Threat to " Generic " Medication !

The powerful  Pharmacy Guild is trying to wrest away the need to consult a doctor to renew prescriptions by having both oral contraceptives and travel vaccinations brought into the pharmacy orbit.  This is being vigorously resisted by doctors who see it as an intrusion on their turf.

They have wisely chosen the female contraceptive pill as their battleground because a prescription need is unique to Australia.   In most of the world it is freely available over the counter and this prescription need was imposed on moral grounds when this medical breakthrough turned the sexual revolution loose in the public domain.

One of the arguments used is the fact that pharmacies are open during a wide range of hours over the entire seven day week.  Doctors surgeries usually open on that old nine to five regimen within a five day week.  It is quite possible for a patient to be disadvantage should a script run out over the weekend or during a holiday period.

In the past the role of doctor and pharmacist has been legally kept apart.  The law in place prevents doctors owning pharmacies and that is now under review in government circles.  In fact a change is already taking place in many Australian cities where pharmacies are building consulting room within their structure and inviting doctors to set up practice without the cost of establishing their own facilities.   This can be very attractive to a newly qualified doctor wanting to enter private practice.

Obviously, there is a benefit for the pharmacist.  A patient with a newly minted prescription is most likely to have it fulfilled just a few steps away from where he or she consulted the doctor, but it does raise the ethics that now surround  generic medication.

Drug manufacturers have the right to exclusive use of patented new drugs while that patent is in force and then competitors are free to make generic substitutes and sell them for a lesser price.  Independent pharmacists usually ask the patient which they prefer, but if doctors own the pharmacy they would dictate what drug brands it stocked and sold.

Many scripts have an option to preclude substitution by a generic product and some doctors make heavy use of that option.  Its legality is open to question and as generics are an exact copy of the original the pharmacy ownership decides if patients have access to cheaper medication.

In Australia pharmacists are a trusted profession.  Their medical knowledge is similar to that of a doctor and they are often consulted for advice by patients who rarely visit a medical professional. Many such pharmacists already prescribe under a doctors supervision in areas such as palliative care and specialist clinics.

The government would be wise to think carefully before it makes changes to a system that delivers  the right checks and balances to health provision in Australia.