanne Hill, and chief executive of the Consumers Health Forum Carol Bennett.

Legendary editor, businesswoman and President of Alzheimer’s Australia Ita Buttrose will be the guest speaker at the conference dinner on Tuesday 23 October.

Dr Shaw said the conference would consider the medicines industry’s key role in contributing to the health and productivity of ageing.

“I strongly encourage anyone with an interest in medicines, healthcare or an ageing Australia to come along,” Dr Shaw said.

“I am excited about this conference. In the lead up to the next Intergenerational Report, this conference provides a unique opportunity to consider how medicines play a role in a healthy ageing of Australia’s population.

“This conference will allow us to listen to experts on the shifting demographic and healthcare landscape in Australia, and contribute ideas about how to maintain the quality of life and productivity of an ageing Australia.”

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Journalists wishing to register for the conference can do so through Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines continue play a key role in keeping Australians healthier and living longer according to Australia’s Health 2012, published yesterday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the report highlights the role medicines and vaccines play in saving lives and keeping people out of hospital.

“Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies of any country in the world and are living longer than ever before,” Dr Shaw said

“Continued innovation in treatments has contributed to increased cancer survival rates, lower mortality and hospitalisation due to heart disease, and higher quality of life and increased workforce participation for people living with conditions such as arthritis.”

The report indicates several key areas where medicines and vaccines are contributing significantly to improved health outcomes:

• The chances of surviving cancer depend on many factors including the kinds of treatment available. The mortality rate for cancer has fallen 23 per cent for males and 17 per cent for females over the past two decades.
• There was a 78 per cent fall in the death rate from heart disease from 1961 to 2009, with an estimated saving of 156,000 lives in 2009 alone. In 2008, more than 84 million prescriptions for medicines to treat heart disease were supplied to Australians.
• Hospitalisations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for men aged 55 and over declined 20 per cent in the past decade. Medicines have played a role in improving quality of life and decreasing healthcare use in this disease area.
• The management of musculoskeletal conditions is improving, partly due to the increased availability of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) that slow the progression of the disease.
• Vaccines have had a dramatic influence on the rate of illness and death from a variety of infections.

Dr Brendan Shaw said despite the contribution of medicines to better health outcomes, Australians should not be complacent about future health challenges.

“The report noted increasing incidence of diseases and conditions such as obesity, diabetes and dementia”, Dr Shaw said. “These conditions will continue to provide a considerable challenge to the health system for years to come.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw today congratulated Abbott and Amgen, two of Australia’s leading medicines companies, on being ranked in the Top 50 Best Places to Work in Australia 2012.

The Great Place to Work Institute top 50 rankings are published in BRW magazine today.

Dr Shaw said Abbott and Amgen’s achievement reflected the broader medicines industry’s reputation as a great place to work

“I congratulate Abbott and Amgen on their recognition as two of the highest ranking healthcare companies in Australia,” Dr Shaw said.

“This is the latest in a series of awards and acknowledgements that the industry has received for its ongoing commitment to fostering an excellent workplace culture.

“The Australian medicines industry is a great investor in people, which is why we are able to attract the best and brightest talent in the country.

“Our industry employs 14,000 Australians, who are driven by a passion to continue developing the medicines and vaccines that save lives, reduce pain and prevent disease.

“Every one of those people is making a contribution to the health and wealth of the nation.”

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au

The medicines industry can offer the Australian economy significant competitive advantages in a post-mining boom future, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw will tell the Prime Minister’s Economic Forum in Brisbane tomorrow.

Dr Shaw, invited by the Prime Minster to contribute to the Forum, said the medicines industry is well positioned to help secure the future of Australia’s innovative manufacturing base.

“We can develop this industry even further into one of the key Australian high-tech industries to help set up a post mining-boom economy, but we do need the right policy settings to encourage innovation, research and manufacturing,” Dr Shaw said.

“At a time when Australia is debating the economic value of manufacturing in this country, we have an industry that already delivers so much to the community and economy through jobs, skills, wages, exports and R&D.

“With some key reforms the medicines industry will be able to continue contributing substantially to sustainable economic growth, driving global investment and supporting high-wage jobs. But we need to ensure Australia is more globally competitive, that we have a stable business environment, and that innovation is valued and supported.

“We have the people, the skills, the ideas, the research, the infrastructure, the companies, the experience and the critical mass to take the next steps and make Australia a key niche player in the global medicines industry.

“The opportunities from the innovative industry, the generics industry, and the emerging biotech industry are there if Australia wants to capitalise on their potential.”

Dr Shaw will point to key areas where the Australian medicines industry is already making a substantial contribution to the economy and capitalising on Asian growth, including:

• Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline Australia announced that it will invest $60m in its Victorian manufacturing plant to supply markets in Asia. The company is also a major global supplier for influenza medicines.
• In 2011, AstraZeneca Australia announced that it would revitalise and upgrade its manufacturing plant in Sydney to supply the Chinese market with asthma medicines.
• CSL, the leading Australian-owned manufacturer of vaccines and medicines, is one of Australia’s leading industrial companies and is expanding its biologic R&D facilities in Melbourne.
• IDT Limited, an Australian-owned company based in Melbourne, exports active ingredients for cancer medicines to companies all over the world.
• Australia supplies a quarter of all poppies required to make medicinal opiates, largely sourced from Tasmania.
• Leo Pharma, a Danish company, has production facilities on the Gold Coast in Queensland that manufacture active ingredients for skin conditions.

“These are exciting innovations that will deliver economic value to Australia, with improved policy settings and real support for innovation,” Dr Shaw said.

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Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au