
Be a ‘bloody legend’ & donate – only two donations a year could generate near endless blood supply
This week (June 11-17) marks the Australian Red Cross National Blood Donor Week 2017 and Australians are being urged to donate blood twice a year to generate a near-endless blood supply. Speaking with Hot FM on QLD’s Sunshine Coast, Australian Red Cross spokesperson, Jennifer Campbell Case explained only a small number of Australian’s regularly donate…

Australian biotech company shares hit record high
Major Australian biotechnology company, CSL has secured a foothold in the world’s fastest growing plasma therapeutics market with a $US352 million ($466m) stake in Chinese biotech Ruide (Wuhan Zhong Yuan Rui De Biologics). This purchase of an 80 per cent stake provides CSL with a strategic presence in China’s plasma product market, which was valued…

Stan Sclavos awarded Order of Australia medal
VIVA! Communications extends our sincere congratulations to pharmacist, Stan Sclavos, for becoming a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia on the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours list yesterday. Mr Sclavos was awarded for his “significant service to the pharmacy profession through a range of retail, advisory and executive roles, to education…

Never worry about forgetting your medication again
Soon you’ll never have to try and remember if you’ve taken your medication with an incredible new pill that sounds like it has come straight from a science fiction movie. The tech-enabled pill will send a notification to your mobile or tablet device if you’ve forgotten to take it at the designated time. The innovative…

Sydney centre revealed as suburb with lowest childhood immunisation rates
Despite childhood vaccination rates rising across Australia, the centre of Sydney has been revealed as the suburb with the lowest level of immunisation. Only two thirds of children in this area are up to date with their vaccinations, a statistic which is now worse than in Byron Bay, an area traditionally associated with low immunisation…

World champion athlete and mental health advocate, Michael Phelps, appointed to Medibio Board
Medibio Limited is an ASX listed medical technology company that has developed an effective, objective test to help with the diagnosis of depression, chronic stress and other mental health disorders. Involving more than 15 years of research at University of Western Australia, the test uses patented (and patent pending) panel circadian, sleep and autonomic system…

Call for FluTracking participants to help curb the spread of influenza
With sniffle season here, Australians – particularly those of Indigenous descent are being urged to subscribe to an online health surveillance system designed to stop the spread of influenza (flu) by detecting epidemics of the infectious disease. Statistics reveal more than 30,000 Australians have already participated in FluTracking, however fewer than 400 of them are…

Modified antibiotic could soon be the key in the fight against superbugs
In what could be one of the biggest breakthrough in the world of science – US scientists have re-engineered a vital antibiotic with the purpose to wipe out one of the world’s most threatening superbugs. The modified and improved antibiotic – vancomycin – designed to be ultra-tough and able to fight bacteria that are resistant…

Does your postcode put you at risk of developing cancer?
Recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveals your postcode can put you at risk of developing a certain type of cancer. Some of the cancer hot spots in NSW include Nepean Blue Mountains, Murrumbidgee, and Central and Eastern Sydney. Recorded rates of melanoma for NSW North Coast residents were approximately…

Federal Health Minister allocates substantial funding to boost clinical trials in Australia
On Friday, May 19, 2017, Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP announced an additional $33 million in funding for clinical trials in Australia. Mr Hunt delivered the announcement at the Australian Clinical Trial Alliance’s National Trial of the Year Awards, hosted at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, just prior to the International Clinical…