Drug Lobby Driving PBS Changes, Says Expert (Australia)
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
Australia's parliament is considering new amendments to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that will establish separate criteria for evaluating pricing of brand-name and generic drugs in Australia, and therefore affect Australian drug pricing. Australian National University expert Dr. Thomas Faunce says the amendments, if approved, will drive up brand-name drug costs. He notes that the proposed changes are backed by Australia's pharmaceutical lobby Medicines Australia. Faunce says the amendments would obviate current "reference pricing," which currently requires that new patented drugs first prove they are superior to existing products. (Click here for more