Medicines Australia today announced a $150,000 sponsorship of two young indigenous medical students at the University of New South Wales.

The sponsorship, through the Shalom Gamarada Scholarship Program, will cover tuition and full board at Shalom College over the next five years for second-year medical students Laura Fitzgerald, from Canberra, and Brendan Phillips, from Coffs Harbour.

Medicines Australia chairman Will Delaat said the sponsorship follows the industry’s $1 million donation in February to indigenous health initiatives to promote healthy eating and provide a mobile renal dialysis unit for indigenous Australians in the western desert.

“Medicines Australia is committed to supporting initiatives that will make a practical, on the-ground difference to the lives of indigenous Australians,” Mr Delaat said.

“The 17-year gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is a shameful situation. We as a community must do all we can to change it.

“I hope this sponsorship will help two talented young indigenous Australians to realise their dreams and become qualified and successful medical practitioners.

“Medicines Australia recognises the urgent need to improve indigenous health outcomes and fully supports the recruitment and training of more indigenous doctors.

“We have a chronic shortage of GPs in Australia but in training the next generation of doctors, it is very important that we bring though more indigenous doctors.

“Indigenous Australians are severely underrepresented in the medical profession and schemes like the Shalom Gamarada Scholarship program do an excellent job in redressing that imbalance.

“I have no doubt that Laura and Brendan will help carry a torch for aspiring indigenous doctors and I wish them every success with their studies.”

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Contact Person:

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

The publication of Australia’s Health 2010 highlights the important contribution of prescription medicines in improving health outcomes for Australian patients, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said today.

The report, published today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, outlines the impact of medicines and vaccines on a range of disease areas including HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infectious diseases.

“This report demonstrates the importance of innovative new medicines in helping significantly to improve health outcomes across a number of diseases,” Dr Shaw said.

“We also see evidence that new medicines are helping keep patients out of hospital, which is particularly important where hospital costs are under increasing pressure.”

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

• A wide variety of effective antiviral medication has allowed people with HIV to lead relatively normal lives. It has become a disease that many more people now live with rather than die from, as they previously did.
• The rate of hospitalisations with cardiovascular disease as the principal diagnosis has been slowly declining over the past decade: the number of prescriptions for lipid reducing agents increased by 27.2% between 2004-05 and 2007-08 and prescriptions for antithrombotic medicines used to prevent or dissolve blood clots increased by 20.9%.
• For cancers as a whole, five-year survival rates have improved from 41% for males diagnosed in 1982-86 to 58% for those diagnosed in 1998-2004: improvements in cancer treatments have contributed to these gains.
• A program to increase vaccination coverage in adolescents may explain a drop in the rate of new hepatitis B infection in recent years that occurred among those aged 15-29 years.
• Australia was one of the first countries to begin its national vaccination program against pandemic swine flu.
• Immunisation has had a dramatic influence on the rates of illness and death from a wide variety of infections.
• Introduction of antibiotics and immunisation programs have meant that the effects of infectious diseases on Australia’s health is low.

“This report powerfully demonstrates the value of the Government’s investment in innovative new medicines,” Dr Shaw said.

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Contact Person:

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

Medicines Australia fully supports a new commitment by the global research-based pharmaceutical industry to submit for scientific journal publication the results of all its Phase III clinical trials.

The commitment, set out in a policy position announced last week by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), requires member companies to submit for publication in a peer-reviewed journal the results of all their industry-sponsored Phase III trials, irrespective of whether the outcome of the trial was positive or negative.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the new commitment would bring an extra dimension of transparency to clinical research.

“Transparency and openness are critical in ensuring the pharmaceutical industry maintains the trust of the community,” Dr Shaw said.

“Medicines Australia members and other members of the IFPMA already disclose the clinical trials they are undertaking in online registries. This new policy position commits to a further level of transparency.”

Submission of manuscripts should occur ideally within 12 months and no more than 18 months after approval of the product concerned or any decision to discontinue a trial.

The policy also sets out guidelines to enhance the transparency regarding authorship of manuscripts. Company involvement in both the research and the publication should be disclosed and sponsors should encourage authors to disclose all relevant interests.

“Changing community expectations are demanding greater openness and transparency in clinical research,” Dr Shaw said.

“The publication of clinical trial manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and the full disclosure of authorship recognises those expectations.”

