Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on the House of Representatives Standing Committee’s roundtable forum held on impotence medications in Australia. I thank the member for Hindmarsh, the chair of this committee, for his interest in the subject and of course the secretariat for their fantastic contribution on the organisation of the day and on the day. I was hoping to see the member for Kingston here but, as we chaired and held the roundtable together, I will wait until the member arrives and congratulate her on her contribution on the day.

I have touched on the need for men with erectile dysfunction to contact their GPs to ensure they seek assistance from their GPs, instead of from the commercial sector via telephone. The main reason for this is that erectile dysfunction can be an indicator for other health problems that a phone conversation might not pick up.

The second issue I want to discuss relates to a practice known as compounding, which is undertaken by the company AMI. I do not know of other companies in the industry, but AMI were the only company which were prepared to come forward and contribute to the forum and I do thank them for that. Under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 it is an offence to import, export, manufacture or supply a therapeutic good, unless it is included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. Medicines on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods are subject to clinical tests and controls. There are a number of exceptions relating to this law, including the production and sale of compounded medicines which are prescribed by AMI to treat erectile dysfunction.

The report describes compounded medicines as one-off products made for an individual patient from raw ingredients. Section 2.44 notes:

The committee questioned the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) about the need for and practice of compounding within pharmacies. The PSA indicated that the original purpose of compounding was to allow doctor to prescribe and pharmacists to provide treatment to a patient when no suitable alternative existed.

AMI’s use of compounding prescriptions attracted some criticism during the roundtable. A number of witnesses questioned how effective AMI products are at treating erectile dysfunction. A review of compounding by the Therapeutic Goods Association in 2005 led to proposals to better regulate the use of compounding. The committee noted:

The committee supports the need for an exemption for compounding from the TG Act for truly unique preparations when no other suitable products are on the market. However, it appears to the committee that the volume of compounded drugs prescribed by AMI goes beyond the justification for exemption. The committee believes that the NCCTG proposed recommendations are a sensible approach to strengthening the regulations around compounding, and therefore supports their development and speedy implementation.

I agree with these sentiments and impress upon the House the need to keep a watchful eye on how this situation progresses.

This was an important roundtable which raised some very important questions about erectile dysfunction in Australia. Members should encourage their constituents to visit their GP before going to the commercial sector and we must all take some responsibility for better oversight of the industry.

We took some evidence after the roundtable—it was in camera—from a very brave man who spoke to us about his experience with the commercial sector, how he had moved on from that experience and how he had managed with the help and assistance of his family and friends to see a traditional GP. He was referred to an organisation that specialises in these problems and managed to get a proper physical. It was great that the outcome for this man, after his long and traumatic experience in the commercial sector, was a positive one. I would continue to encourage people—as the committee does in the report—who are experiencing these problems to see their traditional GP because erectile dysfunction is a definite indicator of other problems that could occur. It is well known that it can be a precursor to heart problems two years ahead. It is important that we encourage GPs as well to make sure that when men come to see them that there is something like a notice on the wall saying, ‘If you are experiencing ED problems, don’t be afraid to speak to me about it.’ We also talked about the possibility that a GP’s secretary—so as not to embarrass them in the clinic—could hand them a little note saying that if they are experiencing problems they should be forthcoming about those problems with their GP and get the full benefit of a proper consultation with their GP.

It is great to see the member for Kingston here. I would particularly like to applaud her for her part in the work that we did together as a team on the day of the roundtable. It was an enlightening experience working with her, and her, I could say, medical background was particularly helpful on the day. I look forward to working with the member for Kingston in the future on other health and ageing committee roundtables. I particularly look forward to the tabling of this report.

In conclusion, I would again remind all members to encourage their constituents to visit their GP before going to the commercial sector, and we must all take some responsibility for better oversight of the industry. I commend the report to the House and look forward to the contributions from the members for Kingston and Shortland.

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