Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, I present the committee’s report entitled Treating impotence: roundtable forum on impotence medications in Australia, together with the minutes of proceedings.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

I am pleased to present this report, entitled Treating impotence: roundtable forum on impotence medications in Australia, on behalf of the Standing Committee on Health and Ageing. The report has examined issues surrounding the provision and sale of impotence medications in Australia.

The committee was concerned to discover that erectile dysfunction, better known as ED, is estimated to affect one in five Australian men over the age of 40. Of greater concern was evidence presented at the roundtable which indicated that these figures may not be a true reflection of the extent to which men are affected.

The issue which prompted the roundtable was learning that while there are many possible causes for ED, it can, in some cases, be a symptom of extremely serious chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. The committee would like to use this report to promote the message that erectile dysfunction can be linked to chronic diseases and men experiencing ED should seek the assistance of a general practitioner.

The report is timely because the government is developing a men’s health policy which aims to address the specific health concerns of men and reduce barriers men may experience in accessing health services. The committee hopes that this report feeds into that process.

The roundtable forum presented an opportunity to explore concerns about some of the treatment of ED and to perhaps understand why men are choosing not to use their GP in the first instance.

The report highlights four significant problems associated with the provision of treatment for ED in Australia which were discussed at the roundtable.

• Firstly, it seems that men do visit their GP but that GPs are not adequately equipped to treat and manage ED in this setting. The committee strongly support the notion that GPs are the ‘gatekeepers’ of the health system. We would therefore encourage all men to seek assistance from their GP as a first option when they experience ED. However, this requires GPs to be better trained to understand the specific needs of men as patients and to better treat and manage specific men’s health problems.
• Secondly, some of the treatments that men are accessing through commercial ED clinics are produced through extemporaneous compounding. This means that a pharmacist produces a medication using a list of ingredients especially for a patient, based on a particular script. Compounding is a legitimate tool of medical practitioners and pharmacists to treat the small number of patients who require specialised medications. However, the level of compounding employed by some ED treatment providers is far in excess of what the committee feels is reasonable. There is currently a review into compounding underway by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and the committee supports stronger regulations for compounding in Australia.
• The third problem is the use of telemedicine as a routine option for prescribing medication to a previously unknown patient, as it limits the ability of the medical practitioner to undertake a complete health check. By telemedicine, I mean the big signs that we see around the country with 1300 numbers that men can call when they are experiencing this problem. Treating ED presents a significant opportunity to undertake preventative health checks, in particular because ED can be an early marker for chronic disease. The committee feels that this preventative health approach cannot be achieved through a telemedicine consultation. Therefore, the committee argues that the use of telemedicine to prescribe medication to a previously unknown patient as a first and routine option should cease.
• Finally, the committee was concerned by reports that commercial ED clinics are unwilling to share information about patient treatment with other medical practitioners. This unwillingness could adversely impact on the proposed e-record system to share clinical records. The committee encourages the federal government to consult with commercial ED treatment providers to ensure that they are integrated into any potential e-record system.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who contributed to this inquiry through submissions and discussions with the committee. I would also like to thank committee members and the secretariat staff for their efforts throughout the inquiry process. I especially thank the deputy chair, Steve Irons, and Amanda Rishworth, who attended the roundtable. I thank Sara Edson, Penny Wijnberg and James Catchpole, who all assisted with this report. I commend the report to the House. (Time expired)

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind the honourable member for Hindmarsh that he should refer to other honourable members by the name of their electorate or by the title of the position they currently hold.

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

I thank the Chair of the Standing Committee on Health and Ageing for tabling the report on the roundtable forum on impotence medications in Australia, and as deputy chair I would like to add some comments. I would like to start by thanking everyone who was involved in the report. I thank the member for Hindmarsh, who was also the committee chair, the member for Kingston and the secretariat. They were particularly helpful on the day of the forum and assisted me greatly in my role as acting chair of the roundtable. I would also like to thank all the groups and businesses who attended and made submissions on this important issue. They are too numerous to mention, but it was a good representation of the medical, pharmaceutical and health services across Australia.

Erectile dysfunction is an important issue to discuss because it affects millions of Australians across the country. The committee heard in a submission how a 2003 survey found that 80 per cent of men were worried about developing erectile dysfunction compared to 57 per cent of men who were concerned about developing prostate cancer. Yet, because of our cultural sensitivities, it is a topic that is rarely discussed in the public domain—but it is heavily advertised by radio and public billboards. I think not only has this probably discouraged discussion but it appears to have stifled discussion by those who suffer from this condition. Individuals have found it easier to speak to someone on the phone rather than have face-to-face contact with a GP or with family or friends.

This roundtable forum provided a chance to shed some light on the issue and provide some overdue public scrutiny of the practices of the industry. This is an industry that needs scrutiny. Any industry that sources its income by playing on the fears and insecurities of people about facing their problems through a normal health consultation deserves scrutiny.

There are two particular sections of the report that I would like to discuss with the House today. The first refers to the concern about the fact that many men with erectile dysfunction use the commercial sector rather than traditional GPs to obtain treatment. Erectile dysfunction is usually linked to ageing, but in some circumstances it is linked to other phenomena such as cardiovascular disease. Such symptoms may not be picked up in the commercial sector through a phone call. The commercial sector will not necessarily pick up on these important health issues, whereas a GP will. Although organisations such as AMI insist that they encourage customers to visit their GP, the fact is that many patients do not, perhaps because of embarrassment about the condition and because they think solving their issue over the telephone will be easier. I am sure I speak for the committee when I stress how important it is that anyone with erectile dysfunction go to a GP first, before approaching the commercial sector.

The second issue I want to discuss relates to a practice known as compounding, a practice which the AMI undertake. I do not know of other companies in the industry who do this, but AMI were the only company that 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. I commend this report to the House.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. Does the member for Hindmarsh wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House take note of the report.

In accordance with standing order 39(c), the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting and the member will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed.