A momentous year

We end this year in mourning over the Bondi tragedy, and I want to extend the condolences of ASA and the sleep community to those who have suffered loss and trauma this week. If you or your family have been affected, our thoughts are with you.

The ASA has had a momentous year, and I’d like to take a moment to remind us all what we’ve achieved together during 2025.

• Two new Medicare item numbers were approved to fund home sleep studies for children and adolescents
• Three state meetings and seven webinars offered free education and networking to members
• The QUMISH grant reached its completion, having achieved over 13,000 engagements with pharmacists in sleep health education activities
• The Health Peak and Advisory Bodies grant program continued educating GPs, psychologists and nurses, clocking up 22,000 engagements over the 3.5 years of the program
• Sleep DownUnder in Adelaide saw nearly 700 people gather to hear the latest news and research while meeting with friends old and new (selected sessions are available in the Learning Centre)
• We also announced during Sleep in Aotearoa that Sleep DownUnder will return to Auckland in 2028
• We worked with the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on communication with members about the new sleep study explanatory note and compliance priorities.

These achievements are the result of an army of dedicated ASA volunteers, and I thank you all for everything you’ve done for the association and the sleep community in 2025. May we all have a holiday season that lifts us up and renews us, carrying us through to the New Year in hope.

Sodium oxybate supply update

UCB Pharma has ceased distribution of Xyrem® (sodium oxybate) in Australia. Supply continues uninterrupted via MedSurge Healthcare using an equivalent generic formulation (Kalceks brand), accessed through the same TGA Special Access Scheme pathway.

No changes are required to prescribing practices, existing SAS-B approvals, or state-based schedule 8 permits. Physicians should continue to prescribe using the generic name ‘sodium oxybate’ consistent with standard prescribing practice. 

Hypersomnolence Australia is monitoring patient experiences during this transition. If patients report any concerns about the generic formulation, please direct them to provide feedback via the Hypersomnolence Australia webform.

ALEC survey for health professionals

Monash University researchers are inviting Australian health professionals to take their 10-minute online survey. The survey aims to capture your views about guideline currency and about living guidelines. This study has been approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (project number 49707).