What impact will the 1 October PBS cuts have on the 20 most commonly prescribed medicines?
Pharmacy is gearing up for the 1 October round of PBS price cuts.
As recorded yesterday in AJP, more than 2000 medicine brands will be reduced in price for non-concessional patients in this wave of cuts.
The top 20 most prescribed medicines on the PBS will all experience some degree of price cuts from 1 October 2016.
The savings for these medicines may vary depending on a number of factors such as formulation and strength, brand, the concessional status of the patient and any discretionary fees added or discounting by the pharmacist.
Drug name | Number of non-concessional patients benefiting | $ savings per script | % savings per script |
| Levonorgestrel with ethinyloestradiol | >679000 | Up to $0.85 | 4.65% |
| Rosuvastatin | >449000 | Up to $4.63 | 14.23% |
| Atorvastatin | >395000 | Up to $2.28 | 12.58% |
| Pantoprazole | >376000 | Up to $0.45 | 3.20% |
| Metformin | >319000 | Up to $0.54 | 3.42% |
| Perindopril | >285000 | Up to $1.08 | 6.41% |
| Escitalopram | >285000 | Up to $0.41 | 3.04% |
| Celecoxib | >270000 | Up to $1.48 | 6.68% |
| Rabeprazole | >165000 | Up to $1.45 | 9.14% |
| Irbesartan | >156000 | Up to $1.89 | 11.41% |
| Telmisartan | >152000 | Up to $2.62 | 12.50% |
| Venlafaxine | >137000 | Up to $2.01 | 11.36% |
| Candesartan | >130000 | Up to $1.50 | 7.85% |
| Ramipril | >130000 | Up to $0.54 | 3.65% |
| Irbesartan with hydrochlorothiazide | >100000 | Up to $3.85 | 20.14% |
| Citalopram | >100000 | Up to $0.44 | 3.27% |
| Perindopril with amlodipine | >95000 | Up to $1.08 | 6.02% |
| Duloxetine | >86000 | Up to $2.22 | 11.17% |
| Simvastatin | >82000 | Up to $0.69 | 4.60% |
| Telmisartan with hydrochlorothiazide | >65000 | Up to $2.61 | 11.62% |
Wholesalers have already announced their very own cuts to owners’ discounts. They receive a massive amount of $$$ from pharmacists plus a massive chunk of pharmacist’s CPA $$$. Owning major banner groups they have far too much power in the industry. Owners need to start exploring direct ordering eg. Pfizer direct, who have really lifted their game.