Information updates

ASCIA 2024 Conference registration and abstract submission are open at https://ascia2024.com/ and the Program Book is available here ASCIA 2024 PROGRAM BOOK402.36 KB

Discounted earlybird registration and abstract submission close on 3rd July 2024.

We look forward to seeing you at the ASCIA 2024 Conference, which will be held from Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th September 2024 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, chaired by Dr Jovanka King.

September is fast approaching, which can only mean one thing, it’s time to get ready for the allergy and clinical immunology event of the year. Presentations will feature the latest updates on food, drug, insect and respiratory allergy, immunodeficiency and autoimmunity. There are also dedicated allergy updates for nurses, dietitians and medical practitioners on Friday. This event is once again being offered as a hybrid event, and we look forward to celebrating with in-person delegates at the Black and White Gala Dinner at Adelaide Zoo.

The ASCIA 2024 Conference is the leading annual event for continuing professional development (CPD) for for ASCIA members and other health professionals working in allergy and clinical immunology in Australia and New Zealand, which will provide:

• An international standard of CPD. 
• An opportunity for important in-person interactions. 
• On-demand viewing of sessions for all registered delegates after the conference.
• The option of virtual registration for delegates who cannot attend in-person, as it is a hybrid conference.

ASCIA 2024 SPONSOR AND EXHIBITOR MANUAL300.38 KB

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The second ASI Clinical Translation School will be held at Q Station in Manly, Sydney from Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th September 2024. This in-person intensive 2-day School will host an expert line-up of clinical translation speakers, and an engaged network of up-and-coming researcher students. 

The course is designed for clinical trainees in disciplines related to immunology, including autoimmunity, allergy, infectious disease, oncology, and primary immunodeficiency, as well as higher-degree students and clinical fellows with a passion for translational research that will advance human disease diagnosis and therapy.

The program will consist of presentations by scientists and clinicians, as well as roundtable discussions to give in-depth understanding of recent advances and emerging themes in immunology, and immunological technologies.

Information is available at https://www.immunology.org.au/events/2024-ASI-Clinical-Translation-School-EOI/

ASI CTS2024 flyer1.44 MB

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) public consultation is now open on Updates to Australian medicine labelling rules to support medicine safety to seek feedback to make sure proposed changes to labelling rules support the safe use of medicines.

The TGA is proposing changes to labelling rules to help make sure that certain information important to health professionals is displayed clearly on labels or is available in the appropriate format. The TGA also wants to improve information about large oral dosage forms on listed medicines because the TGA continues to receive reports of serious choking related adverse events.

Medicine labelling rules

Medicines entered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) for supply in Australia must comply with the requirements for labels set out in:

• Therapeutic Goods Order No. 91 - Standard for labels of prescription and related medicines (TGO 91), or
• Therapeutic Goods Order No. 92 - Standard for labels of non-prescription medicines (TGO 92).

This consultation is about proposed changes to TGO 91 and TGO 92 to address 3 medicine safety matters identified as needing action before we review labelling rules more broadly. We will conduct further public consultation about more improvements to labelling rules in the future.

Have your say

The TGA wants to know your views on the rules we are proposing and if you think they support the safe use of medicines. The aim of the proposals is to:

1. Make sure that quantities of active ingredients in injectable medicines intended for electrolyte replacement are clearly expressed in units important to health professionals.
2. Make sure that clear instructions on how to prepare and store certain injectable medicines administered by healthcare professionals is available in the appropriate format. This is to support recent changes to the Product Information (PI) as a package insert for injectable products.
3. Improve information on listed medicine labels about large solid oral dosage forms intended to be swallowed whole.

The TGA is particularly seeking feedback from health professionals on a proposal to allow a QR code to link to electronic instructions for preparation instead of a separate package insert, for certain medicines.

