PBS
The role of pharmacists should be overhauled, taking the heat off GPs
While medicines prices should be cut, pharmacists could also do more than they currently do, writes Grattan Institute director Stephen Duckett Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute A Grattan Institute …
How to slash half a billion dollars a year from Australia’s drugs bill
How to slash half a billion dollars a year from Australia’s drugs bill Jonathan Karnon, University of Adelaide; Laura C Edney, University of Adelaide, and Michael Sorich, Flinders University Australia …
Cost a barrier to scripts for 1.8 million
The number of people deferring access to prescribed medication due to cost has remained steady, at 7.6% of the population The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2016 found that …
Regulatory revelations
New PBS listings from special meeting revealed, while the TGA warns on a new product shortage A special meeting of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) in December 2016 …
Price disclosure strikes again
The latest round of PBS price disclosure cuts has been publicly released A range of common medications are included in the April 2017 round of reductions, released yesterday, with some …
Reform the PBS, consumer group demands
Government should scrap co-pay increases and move to electronic recording, CHF says The Federal Government should reform the PBS safety net so consumers with high usage of PBS medicines have …
Codeine upscheduled
Codeine-containing OTC preparations will be upscheduled due to concerns about its abuse Codeine upscheduling decision fails consumers, says the Guild, this morning following the announcement. The decision to upschedule medicines …
First new asthma treatment in a decade
There is new hope for those with “difficult to treat” asthma in the new year, with breakthrough biologic to be PBS listed on 1 Jan Nucala (mepolizumab) is the first …
Spending decline
The impact of price disclosure has been again confirmed by Department of Health data forecasting falling PBS expenditure The latest figures reveal Government spending on the PBS is forecast …
The 10 most expensive drugs
New Hepatitis C medicines a costly solution at the top of the most expensive drugs list Newly approved hepatitis C medicines have topped the latest list of the most costly …
Asthma treatment now on PBS
New biologic to treat severe asthma heads new PBS listings The first biologic medicine to treat severe allergic asthma in patients whose symptoms are inadequately controlled with high dose preventer …
A deathly solution
“Common sense change” to payment of PBS concessional entitlements on date of death welcomed by pharmacy The move is one of three changes to the National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits) …