Pharmaceutical benefits community

For a new medicine to obtain public subsidy for patients in the community, the sponsor must successfully apply for the product to be included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Data are required on relative cost and effectiveness, and the scrutiny of this information according to prescribed criteria is described as the fourth hurdle, that is, in addition to quality, safety and efficacy requirements that medicines must overcome, to be readily available to the Australian public. 

NCPA was instrumental in the formation and funding of two major foundations that will benefit community pharmacy in 1999. The first is the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy, which received a 27.5 million grant from Knoll Pharmaceutical Company to benefit community pharmacy. The board of directors is composed of the CEOs of NCPA and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS). The second is the result of the distribution of funds from a 723 million... 

Stevens, A., Secretary to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Pricing Authority of Australia, Sydney, Australia, personal communication, December 11, 1991. 

So far, no scientific extrapolation has been published on the cost savings for the chemical industry when using micro reactors. Industrial experience is also not known at least, it has not been communicated. Thus, one is boimd to rely on expert opinions given in the press and trade press. Mostly these come from suppliers of the technology, aiming to convince industry of the benefits of their systems, by prognosis of a return on investment. Considering the pharmaceutical R D efforts of the order of US 50 billion worldwide, CPC/Mainz sees a potential for an increase in profit of more than US 15 billion if micro reactors are implemented consequently [246]. 

Long before the advent of modern pharmaceutical drugs, several herbal medications were employed for the alleviation of mental disorders. Some of these are considered impractical by today s standards for treatment of psychopathology. For a short time, Freud advocated the use of cocaine to alleviate depression. Cannabis and opium were used to treat agitation. Other herbal medications are being supported by scientific research and seriously considered by the medical community. Some are offered here more for historical interest, and yet others have only recently added psychotherapeutic value to their list of potential benefits. 

There are certain personal attributes over and above a medical degree and clinical experience that make for a successful pharmaceutical physician. To be valued, the pharmaceutical physician must be able to provide insight into the clinical benefit, and hence the commercial potential, of a compound at any stage in its development. He or she must also have the planning skills to realise that potential, and an ability to communicate at all levels, both inside and outside the company. If the medical department is to act as the compan)r s medical conscience (see Section 10.2),... 

Selfishness Physicians have a duty to act in the best interests of their patients. Pharmaceutical companies have a duty not only to their shareholders, but also to the community at large. To fulfill their duty to the community, pharmaceutical companies must operate within the confines of socially acceptable behavior or risk loss of reputation, public boycotts, or legislative action. Socially unacceptable behavior by a company can ultimately lead to loss of business and become a failure in its duty to its shareholders. Both the physicians and the pharmaceutical companies or their employees must not compromise these public duties in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their families or their friends. 

In summary, there is a wealth of molecular information and stractural diversity available from a wide variety of suppliers of screening libraries. These resources are becoming more and more a key part of the pharmaceutical research and development process and are no longer simply regarded as a source of cheap or poor quality structures. Those providers who recognise the need for better quality molecules that fit descriptors for lead- or drug-likeness will be the ones who are likely to benefit the most from this recognition. In turn, those benefits will be passed back to the research and development community as a further improvement in supply and collaboration. 

To avoid insufficient and excessive standards of work and to avoid duplicating tasks in whole or in part, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and suppliers should work together in partnership. They must be able to work as a team and, as such, must be able to communicate effectively. The parallel mutual benefits between customers and suppliers are outlined in Table 1.2. 

The increased use of the Internet in recent years as a means of communicating information on drugs and medical devices has provided considerable benefits to the healthcare industry. The Internet offers many possibilities in terms of graphic representation of data and the ability to publish information to a wider audience at a faster speed than by the use of traditional marketing channels. The overriding compliance consideration, however, is the accurate transmission of information to the reader, whether the reader is a member of the public or a pharmaceutical or healthcare professional. 

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