About cheaper medicines
Many people can now get twice the medication on a single prescription. From September 2024 this will apply to almost 300 medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
60-day prescriptions have been introduced gradually in 3 stages over 12 months. The first stage was introduced on 1 September 2023. The second stage started from 1 March 2024 and the third stage is now available from 1 September 2024.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommends that a patient’s condition must be stable and suitable for the increased maximum dispensed quantity measure.
Eligibility criteria
The PBAC considers and recommends established, clinically safe and effective medicines for 60-day prescriptions.
To qualify, consumers must:
- live with a stable ongoing health condition
- have discussed their medication with their prescriber and be assessed as suitable
- have received a new 60-day prescription.
People do not need a concession card to access a 60-day prescription.
Doctors will continue to decide the quantity of medicine prescribed for their patients based on their assessment of their patients’ condition at the time.
Ongoing health conditions
The PBS medicines recommended by PBAC as suitable for dispensing in increased quantities now available includes medicines for ongoing health conditions, such as:
Stage 1
- cardiovascular disease
- Crohn’s disease
- gout
- heart failure
- high cholesterol
- hypertension
- osteoporosis
- ulcerative colitis
Stage 2
- androgen deficiency
- arthritis
- bipolar disorder
- breast cancer
- diabetes
- epilepsy
- hypothyroidism
- incontinence
- menopause
- migraine
- prostate cancer
- prostate enlargement
Stage 3
- acne
- anxiety disorders
- asthma
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- constipation
- depression
- dry eyes
- gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
- glaucoma
- Parkinson's disease
Medicine supply
Moving to 60-day prescriptions is not expected to increase medicine shortages. Consumers will still purchase the same amount of medicine each year. While eligible people can now get twice the medication on a single prescription, this will last them for a longer period of time. This means overall demand for medicines will stay the same.
Most medicines recommended by PBAC for 60-day prescriptions are not in short supply in Australia. If shortages do occur, alternative brands and/or strengths of the same medicine are usually available. We have monitored the list of recommended medicines for inclusion in each stage to reduce the risk of shortage.
Helping to ensure good medicine supply
Pharmaceutical companies must tell the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of expected medicine shortages. This means any medicine supply not likely to meet normal or expected consumer demand at any point during the next 6 months.
The Medicines Supply Security Guarantee changes commenced on 1 July 2023. Medicine manufacturers must have more stock onshore for some brands of PBS medicine, helping ensure any temporary rise in demand for those brands is met.
Wholesalers must deliver to any pharmacy in 24 hours (excluding weekends or public holidays) if they are running low on medicine. This applies for most medicines.
