August 2007

New Defence asthma standards

Friends of Asthma in Parliament

ARCHI Innovations in Asthma Toolkit Seminar

Extended PBS listings for Symbicort and Seretide

NPS ‘Get to know your medicines’ awareness campaign

NAC Snippets

National Asthma Week 1-7 September 2007

Research Funding Opportunities 

Conference Diary 2006

New Defence asthma standards

People with intermittent or mild persistent asthma are now eligible to apply for the Australian Defence Forces following a revision of the medical entry standards.

Respiratory physician Professor Lou Irving, Group Captain, RAAF Specialist Reserves, and key driver of the change, joined Dr Brendan Nelson, Minister for Defence, in announcing the new standards to a substantial media contingent at the Herald-Sun Careers Expo in Melbourne on 27 July.

Defence asthma standards announcement (from left): Professor John Wilson, Chairman, National Asthma Council Australia; Sqn Ldr Jody Karran, Senior Military Recruiting Officer, Defence Force Recruiting VIC; Professor Lou Irving, Director of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital; Dr Brendan Nelson, Minister for Defence; Dr Jenny Firman, Chief Medical Officer, Defence Force Recruiting; Brigadier Tony Gill, Director General, Defence Health Services. Photograph courtesy John Brown Photography Services.

The National Asthma Council Australia and Asthma Foundations Australia have welcomed the new standards as a highly innovative development by the Australian Defence Forces, a move that reflects the recent advances in asthma management, education and understanding. The Australian Defence Forces are leading the way in rationalising recruiting standards for mild asthmatics.

The NAC will provide practical support for implementation via asthma training and resources for Defence medical personnel.

Friends of Asthma in Parliament

Spirometry testing at Parliament House.

More than 40 federal MPs have united to form the bipartisan group Friends of Asthma in Parliament, a joint initiative of Asthma Foundations Australia and the NAC following on from the NAC Parliamentary Association formed in 1998.

At the launch at Parliament House on 8 August, Associate Professor Guy Marks addressed a captive audience including The Hon. Brett Mason, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Ageing, and Mr Mick Hoare, Director, Asthma and Arthritis Section, Department of Health and Ageing.

Among the MPs present at the launch were Senator Trish Crossin, Senator Guy Barnett and Mr Brendan O'Connor MHR who, along with Dr Andrew Laming MHR, were key to the group’s formation.

Following the launch, free spirometry was conducted in a prominent position in Parliament House between the smokers’ courtyard and a popular coffee spot. With the support of Micro Medical (Mayo Healthcare), more than 40 MPs, parliamentary staffers and journalists were tested.

It is hoped that Friends of Asthma in Parliament will raise asthma awareness and promote the significance of asthma in policy development and implementation.

ARCHI Innovations in Asthma Toolkit Seminar

The NAC was well represented at the recent Australian Resource Centre for Healthcare Innovations (ARCHI) seminar on Innovations in Asthma.

NAC Chairman Professor John Wilson and CEO Ms Kristine Whorlow were among the speakers who addressed around 40 delegates interested in asthma program development.

Professor Wilson spoke about the development and implementation of the NAC’s asthma guidelines, the Asthma Management Handbook, and Ms Whorlow spoke about the NAC’s A-Team asthma education program for health professionals.

Other presentation topics at the one-day seminar included paediatric asthma education programs, use of SMS to collect asthma information, and medication use in a longitudinal study.

Resource

ARCHI (www.archi.net.au/events)

Extended PBS listings for Symbicort and Seretide

The PBS listing has been extended for budesonide with eformoterol dry powder inhaler (Symbicort Turbuhaler) maintenance and reliever regimen for asthma.

The extended listing is for Symbicort 100/6 and Symbicort 200/6 strengths only.

The restricted benefit applies to single maintenance and reliever therapy for people who experience frequent asthma symptoms while receiving treatment with:

• inhaled or oral corticosteroids OR

• a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting beta₂ agonist.

The PBS listing has also been extended for fluticasone propionate with salmeterol xinafoate (Seretide) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Fluticasone with salmeterol was previously listed on the PBS as a restricted benefit for the treatment of asthma. This listing has been extended to the symptomatic treatment of COPD in people with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) < 50% of predicted normal, and a history of repeated exacerbations with significant symptoms despite regular beta2 agonist treatment.

The listing only applies to Seretide 250/25 metered-dose inhaler and 500/50 dry powder inhaler preparations. Seretide is not listed for initiating bronchodilator therapy in people with COPD.

Resources

NPS Radar Symbicort
(http://www.npsradar.org.au/site.php?page=1&content=/npsradar/content/budesonide_with_eformoterol.html)

NPS Radar Seretide
(http://www.npsradar.org.au/site.php?page=1&content=/npsradar/content/fluticasone_with_salmeterol.html)

NPS ‘Get to know your medicines’ awareness campaign

National Prescribing Service (NPS) have recently launched a ‘Get to know your medicines’ national awareness campaign, which promotes quality use of medicines and targets seniors with chronic conditions who take multiple medications and their carers.

The campaign aims to reduce the number of medicine-related problems in the community by encouraging consumers to be more informed about medicines and by giving them the confidence to seek that information from their health professional.

Two TV advertisements will run from the beginning of August to the end of October, supported by editorial placement in print and electronic media and campaign resource distribution.

NPS anticipates that the awareness campaign will result in an increased number of consumers asking their health professionals about medicines. Consumer resources have been developed to help doctors and pharmacists answer many of those questions.

More information about the campaign, including how to order consumer resources, is available from the NPS website.

Resource

NPS ‘Get to know your medicines’
(http://www.nps.org.au/site.php?page=2&content=/resources/NAC/index.html)

NAC Snippets

LTRA

The NAC’s latest information paper on leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) in the treatment of children with asthma has made quite a splash since its publication in July.

The LTRA paper made the front page of Medical Observer and was widely reported in other medical media. Channel 10 News Adelaide and The West Australian also featured the recommendations.

The updated information paper is available on the NAC website.

All Saints

Even fictional doctors will soon be able to keep up to date with the latest in asthma management. Channel 7 recently requested copies of the NAC’s Managing your Asthma and Emergency Management of Asthma charts for the walls of the ED on All Saints.

National Asthma Week 1-7 September 2007

The first week of September is National Asthma Week and the National Asthma Council Australia is urging the 2 million plus Aussies with asthma to take the time this week to ensure they have a current written asthma action plan.

The Asthma Foundations around Australia conduct a variety of events during the week, including information and training sessions for people with asthma and for health professionals.

See your local Asthma Foundation's website, or contact your Foundation on 1800 645 130 for further information.

Research Funding Opportunities