Access to Medicines Working Group - 26 August 2009
Page last updated: 19 November 2009
The Access to Medicines Working Group (AMWG) met on 26 August 2009.
AMWG noted that two pilot projects aimed at streamlining the Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme (PBS) processes, ‘Early and Extended Evaluation of Complex PBAC Submissions’
and ‘Enhanced Pre-PBAC Submission Meetings’, have been implemented by the Department.
The AMWG will evaluate the pilot projects at the end of 2010.
AMWG also noted that the report on the outcomes of the second Joint Medicines Policy
Conference has been released on both the Department of Health and Ageing and Medicines Australia websites.
AMWG agreed that the third Joint Medicines Policy Conference will be held in August
2011. A planning committee for the conference is currently being established.
AMWG noted that an industry oriented PBAC education session held on 30 July 2009 was
a successful event attracting over 150 attendees from industry and a number of observers
from consumer groups. The AMWG has recommended that similar sessions be held for consumers.
Consultations are currently being undertaken with consumer groups to design PBAC education
sessions for consumers.
A draft report commissioned by Medicines Australia to review options for dealing with
uncertainty in listing new medicines on the PBS was presented to the AMWG by the researcher.
This report is to be finalised for publication by Medicines Australia.
AMWG continues to examine the use of post marketing data and the contributions of
innovation on the drug development process and objectives of the PBS. A workshop on
incremental innovation will be held in early 2010 under the auspices of the AMWG.
David Learmonth
Deputy Secretary
Department of Health and Ageing
Will Delaat
Chairman
Medicines Australia
