Apotex have circulated information that APO-Salbutamol Inhaler will be discontinued once all remaining stock is exhausted, which is expected to occur over the coming weeks. The product will be delisted from the PBS as of 1 August 2016.
APNA National Conference
The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) National Conference will be held in Melbourne from 5-7 May 2016. The program includes our full-day Spirometry Training Course, co-presented by well-known asthma and respiratory educator Ms Judi Wicking.
We are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with APNA to deliver best-practice education and training to the health professional community. Many of our popular resources will be provided to conference delegates. If you would like more information visit the APNA website.
World Asthma Day - 3 May 2016
If your pharmacy or practice is planning a World Asthma Day promotion and you would like posters, brochures or other resource material to help celebrate, please email nac@nationalasthma.org.au.
Specialist one-day symposia to enhance treatment adherence
Every health professional can appreciate the obstacles encountered in day-to-day practice with treatment non-adherence, especially when it concerns asthma and other respiratory diseases.
On 1 July 2016 the Pain Management and Research Institute at The University of Sydney's Medical School is holding its annual specialist one-day symposia on Enhancing Treatment Adherence: The key to preventing disability and achieving better health outcomes. Further details can be obtained here.
It's time to stop prescribing oral salbutamol
An article in Australian Family Physician has emphasised that there is no role for oral salbutamol in treating paediatric asthma in Australia. ‘Oral salbutamol continues to be prescribed in Australia despite clear evidence that it is less effective and more toxic than inhaled therapy,' write the authors.
Australian and international guidelines recommend administration of salbutamol by metered-dose inhaler delivered via a spacer for the treatment of mild, moderate and severe asthma. Australia's clinical guidelines, our Australian Asthma Handbook, warn that 'Oral short-acting beta2 agonists are associated with adverse effects and should not be used in any age group'.
