3 DECEMBER 2021 ausdoc . com . au
Anti-mandate lawyer suspended
Nathan Buckley . |
G & B LAWYERS / FACEBOOK |
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Antony Scholefield THE controversial lawyer representing health workers in a failed challenge to COVID-19 vaccine mandates has been suspended by the Law Society of New South Wales .
Last month , Nathan Buckley , a founding partner of G & B Lawyers , published a letter from the watchdog telling him he had been prohibited from practising until June next year . His firm was behind one of the first legal challenges to the NSW vaccine mandate to make it to court .
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Mr Buckley argued the public health order was disproportionate when measured against the alleged dangers of the vaccine and the threat of COVID-19 , which he claimed could be treated with ivermectin .
It was thrown out by NSW Supreme Court judge Robert Beech-Jones .
But in response , the firm tweeted : “ Justice Beech-Jones today said that no-one in NSW has any rights . No-one has a right to bodily integrity .
“ He basically said it is okay to kill anyone you like .”
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The NSW Legal Services Commissioner said Mr Buckley was suspended because he “ failed in his duties not to engage in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice , not to engage in conduct likely to bring the legal profession into disrepute and to be honest and courteous in his dealings ”.
In addition to the social media post criticising Justice Beech-Jones , Mr Buckley was also admonished for tweets encouraging Victorians to breach mask mandates and
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suggesting that businesses register false addresses to circumvent lockdown rules .
On 20 October , when he was first warned he could be suspended , Mr Buckley launched a $ 1 million GoFundMe campaign to raise money to challenge the law society ’ s decision .
After his suspension was handed down , he added on his campaign page : “ Officially suspended today … for exercising my freedom of speech .” As of last week , Mr Buckley had raised $ 22,000 .
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PRESCRIBE
Fictional patient , for illustrative purposes only
TODAY
TRELEGY ELLIPTA is indicated for the maintenance treatment of adults with moderate to severe COPD who require LAMA + LABA + ICS . Not indicated for initiation in COPD 1
It ’ s the things you do today that make a difference to their tomorrows 1-3
Trelegy Ellipta provides superior reduction by 44 % in moderate / severe COPD exacerbations vs Symbicort Turbuhaler ( ICS / LABA ) at 52 weeks , 2 p = 0.006 , AR : 0.16
Trelegy Ellipta vs Symbicort Turbuhaler at 24 weeks , RR 35 %, p = 0.002 , AR : 0.12 2
TRELEGY Ellipta is generally well tolerated . Common side effects include : nasopharyngitis , headache , upper respiratory tract infection , back pain , dysphonia , pneumonia and cough . 1
PLEASE REVIEW PRODUCT INFORMATION BEFORE PRESCRIBING . FULL PRODUCT INFORMATION CAN BE ACCESSED AT GSK . COM . AU / TRELEGY
PBS Information : Authority required ( Streamlined 10167 ). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Criteria Apply . Refer to PBS Schedule for full information .
STUDY DESIGN : FULFIL was a randomised controlled trial comparing TRELEGY Ellipta OD and Symbicort Turbuhaler ( budesonide / eformoterol 400 / 12μg ) BD in patients with moderate to severe COPD . The co-primary endpoints were change from baseline in trough FEV 1 and SGRQ at 24 weeks ( n = 1,810 ). A subset of patients ( n = 430 ) remained on blinded study treatment for up to 52 weeks .
Trelegy Ellipta ( Fluticasone furoate / Umeclidinium ( as bromide )/ Vilanterol ( as trifenatate ) 100 / 62.5 / 25 mcg ). Minimum Product Information . Indications : Maintenance treatment of adults with moderate to severe COPD who require LAMA + LABA + ICS . Not indicated for initiation in COPD . Contraindications : Severe milk-protein allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients . Precautions : Treatment in accordance with clinical guidelines . Not indicated for asthma . Treatment re-evaluated if pneumonia occurs . Paradoxical bronchospasm , unstable cardiac disease , hepatic impairment , active or quiescent TB , systemic fungal , bacterial , viral , or parasitic infections ; or ocular herpes simplex . Narrow angle glaucoma , urinary retention . Pregnancy : Category B3 . Interactions : Beta-blockers , strong CYP3A4 inhibitors , sympathomimetics , monoamine oxidase inhibitors , tricyclic antidepressants and other LAMAs and LABAs . Adverse Effects : nasopharyngitis , headache , cough , oropharyngeal pain , pneumonia , upper respiratory tract infection , influenza , pharyngitis , rhinitis , arthralgia , back pain , constipation , sinusitis , bronchitis , urinary tract infection , candidiasis of mouth and throat . Dosage : one inhalation once daily . After inhalation , rinse mouth with water without swallowing . Min PI v 3.0 . For full product information please contact GlaxoSmithKline Australia Pty Ltd . COPD , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ; ICS , inhaled corticosteroid ; LAMA , long-acting muscarinic antagonist ; LABA , long acting beta 2 -agonist .
References 1 . TRELEGY Ellipta Approved Product Information . 2 . Lipson DA et al . Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2017 ; 196 : 438 – 46 . 3 . Lipson DA et al . N Engl J Med 2018 ; 378:1671 – 1680 .
For information on GSK products or to report an adverse event involving a GSK product , please contact GSK Medical Information on 1800 033 109 . GlaxoSmithKline Australia Pty Ltd ABN 47 100 162 481 , Melbourne , VIC . Trelegy Ellipta Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies © 2021 GSK group of companies or its licensor . PM-AU-FVU-ADVT-210003 Date of Approval : August 2021 .
Scrap PBS line , says college
Antony Scholefield THE RACGP has reignited debate over the PBS telephone authority line , declaring it fails to prevent inappropriate prescribing and serves little purpose other than to waste GPs ’ time .
Services Australia ’ s hotline to request approval for authority drugs has been mandatory for decades , with the process often taking up to five minutes per call .
More recently , GPs have also had the option of using the Health Professional Online Services computer system .
But the RACGP wants both systems ditched , arguing there would be no impact on safety .
“ Telephone authority is a really strange system in some ways ,” said Professor Mark Morgan , chair of the RACGP Expert Committee — Quality Care .
“ If I was having a consult over the telephone with an expert in medications , in order to get advice about the best medication to use in an unusual and unique circumstances , that would be very different .
“ But all I ’ m doing is describing details on my screen to somebody who ’ s got a similar screen right in front of them in order to get a number to type on a prescription .”
Professor Morgan said the streamlined authority system was enough of a safety check while minimising the administrative burden on GPs .
The recommendation was part of the RACGP ’ s response to a government review of the National Medicines Policy .
The college is also lobbying for more adverse-event monitoring for complementary medicines , standard pack sizes for long-term medicines and allowing pharmacists to dispense two or three repeats at once for certain low-risk scripts . RACGP : Submission to Review of the National Medicines Policy ; 22 October 2021 . bit . ly / 3Fy25LB