Changes to Proton Pump Inhibitor restriction level

Page last updated: 1 May 2019

The July 2018 Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) recommendations under the Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Utilisation Review (PDF 391KB) - (Word 29 KB) included restriction level changes for the following Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) listed medicines from 1 May 2019:

• Esomeprazole 40mg with 1 repeat will change from Restricted Benefit to Authority Required (Telephone).

• All standard dose PPIs (esomeprazole 20mg, lansoprazole 30mg, omeprazole 20mg, pantoprazole 40mg, rabeprazole 20mg) will change from Restricted Benefit to Authority Required (STREAMLINED).

Common with many other PBS-listed medicines, pharmacists will be required to select the correct PBS Item Code that corresponds with the Streamline Code selected by the prescriber, otherwise the prescription will be rejected for payment by Services Australia e.g. standard dose PPIs, 5 repeats, will have separate PBS Item Codes and corresponding Streamline Codes for the indications of Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome/Scleroderma oesophagus.