Pharmacy Daily | Authority meds review

THE Minister for Health Peter Dutton has announced a review of the process for prescribing “authority medicines”. Speaking at the Australian Medical Association (AMA) National Conference last week, Dutton said there were currently 447 post marketing surveillance “authority medicines” and the review would begin with authorities relating for drugs used in cancer treatments. It would result in simpler processes, Dutton said. The Department of Health said the review would consider criteria which determined an authority required listing, and review all current listings in groups, with the aim of “reducing the administrative burden on prescribers and dispensers of PBS listed medicines.” Currently, authority required Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions necessitate contact with the Department of Human to give approval. The review would be undertaken in consultation with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Medicines Australia, the Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the AMA, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Medical Oncologist Group of Australia, Dutton said. “Allowing patients to get the medicines they need as quickly as possible remains an absolute priority for the Government.” A schedule for the staggered consultation period on different classes of drugs and types of authorities will be published tomorrow. The Department of Health said the need for such a review was identified in the review of chemotherapy funding arrangements where it was found the authority listings caused regulatory burden to prescribing oncologists. The review will follow the post market review process, it said. For more, CLICK HERE.

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