The number of under co-payment scripts continues to increase with about 90 million supplied in 2017-18 – mostly for antibiotics, antidepressants and statins
From 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018, 89.5 million under co-payment prescriptions were supplied under the PBS and RPBS, according to latest data.
This data was collected from both community pharmacies and public and private hospitals.
Under co-payment prescriptions are those priced below the co-payment, while subsidised medicines are those priced over co-payment.
During 2018 the general co-payment was $39.50, with a concessional co-payment of $6.40 – i.e. the amount of contribution paid by patients towards PBS/RPBS medicines.
Meanwhile in 2017 the general co-payment was $38.80 and concessional co-payment $6.30.
In comparison to the latest data, from 2016-2017 under co-payment scripts numbered 85 million.
And from 2015-2016, under co-payment scripts were 81.4 million.
From 2017-18, the most common under co-payment medicines were as follows:
- Amoxicillin/Amoxicillin+Clavulanic Acid – 5.6 million scripts
- Rosuvastatin – 4 million
- Atorvastatin – 3.2 million
- Cefalexin – 2.7 million
- Perindopril – 2.4 million
- Escitalopram – 2.3 million
- Irbesartan/ Irbesartan+Hydrochlorothiazide – 2.1 million
- Sertraline – 2 million
- Pantoprazole – 2 million
- Metformin – 1.6 million
- Paracetamol+Codeine – 1.5 million
The collection of PBS/RPBS under co-payment prescription data was agreed to under the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement (5CPA) and announced in the 2010-11 Budget.
Collection of this data for PBS and RPBS commenced on 1 April 2012.
From 2012-2013 – the first year that data was collected – under co-payment scripts numbered 62 million.
