NEWS 7
Mounjaro provided significant benefits to patients with moderate to severe OSA and obesity: 1, 2 * * p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity, for changes in AHI and body weight. 1, 2
ausdoc. com. au 22 AUGUST 2025
NEWS 7
Site lets pregnant women skip GPs
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Jamie Thannoo QUEENSLAND has launched the first statewide system for patients to refer themselves to public hospitals for maternity care.
While a few Australian hospitals have self-referral options already, only Queensland’ s pregnancy care self-referral portal, launched on 30 June, covers an entire state.
Queensland Health says the policy— which the Australian College of Midwives and patient advocates support— aims to reduce perinatal
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deaths through easier access to antenatal care, particularly for patients who struggle to get GP appointments.
However, the RACGP warns that women who“ bypass” GPs risk missing out on first-trimester tests, while maternity services may not receive vital medical information held by GPs.
“ We are mindful that the policy intent here is to help the most vulnerable women access care where they do not have good access to a GP or clinic that knows them,” said
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Townsville GP and RACGP Rural Council chair Associate Professor Michael Clements.
“ But there is concern because these are the women who are in most need of support from the health system.”
A shortage of midwives, especially those trained in first-trimester care, meant patients who self-referred could still face delays, he said.
AMA Queensland said the policy could disadvantage private obstetricians.
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“ This self-referral tool must include all options available to women, including private obstetrics,” said AMA Queensland president and GP Dr Nick Yim.
In response, Queensland Health said the self-referral portal was part of its broader Supporting Healthy Pregnancies website, which covered other options for women, including GP shared care and private obstetricians.
The Australian College of Midwives said the policy would get women into maternity care faster.
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Associate Professor Michael Clements. |
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HealthLink gets the message |
Mounjaro provided significant benefits to patients with moderate to severe OSA and obesity: 1, 2 * * p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity, for changes in AHI and body weight. 1, 2
SURMOUNT-OSA
Heather Saxena AUSTRALIA’ S largest secure messaging company says its essential services will remain free after it ditched a plan to charge practices up to $ 1000 a year to send referrals.
In late 2024, HealthLink said it would charge subscription fees ranging from $ 252 to $ 1000 a year to keep its services“ cost-effective and scalable”.
It meant practices faced paying for something necessary for various government functions, including submitting referrals to the federal My Aged Care program.
After a GP backlash, HealthLink paused the plan in January.
Finally, in July, it announced that practices would be allowed to
Significant reductions in AHI of-55.0 to-68.2 % at week 52 1 †
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vs-5.0 to-6.4 % reductions from baseline with placebo in Study 1( not on PAP therapy) and Study 2( on PAP therapy), respectively. Key secondary endpoint, p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity. 1, 2
Significant reductions in body weight of-18.1 to-20.1 % at week 52 1, 2 ‡
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vs-1.3 to-2.3 % reductions from baseline with placebo in Study 1( not on PAP therapy) and Study 2( on PAP therapy), respectively. Key secondary endpoint, p < 0.001 vs placebo, adjusted for multiplicity. 1, 2
Scan the QR code to learn more about Mounjaro
Safety profile consistent with previous placebo-controlled clinical trials of Mounjaro 1, 2 §
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The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal in nature, were generally mild to moderate in severity and occurred most often during dose escalation. 2
The AHI classifies obstructive sleep apnoea severity as mild( ≥5 to < 15 events / h), moderate( ≥15 to < 30 events / h), and severe( ≥30 events / h), as measured by polysomnography. 3
SURMOUNT-OSA included two 52-week Phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of Mounjaro MTD( 10 mg or 15 mg) in adults with moderate to severe OSA and obesity not on PAP therapy( Study 1; n = 234) or on PAP therapy( Study 2; n = 235), as an adjunct to reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. 2
AHI: apnoea-hypopnoea index. MTD: maximum tolerated dose. OSA: obstructive sleep apnoea. PAP: positive airway pressure.
References: 1. MOUNJARO ® Approved Product Information. 2. Malhotra A et al. N Engl J Med 2024; 391( 13): 1193 – 205( including supplement). 3. Chang JL et al. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2023; 13( 7): 1061 – 482.
© 2025 Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd. Mounjaro ® is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company. Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 39 000 233 992. Level 9, 60 Margaret St, Sydney NSW 2000. Telephone: 1800 454 559. Date of preparation: June 2025. PP-TR-AU-0669. 2008098.
‘ We were not prepared for another punch in the face.’
continue using SmartForms and the referral functions for free.
HealthLink said the new pricing structure would include a free plan for essential functions, a $ 12-a-year plan for“ improved security and contractual protections” and a $ 480-a-year premium service.
Without giving further details, HealthLink— used by around 11,000 GP and specialist practices— said it was working on analytics and AI tools as possible premium services.
It said all practices would receive premium access for free until early 2026, when they could decide whether to start paying.
Fees under the now-ditched plan were $ 252 for small practices( 1-3 GPs), $ 600 for medium practices( 4-10 GPs) and $ 1000 for clinics with 11-plus GPs.
Canberra GP Dr John Deery applauded HealthLink’ s reversal.
“ General practice receives a lot of punches in the face, and we were not prepared for another one, especially for a tool that has a monopoly in some parts of the country,” he said.