Media Release: Affordable Medicines Deferred under Albanese Labor Government

Almost 50 medicines have been deferred from consideration for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme under the watch of the Albanese Labor Government, creating further delays for patients waiting for affordable access.  

These deferrals come at the same time as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee has put in place a ‘maximum total number’ of medicines it can consider for listing on the PBS at any 3-day meeting, according to a public memo published on the PBS website.

Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston said that the Coalition is concerned that so many medicines have been deferred from consideration for listing on the PBS, as PBAC effectively pursues a cap on access to critical medicines for the first time in history.

"There is no doubt that this will result in serious delays for patients waiting to access potentially life-saving or life-changing new medicines or treatments at an affordable price,” Senator Ruston said.  

“We know that the deferred submissions will impact patients with cancer and chronic disease, who may not have time to wait.

"This is unacceptable, especially when the Government has just released their Health Technology Assessment Review, which acknowledges that Australia has fallen behind the pack when it comes to timely access to new medicines and treatments.”

These decisions, which will delay funding for new PBS listings, have evoked concerning comparisons to 2011, when the Gillard Labor Government deferred subsidising PBAC-recommended medicines as a budgetary decision.

“Labor has a worrying track record on this. When last in government, they deferred the listings of critical new medicines because they ran out of money,” Senator Ruston said.

“We do not want to see history repeat itself.”

The Coalition calls on the Health Minister to immediately outline what steps he will take to ensure that patients are not subjected to even further delays in critical new medicines being listed on the PBS. Another review or taskforce is not going to cut it. Patient lives depend on it.

ENDS