Doctors want to double prescription lengths. Pharmacies say it’s dangerous

In his letter to all MPs countering the push, Twomey said it was already challenging for pharmacists to provide 30 days’ medication, with hundreds of drugs subject to supply disruptions.

“While some patients … will have twice as much as they need, many more will have none,” he wrote.

“Doubling the quantity of medications in circulation may also facilitate inappropriate and harmful use … At a time when the TGA is reducing the pack size of paracetamol, it is incongruent to increase the surplus quantity of prescription medication in the community.”

But the GPs’ college has also doubled down on its advocacy, releasing a survey of 1000 GPs of whom 85 per cent agreed the extended prescriptions and larger medicine supplies would benefit their patients.

“Patient wellbeing must come first, ahead of pharmacy owner profits,” said college president Nicole Higgins. “The Pharmacy Guild won’t like it; they have been campaigning aggressively against these changes for years in order to protect their bottom line.

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“I understand why Health Minister Mark Butler will be hesitant to take on this lobbying leviathan, but I urge him to stand up to the Guild and do what’s right for the Australian people.”

Health economist Stephen Duckett said the medicine co-payment had only recently been reduced from $42.50 to $30 in January.

“My view is we really need to do those other things [around] the [number of] payments people have to make, rather than the size of each payment. That will be better for more people,” he said.

“Paying $30 once is better than paying $19 by going to the pharmacist twice. It benefits concession card holders as well, who are on the [$7.30 rate].

“The only people who lose out are the pharmacy owners, who are, surprise surprise, putting up an alternative model that keeps people coming back to them and paying each time.”

Butler last week said cheaper medicines were good for families’ hip pocket and health, which was why his government had cut the co-payment to $30.

“The Bureau of Statistics tells us that every year, hundreds of thousands of Australians go without medicines …because they simply can’t afford it,” he said when asked about both lobby groups’ proposals last Thursday.

“I’m not going to get into speculation about the budget … But we’re always on the lookout for other ways in which we can lower the price of medicines.”

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