MedAdvisor partners with Bowel Cancer Australia
Announcement posted by MedAdvisor International 26 Jun 2018
For Immediate Release
Melbourne, 26 June 2018 --- Australia’s leading digital medication management company, MedAdvisor, has partnered with the 100% community-funded charity Bowel Cancer Australia, to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and intervention in the effective treatment of bowel cancer.
Affecting 1 in 13 Australians in their lifetime, bowel cancer is the third most common type of newly diagnosed cancer in Australia.
Over 15,000 Australians will be diagnosed with the disease which claims more than 80 lives each week.
Robert Read, CEO of MedAdvisor said, “The Bowel Cancer Australia partnership enables us to provide important information to those interested in screening according to their personal bowel cancer risk, which varies depending on age, family history, comorbidities and lifestyle factors.”
Although a person’s risk increases sharply from age 50, the latest US research indicates those born in 1990 have double the risk of colon cancer and quadruple the risk of rectal cancer compared to people born in 1950.
Once considered a disease that only affected older people, bowel cancer is now the deadliest cancer among Australians aged 25 – 29.
“It can and does affect men and women at any age,” said Bowel Cancer Australia CEO Julien Wiggins.
“The good news is that bowel cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer if found early,” Mr Wiggins said.
Mr Read and Mr Wiggins agreed the partnership will help Australians better manage their risk of developing the second deadliest cancer in the country.
Mr Wiggins suggested people take the opportunity to talk to their GP or pharmacist about bowel cancer screening appropriate to their personal risk.
“For people considered to be at ‘average risk’, screening using the simple, convenient and accurate at-home faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is recommended every two years,” said Mr Wiggins.
Ian Fredericks, Professional Services Manager at Ramsay Pharmacy Group, echoes the sentiments of Mr Read and Mr Wiggins on the importance of regular screening: "90% of cases are treated successfully - but only if they're detected early enough. The availability of convenient, reliable and inexpensive bowel cancer screening tests makes it one of the most preventable cancers when followed up with timely colonoscopy. If you're 50 years or older, make sure you get screened every 2 years - it's a simple act which could easily save your life."
The new partnership will enable pharmacists to use the MedAdvisor platform to initiate conversations with patients who may be at risk for developing bowel cancer. MedAdvisor is currently used by more than 1 million connected users across Australia and connected with over 50 per cent of Australian pharmacies.
The MedAdvisor platform can also be used by both patients and carers to keep track of medications, pre-order medications from their favourite pharmacy, Carer Mode, Tap-To-Refill along with a number of features providing convenience and simplicity to users, all features Mr Wiggins welcomed, as more oral chemotherapy options become available which can be taken at home.
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For more information
| Jennifer Duraisingam Corporate Communications Manager Tel: +61 438 330 545
| Joni Thomes Communications and Strategic Projects Tel: +61 421 967 709
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Bowel Cancer Australia is the leading community-funded charity dedicated to prevention, early diagnosis, research, quality treatment and the best care for everyone affected by bowel cancer. For more information, visit bowelcanceraustralia.org.
MedAdvisor is a world class medication management platform focused on addressing the gap and burden of medication adherence. Founded with a desire to simplify medication management, the highly automated and intuitive Australian software system connects patients to their local pharmacy, providing them with real time access to their personal medication records. Available free on mobile and internet devices, the platform also incorporates a variety of valuable and convenient features including reminders and pre-ordering of medications, which together improves adherence by approximately 20%.
Since launching in 2013, MedAdvisor has welcomed one million users through its connections with ~50% of pharmacies and GPs across Australia.