A range of combination medicines are due to experience price cuts in the 1 October round of price disclosure measures.
The newly advised cuts will affect combination drugs due to experience flow-on price reductions.
The 2015 Access and Sustainability amendments to the National Health Act 1953 provide for price disclosure reductions to component drugs to be flowed-on to F2 combination items where this results in a lower price than direct application of price disclosure to the F2 combination item, the PBS website states.
This type of flow-on reduction to combination drugs on F2 is in addition to the usual flow-on of price reductions to combination drugs on the Combination Drug List (CDL).
However, the Department of Health is currently negotiating with sponsors to agree the flow-on prices so those prices cannot be published at this time.
Among the F2 components to be affected are:
- Alendronic Acid – in combination with colecalciferol, and with colecalciferol and calcium. Both of these combinations are predicted to experience a greater than 80% reduction for the combination drug at ex-manufacturer price.
- Clopidogrel with aspirin – a predicted 20% reduction
- Perindorpil with amlodipine – a less than 20% reduction
- Telmisartan with amlodipine (less than 20%), and with hydrochlorothiazide (20 to 40%)
Among the impacted CDL combination drugs are:
- Metformin in a range of combinations, including: glibenclamide (20-40%), rosiglitazone and saxigliptin – both less than 20%
- Ramipril with felodipine – less than 20%
- Ezetimibe with atorvastatin – less than 20%
Click here for more information.
The proposed direct price disclosure reductions for relevant component drugs can be viewed on the Price Disclosure page under the heading ‘WADP – potential October ’16 PBS Price’
