CHEMIST Warehouse Director Mario Tascone has weighed in on the debate over the changes to prescribing and dispensing rules being promoted by doctors, by warning that doubling prescription lengths and increasing the amount of medicine Australians can get with each script will result in "drug shortages".
Tascone said the changes being pushed by doctors could work, but only if pharmacies were given adequate time to prepare given they are already struggling with supply issues.
He told 3AW Radio on Mon the proposal was a good idea "in principle".
"But there are a number of shortages of pharmacy medicines already and I think that doubling the supply of the common drugs will lead to even more shortages," he said.
"So as long as there was a long lead time it will work well, if you get the supply chain right.
"But today, to introduce double dispensing is just kicking a big own goal [from doctors] - you'd run out of medicines pretty quick."
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Medical Association have called on the Federal Government to allow the dispensing of 60 days supply and 12-month scripts for 143 medicines used to treat chronic conditions.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has challenged the proposal, writing to every Federal MP including Anthony Albanese to urge them not to introduce the changes.
MEANWHILE, Australians with acute or chronic graft versus host disease, chronic rhinosinusitis, and oesophageal cancer or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer now have access to new and updated medicines under the PBS.
Jakavi (ruxolitinib) will be listed for the treatment of patients with graft versus host disease.
Nucala (mepolizumab) is being expanded for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
Opdivo (nivolumab) will be expanded for adjuvant treatment of patients with oesophageal or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer.
Kanuma is on the Life Saving Drugs Program for the treatment of infantile onset lysosomal acid lipase deficiency.
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