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Page last updated: 25 October 2019

Since 2013, the Australian Government has made 2,222 new or amended PBS listings. This includes new molecule listings, extensions of indications for medicines, changes in restrictions, changes in authority levels, changes in price (both up and down), new brand listings, new presentation/formulation listings, emergency listings, and doctors bag listings.

All of these changes to the PBS are important to ensure timely and affordable access to medicines by Australians.

  • Many of the changes have reduced medicines costs to individual patients, and to taxpayers, freeing up resources which can be invested in new and expanded medicines listings.
  • Many of the changes have provided safer and more convenient options for patients, such as the listing of nasal spray formulations of the drug naloxone for use in opioid overdose.
  • Changes to authority levels are also very important. They can provide faster access to medicines, or can help to shape clinical practice where there are concerns about overuse of a medicine.
  • New brands are essential to the operation of the PBS. As more companies compete to market their brand of a medicine, the community benefits through price reductions, as the PBS price of multi-brand medicines follows the actual prices being charged in the market.

The Department of Health currently has processes to support all of these changes, including but not limited to, new medicine listings, and is working with the medicines industry to streamline processes under Strategic Agreements.

The Department works hard to deliver all medicines recommended by the PBAC to the community through PBS listings as quickly as possible. Following the 1 December PBS update, for which information will be distributed through the supply chain shortly, there will be no listing with a positive PBAC recommendation for which the medicine sponsor has indicated that it wishes to proceed with a listing and has completed all of the listing requirements, that has not been listed on the PBS.