At least six million Australians could soon have access to double the amount of medicine for the price of one script under a bold change to how drugs are dispensed.
Health Minister Mark Butler is set to announce a big shake up to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme on Wednesday which the federal government claims will save general patients up to $180 a year or up to $360 a year should they use two subsidised prescriptions.
Concession card holders are expected to save up to $43.80 a year per medicine.
Under the changes, a patient would have access to 60 days’ worth of medicine for each script from July 1 – should their GP sign off on it.
“Every year, nearly a million Australians are forced to delay or go without a medicine that their doctor has told them is necessary for their health,” Mr Butler said.
“This cheaper medicines policy is safe, good for Australians’ hip pockets and most importantly good for their health.”
Medicines impacted by the new dispensing rules include those for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and Crohn’s disease, targeting millions of Australians living with chronic conditions.
The government says it will save patients more than $1.6bn over the next four years but is remaining tight-lipped on how much the scheme is expected to return to the budget.
It’s understood any savings would be reinvested back into community pharmacies.
Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson said the scheme would make medicines more affordable under the “triple win policy”.
“We know patients are struggling to afford essential medicines as cost of living increases continue to bite the household budget, and research tells us some patients are skipping medicines because of this – that just shouldn’t be happening,” he said.
“Today’s announcement effectively halves the costs of these medicines for patients.”
The change was first recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee in 2018 but was never implemented.
A doctor would have the final sign off on whether a patient would be granted access to the two-month supply.
It’s expected the move will cause an uproar from the powerful pharmacy lobby, which is fiercely opposed to the reform.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia president Trent Twomey warned in a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese the reform would have unintended consequences.
“While this proposal may be well-intentioned, it has some potentially dangerous consequences,” he said in a letter dated April 2.
He said providing 30 days of medication was already challenging given the shortage of more than 300 medicines.
The lobby is campaigning for the PBS co-payment to be reduced from $30 – which Labor secured after last year’s federal election, down to $19.
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