How you can give feedback

You can view the public consultation at Updates to Australian medicine labelling rules to support medicine safety on the TGA Consultation Hub. You are invited to give feedback by reading the consultation paper and completing our online survey. You are welcome to give us feedback on all 3 parts of this consultation, or only the parts that are important to you.

The public consultation will remain open until 11 July 2024.

Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions regarding this consultation.

ASCIA has submitted a letter of support for the Arexvy^® Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine application for new National Immunisation Program (NIP) listing (lodged 29 May 2024) which is available at https://www.allergy.org.au/ascia-submissions 

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) recombinant subunit vaccine  

Arexvy^® - GlaxoSmithKline Australia Pty Ltd

Powder and suspension for injection (0.5 mL)

Clinical indication: Prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV

Application: To request a listing on the NIP for prevention of RSV in patients aged 60 years and over

ASCIA supports the application for the following reasons:

• Arexvy® is the first RSV vaccine which has been approved in Australia by the TGA for people 60 years and older for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV. Arexvy® is a recombinant subunit vaccine, which does not contain live virus, and is therefore recommended for immunocompromised patients, which includes many people aged 60 years and older.
• RSV is a common and contagious respiratory virus that can cause cold and flu like symptoms in children and adults. Whilst in some cases RSV may be a mild infection, RSV can also cause serious illness and in rare cases, even death, in older adults.
• Older adults who are immunocompromised and/or have chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure have a greater risk of being hospitalised from RSV compared with those without these conditions.

Symptoms of RSV in adults are often similar to other acute respiratory infections, like colds or influenza, and can include a blocked nose, cough, fatigue, fever, sore throat, runny nose, body aches and headache. Cases of RSV were only officially counted in Australia from 2021, so there are still gaps in fully understanding how common the disease is and what impact it has on the Australian population.

Here is a link to the GSK media release (regarding the TGA approval) for further information.

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For the first time since ASCIA e-training courses for Schools and Children’s Education/Care (CEC) were introduced in 2010, reports have been developed based on mandatory feedback surveys in the Australasian versions of the courses. The surveys were completed by 43,945 course participants and the reports are available at https://www.allergy.org.au/ascia-reports#nacscec

Highlights from the Schools, CEC and Refresher course reports include:

• Relevant to current role - 81% to 86% indicated that the courses were entirely relevant to their current roles.
• Course content - 94% to 99% indicated there was nothing missing and 89% to 98% thought that the course did not need to be improved.

This work has been completed as part of the National Allergy Council Schools and Childcare project, and results will guide course updates.

To access the courses go to https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/about-ascia-e-training

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For the first time since ASCIA e-training for health professionals was introduced in 2011, reports have been developed based on mandatory feedback surveys. These surveys were completed by 1,730 health professionals and the reports are available here

Highlights from the health professional course reports include:

• Learning needs met – More than 90% indicated that the full and refresher courses had entirely met their learning needs.
• Relevant to current practice - 71% indicated that the full course, and 83% indicated that the refresher course was entirely relevant to their current practice.
• Full course content - 96% indicated nothing was missing and 94% indicated that the course did not need to be improved.
• Refresher course content - 96% indicated nothing was missing and 95% indicated that the course did not need to be improved.

This work has been completed as part of the National Allergy Council Shared Care for Allergy project, and results will guide course updates.

To access the courses go to https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/about-ascia-e-training

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To coincide with World Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) Week (22-28 April 2024) and the International Day of Immunology (29 April 2024) ASCIA has updated:

• ASCIA information for patients and carers about primary immunodeficiencies (also known as inborn errors of immunity)  
• ASCIA information for patients and carers about autoimmunity

Updated ASCIA SCIg Therapy - General Information includes subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) products that are currently available in Australia and New Zealand and management guides for SCIg infusion site reactions, problems and other reactions.

Updates have been made as part of the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy to make it easier to:

• Read and understand, by simplifying language and changing to FAQ formats.
• Contact patient/carer support organisations by including weblinks at the start of each FAQ.