The Joint Industry Position on the Publication of Clinical Trial Results in the Scientific Literature is available at:

http://www.ifpma.org/fileadmin/webnews/2010/pdfs/20100610_Joint_Position_Publication_10Jun2010.pdf

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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 will brave Canberra’s arctic winter by sleeping under the stars in a cardboard box tonight, as part of the 2010 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

The Sleepout is part of the Vinnies Winter Appeal which aims to raise awareness of homeless and to raise funds for Vinnies’ homeless service.

“We sometimes take for granted the luxury of a warm bed and a roof over our heads,” Dr Shaw said.

“This is going to take me way out of my comfort zone.

“If I can avoid frostbite I should be OK.

“Sleeping out in the depths of a frosty Canberra midwinter is a pretty challenging proposition. Unfortunately it is a reality for many homeless people.

“While the CEO Sleepout is a bit of a novelty, there is a serious side to it.

“Homelessness is an appalling social problem which we must do all we can to tackle.

“It’s important that we raise awareness of homelessness among business leaders and within broader community.

“I hope also that we manage to raise enough funds for Vinnies to continue to be able to provide ongoing support for homeless people.”

The managing directors of three Medicines Australia member companies will also take part in the CEO Sleepout in Sydney. John Latham (Pfizer), Jane Orr (MSD) and Jeremy Morgan (Eli Lilly) will rough it tonight, although they can expect kinder weather there.

“I think I drew the short straw being in Canberra,” Dr Shaw said.

“Winter nights in the national capital are several degrees colder than they are in Sydney so I expect my colleagues will have more comfortable night.”

Donations to the 2010 Vinnies CEO Sleepout can be made directly online at:

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Contact Person:

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

The introduction of a new 40 per cent R&D tax credit will help keep Australia at the forefront of medical research, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said today.

Dr Shaw welcomed the Senate Economics Committee’s recommendation that the new R&D tax credit be implemented before the end of June.

“The bottom line is that this tax credit will make Australia more competitive because it effectively lowers the cost of conducting R&D by 10 per cent,” Dr Shaw said.

“The pharmaceuticals industry is the second largest investor in R&D in Australia after the transport equipment industry. We invest $1 billion a year in R&D.

“This tax credit will help keep Australia at the forefront of medical research globally. It will also help secure high-value research jobs and down the track deliver health benefits such as early access to medicines through clinical trials conducted in Australian hospitals and research institutions.

“The pharmaceuticals industry regards this measure as a very important step forward in making Australia a more attractive R&D investment destination.

“I strongly encourage the Senate to pass this legislation and not delay implementation of a program that will deliver significant benefits to the Australian economy.”

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Contact Person:

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

Australia is a centre of excellence in clinical research, but our ability to continue attracting clinical trials to Australia is under threat, Medicines Australia said today.

“Australia is at the cutting edge of clinical research but our long-term attractiveness as a location for clinical trials is under threat from emerging economies such as India, China, Russia and Brazil,” Dr Brendan Shaw, Medicines Australia Chief Executive, said today.

“Australia’s pharmaceutical industry plays a crucial role in conducting clinical trials in Australia, and a lot of this is in collaboration with Australia’s hospitals and universities.”

“This has been a great collaboration that has brought health and economic benefits to Australia.”

“Patients also benefit from the Australian industry conducting clinical trials here by gaining access to new treatments that are in clinical development.”

“However, we are starting to see a down turn in the number of clinical trials being conducted in Australia at the same time as countries like India and China are starting to attract more R&D from the global pharmaceutical industry.”

“We need to ensure that we can maintain and grow a sufficient level of clinical trial activity or we risk losing our brightest minds offshore and seeing research facilities close.”

The Government is currently pursuing a number of activities that could encourage clinical trial activity in Australia, such as the Clinical Trials Action Group, currently co-chaired by the Hon Mark Butler, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, and the Hon Richard Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation.

“There are a number of regulatory barriers that act like a handbrake on clinical trials that we hope the Action Group will be able to resolve.”

“Compared to a number of other countries, in Australia there is a lack of coordination between the states for ethical approval of clinical trials, the time to get clinical trials established is too long, and the methods for recruiting patients to clinical trials are outdated.”

“We are hopeful that the Clinical Trials Action Group will provide real outcomes that remove some of the regulatory barriers that dissuade companies from conducting work in Australia.”

“The Government’s R&D tax credit will also provide a useful incentive for clinical trials work in Australia.”

