Over-the-counter cannabis pain relief on the horizon
Australians may be able to buy cannabis pain relief without a prescription in about 12 months with final clinical trials underway for a dissolvable tablet.
medicine
Rewards of going rural, as doctors push for recognition
Young doctors are more likely to choose to live and work in country Australia if rural generalist medicine is recognised as a specialty, medical colleges say.
Pact puts handbrake on ‘defining technology of our age’
A pact on artificial intelligence is intended to protect people from harm without stifling breakthroughs in vaccines, computing and defence.
Scientists win Nobel for work that led to COVID vaccine
A Hungarian-born researcher and a US scientist have won this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work on mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
Here’s what new 60-day prescriptions mean for you and your hip pocket
From today, there are significant changes to how some common medicines are prescribed and dispensed in Australia. This means you could walk away from the pharmacy with 60-days’ worth of your usual medicine from a single prescription. Until now, most long-term medicines were only available for 30 days at a time. So the price of these medicines for some patients may effectively halve.
Pharmacists shelve medicines campaign as talks begin
The federal government has entered into talks with the peak body representing pharmacies as its 60-day medicine dispensing policy kicks off.
Cheaper medicine policy to start, veto threat remains
Cheaper medicines and 60-day dispensing will go ahead as planned but a second push to veto the policy will come up for a vote just days after it starts.
Push to end driving fear for medicinal cannabis users
Roadside drug laws are particularly harsh on rural and outer suburban people who cannot use public transport, but proposed laws could change that.
More women to access medical abortion under eased rules
Any healthcare practitioner will be able to prescribe medical abortion pills, with health groups hailing the easing of the rules as a win for equity.
Tara Moss quietly drops negligence case against doctor
Former model Tara Moss has discontinued a civil lawsuit against a NSW doctor over an alleged misdiagnosis she claimed led to permanent injury and chronic pain.
‘Psychennex’ – new psychedelic-assisted clinic business
A subsidiary of ASX-listed Incannex Healthcare plans to open psychedelic-assisted clinics "as quickly as we can" across Australia in the next few years.
Big bulk billing boost the centrepiece of health budget
Changes to bulk billing incentives will give more than 11 million Australians access to general practitioner services with no out-of-pocket costs.
Call to put patients before profits in budget measures
Two peak medical bodies are at odds over solutions to soaring medicine expenses and a burdened health system, with patient well-being caught in the crossfire.
Jaw-dropping breakthrough helps man regenerate tissue
A world-first surgical technique performed by an Australian surgeon using a groundbreaking Australian-Singaporean 3D implant has produced a jaw-dropping result.
COVID deaths hit 12-month low
Case numbers of COVID have fallen significantly across the nation as new treatments provide hope in the fight against the deadly virus.
Wastewater shows codeine use plunges
Codeine use has dropped by 37 per cent since over the counter sales were banned, according to new findings from wastewater sampling taken across the nation.
Qld firm hones next-generation painkillers
New targeted painkillers potentially requiring fewer doses and with less side effects are being developed by a University of Queensland startup.
Connectivity a lifeline for bush patients
The AMA is urging the government to improve mobile and internet coverage in the bush, particularly as several states endure major floods.
Purple patch to help remote health care
A PhD student from the University of Southern Queensland is developing an affordable wound dressing made from plum peel, aloe vera and sticky gum.
Young Australians urged to be organ donors
Young people across the nation are being encouraged to sign up for the Australian Organ Donor Register as part of DonateLife Week.
Queensland-developed vaccine gives hope for mums and babies
Expectant mothers and transplant candidates are among those expected to benefit following a vaccine breakthrough at a Queensland medical research institute.
Mums priced out of private obstetrics care
More Australian mothers are choosing to give birth in the public health system leading to concerns about the future of private providers.
Brisbane priest charged with sex offences
A prominent Brisbane Anglican priest appointed to investigate child abuse within the church has fronted court accused of historic sex offences.