Australian Pharmacy Guild takes its case to the public

Pharmacy patients around Australia are being urged to rally against a shock federal government decision which puts at risk their access to prescription medicines and locally available health care services, says the nation’s Pharmacy Guild.

The Australian government earlier this month announced plans that would save patient hundreds of dollars a year on the cost of prescription medicines as the government speeds up its clawback of the profits chemists make on generic drugs (The Pharma Letter August 2).

A petition has been circulated calling on the federal government to address the very real risk that its recent Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) budget measure may force pharmacies to close their doors or slash important services for the elderly, very young or chronically ill. The risk is particularly high for the more than 1,000 pharmacies in rural and regional areas, and for the 411 Australian towns which have just one pharmacy, the Guild argues.