After a backlash from patients, Health Minister Mark Butler has stepped in to avert a plan to defer and delay dozens of new medicines.
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, launched a petition calling for the decision to be stopped. Yesterday, the Health Minister Mark Butler directed the committee which assesses PBS applications to schedule an additional meeting.
“Due to an unprecedented number of submissions, I have directed the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to hold an additional full meeting in May 2025,” Butler said in a statement.
“This additional meeting will consider submissions from pharmaceutical companies deferred from the March 2025 meeting.
“Since being notified of the situation, the Albanese Government has increased capacity to ensure all submissions are evaluated and considered by May 2025.
While the list of medicines that will be heard in March and which ones have been deferred to May, is still largely unknown, the additional meeting is a significant improvement from the original improvement which would have seen the July agenda already full just from the medicines deferred from the March meeting. The committee normally only holds three meetings a year.
Chair of Better Access Australia, Felicity McNeil, said they welcomed Minister Butler’s acknowledgement that his decision to allow 45 medicines to be deferred indefinitely was a serious mistake and breach of the community’s trust.
“The PBAC is his committee and the community needs him to lead on this issue now and moving forward.
“The fight is not over until this is all resolved, but seeing the system start to move is a great first step.
Better Access Australia says the medicines deferred to May will still be behind the regular cycles which have strict rules for re-entry for consideration, and this will perpetuate the problems in the system which needs a massive overhaul, and thanked the community for acting to show their opposition to the medicine delay.
“Better Access Australia is so incredibly grateful to the community who have signed the petition to SAY NO TO PBS DEFERRALS.
“If it wasn’t for these amazing people, the Government would have got away with this fundamental breach of the social compact that is timely and affordable access to medicines,” McNeil said.
“It is time to give control of our PBS back to the community and not rely on the industry association that continues to dictate our access to healthcare without consultation.”
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