healthlinks.net pty ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia) continues to play a lead role in providing up-to-date, accurate and efficient distribution of Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) and Product Information (PI).

Pharmacy dispensing software has the healthlinks.net database integrated so the CMI is available at the point of dispensing. Pharmacists rely on having eCMI distribution accessible as part of the workflow within their pharmacy dispensing systems; this enables effective distribution of CMIs to patients. The CMIs are also readily available for integration into physician software packages, medical publication and consumer and professional websites.

The Baume report (1991), recommended that pharmaceutical companies (Sponsors) provide a CMI leaflet in the primary pack or by other means, for all new and/or variations of existing prescription products by 1st January 1993. This posed a currency issue for Sponsors, whose products required frequent revisions.

The Sponsors, who were also members of Medicines Australia, collaborated with us, in a pilot to establish the feasibility of electronic distribution of CMI. The pilot was completed by July 1993, with the launch of first electronic distribution of CMI in June 1995.

The pilot saw the emergence of an industry group, today known as the Electronic Distribution Working Group (EDWG). The group comprises: members of the pharmaceutical industry, both originator and generic; Pharmacy Guild of Australia; Pharmaceutical Society of Australia; Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia; Arthritis Australia; The Quality Assurance Reference Group; The National Prescribing Service and healthlinks.net

EDWG provides us with ongoing input and guidance on developments and policies for electronic distribution of medicine information about medicines in Australia.

Without this system, pharmacists, doctors and consumers would not have access to a consolidated up-to-date source of medicine information.