PBS “continues to grow”
May 28, 2013
FEDERAL health minister Tanya
Plibersek has continued her
criticism of the Medicines Australia
report on slowing PBS growth (PD
21 May), saying that a government
report released yesterday “reveals
the Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme continues to grow, with
new drug listings and increased
demand for existing drugs the main
drivers of increased spending”.
She said that many of the findings
of the new “Trends in and Drivers
of PBS Expenditure” report -
ironically produced in partnership
with Medicines Australia under its
MoU with the government - are at
odds with last week’s MA study,
which she said “contained errors,
inaccuracies and selective use of
statistics”.
The new joint report found that
PBS spending rose by $500m a year,
reaching $8.9 billion in the 2010-11
financial year.
However it also confirmed that
growth in PBS spending is lower
than forecast, “as taxpayers reap
the benefits of 2010 legislation
which is bringing government
subsidies for medicines into line
with prices pharmacists pay their
suppliers,” Plibersek said.
The new report also found strong
growth in the Highly Specialised
Drugs program, due to the ageing
population and increased incidence
of chronic disease.
She said that in last week’s
report, as well as in the Medicines
Australia’s pre-election document
(PD yesterday), the organisation
chose to only identify drugs
recommended for first-time PBS
listing, “completely ignoring 85 new
indications for treatment listed by
the government in 2011-12”.
Since 2007 the govt has added
780 new listings and indications for
existing PBS medicines, at a cost of
over $5 billion, Plibersek added.
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