February 2020

A digital dispensing pharmacy launched in Auckland last month, with patients able to upload a photo of their prescription to the pharmacy’s website before meds are dispensed for free and delivered on the same day for $15  

In this, our first issue of the year, our front news section is looking a little different.

I would like to apologise to all readers of Pharmacy Today

President of Ngā Kaitiaki o te Puna Rongoā – the Māori Pharmacists Association – Kevin Pewhairangi addresses the original question posed in last issue’s Dispensing Wisdom column – how can pharmacists overcome cultural barriers with Māori – and explains why the tenets of cultural safety are a good place to start in pharmacy

The discount pharmacy clash continues, with cut-price pharmacy Bargain Chemist set to open two new stores early this year to the dismay of many local pharmacists

More than 100 pharmacies have started offering measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations to patients meeting specific eligibility criteria

In 2017, drug addict Ramona Deane committed prescription fraud on a large scale, that entangled numerous pharmacists in south Auckland and Waikato. Before she was caught, Ms Deane was able to convince 37 pharmacists working at 21 different pharmacies to dispense a fake script for tramadol and metronidazole more than 60 times. Thirty-five pharmacists were investigated and four of them were charged with malpractice. In December, they appeared before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. Pharmacy Today reporter Jonathan Chilton-Towle attended the three-day hearing

The Ministry of Health has confirmed prescribers will be allowed to send prescriptions to pharmacies via email once analogue fax machines are phased out at the end of this year

Rotorua pharmacy owners were incensed and disappointed when they heard the Lakes DHB had approved a Countdown Pharmacy opening in their city

Promisia CEO Rene de Wit has slammed a new study examining the toxicity of a herbal extract found in the company’s natural dietary supplement Arthrem, following a reports of liver harm (hepatotoxicity)