Pharmacy Daily | MA slams deferrals

A SUBMISSION from Medicines Australia to the Senate Inquiry into the govt’s administration of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PD 24 Jun) claims that ordinary Australians are missing out on access to new medical treatments. “The future access of Australians to medicines is being transformed into a political lottery,” the submission says, because the PBS deferrals perpetuate a two-tiered system where high income patients can afford better treatments for a range of conditions such as chronic pain from cancer or schizophrenia. Of even more concern than the deferral of medicines currently in the pipeline is the revelation in the submission that almost half of Medicines Australia member companies are now considering delaying bringing new medicines to the local market as a result. “The decision to require Cabinet to approve all new PBS listings...is a bad policy decision,” MA said. The Senate Committee is due to hand down its report by 18 Aug.

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