Medicines Australia calls on government to review PBS assessment process

Trade body Medicines Australia has submitted a report to the National Commission of Audit which shows that the key issue for the country’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is ensuring it is fit for purpose for listing new medicines.

The report sees the PBS as an investment which must be maintained and concludes: “The PBS provides universal prescription medicines cover for Australian patients. As medicines design and medical technologies have advanced, the system for assessing and valuing their contribution to the population health has remained static. Expenditure on the PBS is unfortunately primarily seen as a cost rather than an investment and savings derived in alternative portfolios are not easily recognized as originating from the PBS.

Chief executive Brendan Shaw said: “The bottom line is that a lot of the work to make the PBS financially secure in the long term has already been done. The industry has worked with successive governments over the last decade to ensure that the PBS is financially sustainable.”