Medicines

Consumer Medicine Information

HealthInsite provides access to nearly 2500 Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) items on the myDr website. If you do a search for a specific brand name or generic name of a drug, the CMI(s) for that drug will be listed on the Consumer Medicines Information page linked from your search results summary page.

Consumer Medicine Information is often included as a package insert with medicines, or you can ask your prescribing doctor or pharmacist for them. CMI leaflets are written by the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the medicines and must comply with Australian guidelines. They describe what the medicine is and what it is used for, when and how to take the medicine, and any side effects.

More information about Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is available on the website of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing.

If you need information on the range of treatments for a condition, look for the condition in the HealthInsite Conditions and Diseases  topics, or through HealthInsite's A-Z Health Topics , or enter the name of the condition in the Quick Search box on any HealthInsite page.

Medicines Line  is a national information service, providing Australians with access to independent, accurate and up-to-date information about medicines including prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, complementary medicines and herbal and natural therapies. Medicines Line was developed by the National Prescribing Service (NPS), which is funded by the Federal Government to educate prescribers, pharmacists and consumers about the safety and quality use of medicines. NPS collaborates with healthdirect Australia to deliver Medicines Line, a telephone service providing consumers with information on prescription, over-the-counter and complementary (herbal/’natural’/vitamin/mineral) medicines.You can contact Medicines Line on 1300 633 424, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm EST.

The Home Medicines Review  is a service to patients living at home in the community. In collaboration with the GP, a pharmacist comprehensively reviews your medication regimen in a home visit.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Medicare Australia provides information about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)  and the cost of pharmaceutical drugs.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing also has information on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme .

Medicines regulation

For information about the regulation of medicines, including prescription and non-prescription medications, complementary medications and importing and exporting medicines, visit the Therapeutic Goods Administration  website.

Medicines policy

Information on Australia's National Medicines Policy and the National Strategy for the Quality Use of Medicines can be found on the National Medicines Policy  website.

Updated August 2010