Pharmacy Daily | PBS health reform passes

THE Australian Parliament has passed the National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Bill 2010, effectively legislating the PBS price cuts as agreed to in the Memorandum of Understanding between Medicines Australia and the Commonwealth. The Bill sets out new PBS pricing arrangements which are designed to reduce PBS expenditure, as well as increase faster access for consumers to low cost medications, and provide assurity to the pharmaceutical industry in relation to PBS pricing (PD 17 Nov). Medicines Australia has welcomed the passage of the legislation saying that it would ‘work with all sides of politics and healthcare stakeholders to ensure the MoU was implemented efficiently’. “This legislation will lead to reductions in the price consumers pay for hundreds of medicines on the PBS,” said Medicines Australia ce, Dr Brendan Shaw. “While the cuts contained in the Bill will have a significant financial impact on our member companies, the MoU will provide a period of policy predictability for Australia’s medicines industry. “This certainty will allow Australia’s medicines industry to get on with what it does best,” he added.

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