Aust Prescr
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Australia’s National Medicines Policy was launched 20 years ago with the aim of improving health outcomes for all Australians. It was developed in partnership with healthcare professionals, consumers and the pharmaceutical industry The key parts of the Policy focus on timely access to high-quality and affordable medicines and their safe and judicious use. It also supports a viable and responsible pharmaceutical industry Since the Policy was first launched, Australia has seen significant changes in healthcare systems, medicines subsidies, health services remuneration, digital technologies and the pharmaceutical industry Medicines themselves have also changed, as have consumers’ expectations. To respond to these changes, the National Medicines Policy needs to be updated with a greater focus on implementing and measuring outcomes
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Drug interactions can lead to significant toxicity or loss of clinical effect. The risks increase with the number of drugs the patient takes General and specialised drug interaction resources are available. ⋯ It may be necessary to use multiple resources to find the information When assessing information about interactions, clinicians should evaluate the relevance for each patient. In high-risk situations, expert advice can be valuable Clinicians should report new or unusual drug interactions to the Therapeutic Goods Administration
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Approximately 20% of patients with obstructive lung disease have features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease These patients have a higher burden of disease and increased exacerbations compared to those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease alone Management should address dominant clinical features in each individual patient, and comorbidities should be considered There are several interventions that are useful in the management of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease As inhaled corticosteroids are key to the management of asthma, they are recommended in patients with overlapping chronic obstructive pulmonary disease