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Overview Complementary Medicines
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Queensland accounts for one third of the Australian complementary medicines market with an estimated national worth of AU$1.5 - 2.5B per annum. The expected market growth rate over the next six years is 6%1. Stimulating this growth is:
- increasing consumer demand for evidence based complementary therapies and medicines,
- investment in evidence based research to validate claims and outcomes for complementary medicines and a greater acceptance by conventional medicine practitioners and researchers, and
- internationally recognised regulatory standards which ensure quality, safety and efficacy of Australian manufactured products.
Research has shown that two in three Australians use complementary medicines. Furthermore, consumers are spending four times more in out of pocket expenses on complementary medicines than on pharmaceuticals2.
Complementary medicines have become a key platform in addressing national health priorities. Preliminary evidence suggests that complementary medicines can offer substantial, cost-effective public health benefits in chronic disease management, preventative, aged and palliative care, many of which are national research priorities. __________________________________________
1National Institute of Complementary Medicines 2009
2National Institute of Complementary Medicines 2008
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| Moderator |
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Dr Peter Riddles Director and Founder, Vicibio
Dr Riddles seeks to contribute to sustainable economic development through realizing and applying the benefits of innovation from science. He has broad experience in innovation including at the economic, company and technology level. Through ViciBio Pty Ltd, Peter continues to contribute in two broad activities: working with governments and economic regions on innovation and strategies for industry growth; and working with new ventures and universities in innovation and commercialisation.
Currently, Peter is the Chairman of Griffith Enterprise, a Director of the Australian Stem Cell Centre Ltd, and strategic advisor to a number of private biotechnology firms. He also acts as a member of the Alberta Research and Innovation Authority (Canada), the Innovation Australia Board (including Chair of its Innovation Grants Committee) for the Federal Government of Australia, and the Queensland Government Industry Advisory Group. He was previously a Founder and inaugural President of AusBiotech (Australia’s biotechnology organization), the last Chairman, and Member (since its inception), of the Queensland Biotechnology Advisory Council. |
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Panel Members
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Prof Alan Bensoussan Executive Director / Professor of Chinese Medicine, National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) / University of Western Sydney
Professor Alan Bensoussan is Director of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine and Foundation Director of the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney. He is an active researcher with a background of over 25 years in clinical practice in Chinese medicine. Alan Bensoussan is a member of the National Medicines Policy Committee and Chairs the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Advisory Committee for Complementary Medicines. He has published two books including a review of acupuncture research (1990) and a major government report on the practice of traditional Chinese medicine in Australia (1996), which was influential in the Council of Australian Governments decision to introduce national registration of Chinese medicine practitioners in Australia in 2012. |
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Prof David Colquhoun AMA Queensland Cardiology Spokesman
Associate Professor David Colquhoun is a Cardiologist in private practice. He has been extensively involved in research over the last 25 years involving multi-centre international trials and investigator initiated trials in the area of lipids, nutrition, nutraceuticals and physiological aspects of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. He has presented his research at many national and international meetings. He is Head of Cardiovascular research at Greenslopes Private Hospital. He has a private research organization (CORE Research). He was a member of the National Heart Foundation of Australia Nutrition and Metabolism Committee. He is a grant assessor for National Health and Medical Research Council, National Heart Foundation Australia and Diabetes Australia. He has published and been a referee for major journals. He is the AMA spokesperson for Cardiology in Queensland. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of National Institute of Complementary Medicine. In 2008 he attended the 2020 Summit, the only cardiologist invited. He was a member of the Queensland Government Smart State Council working group on Prevention and early intervention approaches to tackle chronic disease. He was the Chief Author of the National Heart Foundation’s position statement on fish and fish oil in 2008. He writes a column for Prevention magazine. |
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Mrs Wendy Free Director, Quality Matters Safety Matters Pty Ltd
Wendy is a quality assurance professional with over 20 year’s experience. Highly experienced in documentation, training, auditing and validation program design and implementation, her particular expertise is innovation in the globally regulated, therapeutic goods arena. Risk management and successful change control are key professional attributes. In high-‐risk environments, such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) operations, she is able to rapidly predict and recognise critical aspects and then initiate, prioritise and implement the most appropriate proactive and remedial actions. A comprehensive understanding of the international medicinal regulatory environments, occupational health and safety and ensuring functionality of quality systems ensures that design, innovative product development and lean manufacturing are core transferable skills. Wendy has extensive experience in scale up and trouble shooting issues. Through her professional partnerships, she has been instrumental in the fruition to manufacture and commercialisation of over three hundred different products, ranging from complementary medicines and vaccines to medical devices and in-‐vitro diagnostic, as well as veterinary and internationally recognised personal care goods. |
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Prof Beverley Glass Chair of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University
Beverley Glass after being awarded her BPharm degree completed her internship year in rural community/hospital pharmacy practice, a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and thereafter took up a position as a Principal Research Scientist in the Pharmaceutical Industry. After a 2 year period in the Industry, Beverley entered academia and held positions at both the Universities of Port Elizabeth and Rhodes in South Africa, teaching in the areas of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice. During this time, she completed Honours degrees in Chemistry and Business (Marketing) and in 1999 accepted the position as Chair of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Rhodes University, whilst maintaining contact with the practice of Pharmacy as both an Industrial and Community Pharmacy Consultant and Expert Consultant (Drug Stability and Analytical Chemistry) for the Regulatory Authority, the Medicines Control Council of South Africa. Beverley joined the School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences (Pharmacy, Chemistry and Biochemistry) at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia in 2001 to assist in the development of the curriculum and establishment of the integrated pharmacy programme which commenced in 1999, as an Associate Professor in Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Management. Beverley was appointed the as the Foundation Chair of Pharmacy at James Cook University in 2005 and Head of the Discipline of Pharmacy and is currently acting Head of the School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences. |
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Dr Deon Schoombie Executive Director, Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI)
Following the completion of his medical studies, Deon worked in general practice and psychiatry for 10 years. He then moved into hospital management and was medical superintendent of several tertiary training hospitals. He maintained an interest in clinical practice and completed a course in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1998 he was appointed Advertising Services Manager at Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI) where his primary responsibility was the approval of advertisements for therapeutic goods, under ministerial delegation. After extending his career experience in healthcare advertising, medical education and research consultancy, Deon re-joined ASMI as Scientific Director in September 2004. He became Deputy Executive Director in February 2010 and took over as Executive Director in July 2010. |
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Pamela Stone ND Director of Education, Blackmores Ltd
Pam Stone is Director of Education at Blackmores and is a member of the company’s leadership team. She has had a 23 year career with Blackmores, which has spanned the Advisory, PR and education areas of the business. She has also lectured extensively in the Asia Pacific region to health professionals and the general public on a broad range of health issues.
Today she leads a team of educators and naturopathic advisors who design and deliver training to healthcare professionals, trade and consumer groups. She believes that education is the key to influencing and motivating behaviour and favours a responsible, integrative approach to maintaining health and wellbeing. A naturopath with over 25 years experience, she has witnessed a profound change in attitudes to natural healthcare and complementary medicine over this time and she is passionate about the need to educate healthcare professionals and the general public alike in complementary medicine so they are equipped to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.
Pam manages to juggle a busy professional life with family commitments and is mother to 18 year old twins. She believes that the key to health and vitality comes from achieving balance in life, and tries to practice what she preaches with good nutrition, regular exercise and a positive approach. She encourages people to recognise that positive health choices they can make now will be an investment in greater vitality and as an investment in their future wellbeing. |
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