Volume 186 - Issue 9
Specialist societies can assist
Author: Leon A Bach
Med J Aust 2007; 186 (9): 483. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01006.x
Published online: 7 May 2007
Published online: 7 May 2007
To the Editor: On behalf of the Endocrine Society of Australia, I would like to endorse the views expressed by Stockigt that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)-approved information sources for thyroid-related medications are outdated.1 His examples are compelling evidence that statements within product information (PI) sources are inconsistent with current practice. The consequences of these statements range from confusing to potentially dangerous.
The current process for updating PI appears to exclude expert advice from specialist practitioners who are most likely to be aware of recent developments regarding the use of medications specific to their practice. In most areas of medicine, specialist societies representing these practitioners provide an excellent potential “first port of call” for the TGA and suppliers to source expert, evidence-based assistance in updating PI. Certainly, the Endocrine Society of Australia is willing to act in this capacity for endocrine-related drugs, and I would be very surprised if this were not the case for other specialist societies.
In summary, a partnership between all parties involved in the provision of quality care is needed to ensure that PI is contemporary and accurate.
References
- Stockigt JR. Barriers in the quest for quality drug information: salutary lessons from TGA-approved sources for thyroid-related medications. Med J Aust 2007; 186: 76-79. 0_GCBIIGDC
When ‘Liver Enzymes’ Are Not Hepatic: Late-Onset Pompe Disease
Shauna Madigan, Georgina England, Wayne Rankin
Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Adults: Recent Developments in Diagnosis and Management
Elizabeth Wootton, Sunita M. C. De Sousa, Richard L. Prince, Donald S. A. McLeod, David A. Pattison, Mathis Grossmann
Severe Hypoglycaemia Secondary to Chronic Opioid-Induced Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Suppression: An Under-Recognised Phenomenon
Michael Do, Annabelle Hayes, Malgorzata Brzozowska
Rethinking diabetes care for Indigenous Australians: the need for Indigenous‐codesigned and led diabetes models of care
Natalie Nanayakkara, Sharon Atkinson‐Briggs, Alicia J Jenkins, Neale D Cohen
The first Australian evidence‐based guidelines on male infertility
Darren J Katz, Liza O’Donnell, Robert I McLachlan, Tim J Moss, Clare V Boothroyd, Veena Jayadev, Sarah R Catford