Shop around for drugs
August 8, 2012
THE Minister for Health, Tanya
Plibersek, has gotten in on the
debate over the August price
increases imposed by pharmaceutical
companies on 85 brands of
medicines listed on the PBS, urging
patients to shop around for their
brand of medicine.
The majority of the brands
involved in the increase had their
price reduced in April following the
PBS reforms, however this month
the pharmaceutical companies
increased their brand surcharge, in
some cases by as much as $7.04.
“There is always another brand of
the same medicine on the PBS
which does not have a surcharge
imposed on it, so patients can avoid
being slugged by these increases,
which are paid to the pharmaceutical
company, by shopping around,”
said Plibersek.
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