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Home > Ministers > The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP - Minister for Health > Media Hub > New PBS Listings, Including Help for New Year's Resolution to Quit Smoking

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PDF printable version of New PBS Listings, including help for New Year's resolution to quit smoking (PDF 22 KB)

30 December 2011

Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek said other new listings on the PBS include drugs to provide new treatment choices for people with HIV, and patients having knee and hip replacements at risk of forming blood clots.

“The January 1 listing of two lower strength nicotine patches is good news for smokers who are making it their New Year’s resolution to quit,” she said.

“The new patches will help smokers by giving them further options for quitting, and will allow clinicians to tailor the way they reduce a patient’s nicotine intake.”

The two new lower strength nicotine patches of 14mg and 7mg over 24 hours will be listed in addition to the currently listed 21mg over 24hr and 15mg over 16hr patches.

“The listing of these nicotine patches on the PBS will cut the price of patches down to just $5.80 a month for concessional patients or $35.40 a month for general patients. That’s a lot cheaper than smoking a pack a day.”

Ms Plibersek said the Gillard Government was committed to helping Australians kick the habit. On 1 February, 2011, the Government listed higher strength nicotine patches on the PBS for the general population at a cost of more than $40 million over four years.

Since the listing more than 125,000 people (206,000 prescriptions) have used the treatment at a cost of $8.9 million.

“Some 15.1% of Australians are daily smokers today, compared with about 50% after the Second World War. Despite the fall in the proportion of Australians smoking, more than 15,000 Australians die every year from smoking-related illnesses. Smoking is the largest single preventable cause of disease and death in Australia.”

“Australia has had great success over recent decades in reducing the proportion of people who smoke. Nicotine substitute treatments go hand-in-hand with better anti-smoking advertising, plain-packaging legislation, tighter restrictions on smoking in public places, and other measures.”

The patches are available as one 12-week supply (one original script plus two repeats) per year and must be prescribed by a clinician. Patients must say they are ready to stop smoking and will enter a support and counselling program such as that offered by the Quitline, on 13 78 48.

Other changes to the PBS as of 1 January include:

• Etravirine – a new higher strength of etravirine is now available for treatment of HIV. The higher strength tablet will give prescribers a further option to treat patients with HIV. This follows the recent listing of a new strength of Darunavir. About 30,000 Australians are infected with HIV.
• Apixaban – is to be listed for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (blood clots) in patients undergoing hip and knee replacement. The availability of apixaban will give prescribers a further treatment option to reduce the risk of clotting following hip or knee replacements.
• Epoprostenol – a new presentation of epoprostenol (Flolan Kit) – used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension – an abnormal increase in blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. The new presentation will contain the drug and the equipment needed to administer it together in one kit, so patients don’t have to source them separately. Subsidising the Flolan Kit will improve access to epoprostenol for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension – an estimated 1 to 2 cases per million people.

These changes to the PBS were recommended to the Government by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

The 2011-12 Budget provides funding of more than $9 billion to support the PBS. The scheme will subsidise about 200 million prescriptions during the financial year.

In line with changes in the consumer price index, the PBS co-payment and safety nets have been revised. Therefore, effective on 1 January, the following changes will occur:

• the general patient co-payment will increase from $34.20 to $35.40;
• the concessional co-payment will increase from $5.60 to $5.80;
• the general safety net threshold will increase from $1317.20 to $1363.30; and
• the concessional safety net will increase from $336.00 to $348.00.

Full details of all changes to the PBS will be available from the PBS website as of 1 January.

For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220