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Contact Person:

Donna Edman
Executive Director Public Affairs
Phone: 0419 850 174
Email: donna.edman@medicinesaustralia.com.au

Medicines Australia today welcomed the announcement of new pharmaceutical investment in Queensland biotech sector.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has today announced a new investment of up to $50 million in a Queensland biotechnology venture capital fund.

“This is exactly the sort of investment that having a strong innovative pharmaceutical industry located in Australia leads to,” said Dr Brendan Shaw, Chief Executive.

“I’m encouraged that the company believes the pricing certainty provided by the recent Commonwealth Government-Medicines Australia Memorandum of Understanding for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme helps foster investments like this one in Queensland’s biotech sector.”

“The predictability provided by the MoU provides the platform for pharmaceutical companies to plan their operations in Australia, and that includes their investment decisions.”

“Given the long lead times in the pharmaceutical industry to develop new medicines and introduce new investments, pricing predictability provided through the PBS can be an important influence on companies’ decisions to bring new medicines to Australia and invest in Australian research and industry.”

Australia’s pharmaceutical industry conducts $930 million in annual R&D, employs around 14,000 people in high skilled jobs, and exports $4 billion a year in manufactured exports, making it one of Australia’s leading manufacturing export industries.

Medicines Australia represents 80 per cent of Australia’s pharmaceutical industry.

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Contact Person:

Donna Edman
Executive Director Public Affairs
Phone: 0419 850 174
Email: donna.edman@medicinesaustralia.com.au

The new R&D tax incentive legislation introduced into Parliament today has the potential to make Australia a more competitive pharmaceutical R&D investment location, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said.

Dr Shaw said the legislation provides both local and international companies with an additional incentive to invest in R&D in Australia.

“This could be a massive opportunity for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in this country,” Dr Shaw said.

“All indications are that the new program will help bring global investment in pharmaceuticals R&D to Australia, in large part by reducing the cost of conducting eligible R&D in this country.

“The bottom line is that this new program will reduce the net cost of undertaking R&D in Australia and make us more globally competitive.

“We look forward to continue working with Government to ensure this program delivers tangible benefits to companies who bring R&D investment to Australia.”

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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 welcomed the $466.7 million investment in e-health announced in the Federal Budget.

Dr Shaw said the move to electronic records was a critical step towards delivering a fully integrated healthcare system.

“Electronic health records make it much easier for patients to keep track of their medication and immunisation history and will help ensure doctors’ prescribing decisions are properly informed by appropriate patient health data,” Dr Shaw said.

“That is critical from a Quality Use of Medicines perspective.

“A national e-health record promises a much more efficient system of health delivery.

“It also has great potential to help reduce the number of avoidable adverse events stemming from inadequate patient health information.

“Medicines Australia hopes the investment announced tonight will hasten the delivery of a functional and effective e-health network.”

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Contact Person:

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

Medicines Australia member companies today signed a historic agreement with the Commonwealth Government that will ensure a stable environment for business and continued access to new medicines for all Australians.

The agreement delivers savings to taxpayers of $1.9 billion over five years. It carries a Government commitment that pharmaceutical companies will not be asked to bear any further price-related savings measures before 30 June 2014.

The agreement also introduces some important regulatory reforms to improve patients’ access to innovative new medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said the savings will enable the Government to redirect funding to its substantial healthcare reforms.

“For the first time in the history of the PBS we have a written agreement that provides government with fiscal certainty,” Dr Shaw said.

“We have always argued that the PBS is the most cost-effective part of the health system and is under control, but we recognise the Government’s policy objective of once-in-a-generation healthcare reform.

“This is a pragmatic and responsible response to an extraordinary convergence of circumstances.

“It is an agreement for the times which brings genuine benefit to all parties and is consistent with the direction of the PBS reforms announced in 2007. It’s good news for the Government, the pharmaceutical industry and Australian patients.

“Importantly, the agreement provides the pharmaceutical industry with business certainty and a predictable PBS policy environment.

“The savings measures will impose a significant burden on Australian pharmaceutical companies, but longer-term business certainty for the industry is paramount.

“Pharmaceutical companies can only invest the large sums needed to bring innovative new medicines to market if they have a stable and reliable reimbursement environment.

“Patients can have confidence that manufacturers will continue to deliver innovative new medicines to this market.

“This agreement provides a framework for investment in the PBS for the next four years.”

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Contact Person:

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