PBS pricing report “misleading”
October 8, 2014
THE Pharmacy Guild has said
the reporting by news.com.au of
“exorbitant” PBS medicines pricing
by pharmacists is misleading.
The report quoted University of
Melbourne economist Professor
Philip Clarke, who said Australia
was overpaying for generic drugs
when compared with other
countries, despite accelerated price
disclosure.
Clark said olanzapine cost $2.55
per pill in Australia, compared with
$0.13 in England.
The Guild said such comparisons
were misleading and selective,
failing to take into account
medicines which were cheaper in
Australia than in Britain, such as
rosuvastatin, and docetaxel, which
was $6.98 in Australia compared
with $252 in the UK.
“The PBS price for medicines
is determined by negotiation
between the Government and
manufacturers – pharmacists are
price takers, not price makers.”
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