CHF welcomes price cuts
November 22, 2013
The Consumers Health Forum has
congratulated new health minister
Peter Dutton for “pressing ahead
with legislation to accelerate price
cuts for prescription medicines”.
As revealed in Pharmacy Daily
yesterday, Dutton, while strongly
supportive of the community
pharmacy sector, has indicated
that the govt is “not in a position
to ameliorate the impact of the 2
August changes to price disclosure”.
CHF spokesman Mark Metherell
said the government move
“vindicates the CHF’s call for
cheaper medicines in the face of a
misleading campaign by pharmacy
owners who have profited
handsomely from inflated prices
over the years”.
He estimated that the changes
from next month will reduce
Australia’s medicines bill by about
$250 million annually.
“We applaud the Health Minister,
Peter Dutton, for standing firm on
this issue.
“As he says, price disclosure is a
free market solution which brings
market forces and discounting
practices to bear in a way that
would not otherwise occur for
subsidised prices,” Metherell said.
The CHF is also calling for
the government to release the
Senate committee report into the
review of chemotherapy funding,
after Dutton’s comments at the
Pharmacy Guild annual dinner on
Tuesday where he confirmed that
money would not be taken from
the Fifth Community Pharmacy
Agreement to redress the chemo
reimbursement crisis.
“CHF asks that Mr Dutton release
the report so the public can have
a better understanding of an issue
that prompted so much anxiety
among cancer patients,” Metherell
concluded.
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