Following revelations last week that as many as 44 new medications are being delayed for months by the Albanese Government, a leading voice for patient’s rights, Better Access Australia, has launched a petition calling for the decision to be stopped.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) is an important part of the system that makes medications affordable for Australians. Not all medications are subsidised by the government, each one needs to be assessed and recommended by the PBAC before it can be listed on the PBS. The PBAC is refusing to consider 44 of 72 applications received for its March meeting, meaning those new medications will be delayed for many months.
The exact medications or even which conditions they are related to has not been released. One
Medicines Australia, the industry body for pharma companies, met with senior representatives from the Department of Health and Aged Care last week to discuss their concerns following the Government’s decision to defer consideration of a significant number of PBAC Submissions from the March 2025 meeting.
Medicines Australia CEO Liz de Somer said the meeting was productive, and that it was essential industry and Government work collaboratively on this matter.
“It is essential industry and Government work collaboratively on this matter, given the significant impact it will have on patient access to critical medicines as well as significant business planning consequences.
“Most importantly, we need to ensure that every possible option is explored to enable the submissions to be evaluated prior to July and not create ongoing delays to access for patients throughout 2025”, said Ms de Somer.
Felicity McNeill, Chair of peak patient body Better Access Australia, said industry and government negotiating patient access to new medication with no consultation of patients is not appropriate.
“Once again we have industry and Government doing deals about our lives with no patient representatives at the table.”
“Better Access Australia is extremely concerned that the department and PBAC are re-introducing the concept of PBS deferrals,” she said.
Better Access Australia has launched a petition to stop the deferral of medications being considered by the PBAC on Change.Org.
In 2011 the community and Parliament admonished the then Gillard Government for delaying indefinitely the listing of 7 PBS recommendations purely to save money.
“This is a new low with the Albanese Government, with Health Minister Mark Butler now deferring PBAC consideration of submissions before a recommendation can even be made, and without consultation with the community.
“These decisions have been taken without any reference to the communities waiting for access. The Department has confirmed there is no timeframe committed to for when these 44 deferred items will eventually go before the PBAC.”
Indeed the list of which drugs are being delayed and for what conditions is not being delayed. Bristol Myers Squib has confirmed two of their medications for cancer
“This is the community’s health system and these changes are not in our best interest,” McNeill said.
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