Presenters
Penny Shakespeare, Deputy Secretary, Health Resourcing, Department of Health and Aged Care.
David Laffan, Assistant Secretary, Pharmacy Branch, Department of Health and Aged Care
Dr Nick Simpson, Medical Adviser, Technology Assessment and Access Division, Department of Health and Aged Care
Live Captions are available for this webinar.
About the webinar
From 1 September 2023, nearly 100 common medicines listed on the PBS will have the option of a 60-day prescription. This means many patients living with an ongoing health condition can now receive twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription.
When fully implemented on 1 September 2024, the changes will mean millions of Australians with ongoing health conditions will save money and time with 60-day prescriptions. Further information on the 60-day prescription policy, including reinvestments into community pharmacies, can be found on the 60-day prescriptions of PBS medicines page.
Questions unanswered in session
Why does amlodipine 10mg and atorvastatin 80mg not appear on the 60 day prescribing list when all other combination scripts are on the list?
The Government has responded to stakeholder concerns and considered the supply status of medicines in determining inclusion in the initial rollout of the 60-day prescriptions policy (Stage One). This has resulted in deferral of some medicines or some strengths of a medicine from Stage One if:
- The medicine is reported to be in shortage or at risk of shortage and no other brands or strengths are available.
- The medicine is reported to be in shortage or at risk of shortage and the only alternative brand available would force patients to pay an additional cost (known as a ‘brand price premium’).
There are two PBS listed brands of amlodipine and atorvastatin 10 mg/80 mg tablets, Cadivast® and Caduet®. Cadivast is currently reported as being in shortage on the TGA medicine shortages data base. Caduet is PBS listed with a brand price premium.
Medicine shortages are an unavoidable aspect of medicine supply that pre-date the 60-day prescriptions policy, which commenced in stages from 1 September 2023. The Government will continue to monitor all medicines as part of the 60-day prescriptions policy and implement deferred medicines as soon as practicable when they are no longer in shortage.
Why have some strengths of certain medicines not been included in stage 1? Will they be implemented in other stages?
The full list of PBAC December 2022 recommended medicines is available on the PBS website.
If the medicine strength is not included in the PBAC December 2022 list, while other strengths of the same medicine are included, this may be because:
- the PBAC considered inclusion of this strength inappropriate for reasons such as safety or quality use of medicines; or
- the PBAC considered that the strength of medicine is usually used to treat a specific medical condition, and inclusion of the medical condition was not appropriate for reasons such requiring close monitoring
If a medicine strength is included in the PBAC December 2022 list but is not included in the 60 day prescriptions Stage One list, while other strengths of the medicine are in the Stage One list, then that strength of the medicine may have been deferred due to:
- being in shortage or at risk of shortage with no other brands or strengths available; or
- the only alternative brand available would force a patient to pay an additional cost (known as a ‘brand price premium’).
The Government will continue to monitor all medicines as part of the 60-day prescriptions policy and implement deferred medicines as soon as practicable when they are no longer in shortage.
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