Too many treatments

Contrary to popular opinion, having more medical tests and scans will not be good for you in the long run. If they’re not neces­sary, you may end up with more anxiety, larger bills and greater risk of misleading test results, leading to more invasive procedures and more serious side effects.

Now there are calls for urgent action to save the health budget, as a major global initiative arrives on our shores that aims to cut back on tests and treatments that may be unnecessary, such as expensive imaging scans on people with a crook back.

Last year the Department of Health pointed out that nearly one-third of the money people spend on their health goes towards over-the-counter vitamins, supplements and the like. “That is, as much as a third of current spending by consumers on health can be considered to be discretionary,” the department says. For discretionary, read unnecessary.

Australian 1/05/2015 

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“Doctors and patients alike have raised various issues from over-testing and outdated or unproven treatments to unnecessary referrals, duplication, inefficiencies and systemic waste,” Health Minister Sussan Ley says, ahead of this month’s budget and follow-up reforms later in the year.

The department’s strategic policy unit has examined large-scale savings, including disinvestment in low-value programs, drugs and therapies, most notably the use of antibiotics when bed rest and a healthy lifestyle will do. It also wants Australia to get serious about combating avoidable side effects, mistakes and infections, which blow out costs.

Some experts believe as much as 10 per cent of the health budget — up to $15 billion overall — could be saved or reinvested elsewhere. Additionally, the department engaged the National Health and Medical Research Council to examine natural therapies, such as Rolfing and iridology, funded by health insurers with the benefit of a government rebate.

The NHMRC noted homoeopathy couldn’t be shown to work, and privately found 16 other therapies were also unproven.

Australian 01/05/2015

Blackmores donated Sydney University $1.3 million to research herbal medicines ... the results should be interesting ... could it be that many a old fashioned remedy may work as well as the ones produced by drug companies without the side effects.

I don't take must faith in Sussan Ley, she is another of that mob that I hold no trust in, I noted that she was saying that Chmists would be pushing even more the cheaper brands --which a lot of the time are NOT as good as the original

A lot of people do say that Generic tablets are not as effective as the original... yet presumably of the same make up ..... makes you wonder if the Big Pharmaceuticals are not disclosing their formula or if the copiees made from the bio-chemist are not correct ... too bad our biochemist is not on deck currently to advise on this matter.

Perhaps Billy could get in touch with his father in law ???

Generic medicines are identical to the original . They are medicines that have come of patent   Patents are granted so that the reseach monies can be recovered but are of a limited time span ..

That may be so Pete

But why are there so many people that complain either of their inefectiveness and/or side effects.

Don't know Abby ..if you did not get side effects from the original drug you will not get side effects from the Generic . 

I suspect it is advertising from big Pharm  that wants to keep its monopoly . 

If you get side effects from any drug you should discuss with your GP..

A good example is asprin . Bayer  tried to keep its monopoly . But it is such a simple drug to manufacture it was broken and now is a very effective and cheap drug . 


Generic products must be bioequivalent to the innovator brand before they can be marketed in Australia.. In Australia most generic drugs are marketed with a brand name. Some generic brands are manufactured by the same company that produces the innovator brand of the drug. Although generic brands are usually cheaper the proliferation of brands may cause confusion.

The confusion can arise due to the Advertising of big Pharm that wants to keep its high price and profits intact beyond its patent expiry...

the big drug companies will use propaganda to kill off their competition - the growing success of alternative therapies.

any government or drug company funded research will report negative results for tests on alternative therapies.

i think its a good idea to see who is funding research, and to try out harmless alternative therapies yourself and come to your own conclusions.

Yes Kika I am sure that SOME other treatments can work.

 

Big Pharma are just pushing their agenda,  some times -- in fact MANY times the  "placebo effect," works if it does GREAT

Patients are set to benefit from a significant drop in the price of many common drugs as a result of changes to be announced in next week's budget.

It is a move which is likely to be popular with patients, but is setting the Federal Government on a collision course with the pharmaceutical industry.

As part of the upcoming budget, the Government is expected to pay out less for generic drugs and direct the money saved toward subsidies on expensive new treatments.

"It's my goal that the overall price of medicines goes down so we can fund new drugs," Health Minister Sussan Ley said.

"We have kept patients and consumers at the table to discuss ways to keep medicines affordable."

Under the proposals, the original patented medicines would not be used as part of the calculation for the cost of generic versions.

It would cut the cost of a range of medicines, reducing some by up to half their current price.

Generic drug makers would be able to offset the losses by selling greater volumes.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-07/generic-drug-prices-expected-to-fall-federal-budget/6452952

 

Generic Drugs are NOT  the same as the original, many Pharmacists now try to push their own brands but mention Allergies and they quickly stop trying to push them also many of the Generic brands are produced in India or China where they do not have the same controls in place as in the West for quality control. Interesting article below.


http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2011/04/11/why-pharmacists-are-wrong-about-generic-drugs/

Thanks for the link Viv

That definitely confirms my understanding of the situation.

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