Australia pharmaceutical benefits

Australia is evident from information published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Expenditure on benefit-paid items under the PBS is the largest single component of total expenditure on pharmaceuticals. In 2001-2 the cost to government under the PBS, not including expenditure under the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) was AUD 4181 million. This increased to an estimated AUD 4572 million in 2002-3 with the share of total cost of the PBS met by the Commonwealth being 84.2%. 

Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee rejections, and the lack of available appeal mechanisms, have been increasingly challenged in recent years. One route available is to pursue a legal challenge to the Federal Court of Australia for a review of the decision. Most recently, in March 2000, the Federal Court rejected a pharmaceutical company s application to overturn the recommendation of the PBAC not to list a product on the scheme. 

Sainsbury, P. 2004. Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement and the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Yale Journal of Health Policy Law Ethics 4 387-99. 

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (2002 Health Access and Financing, Australian Department of Health and Ageing Canberra, Australia, www.health.gov.au/pbs/ aboutus.htm (accessed July 2002). 

Hall, R. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme] MediScene Newsletter, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care CanbeiTa, Australia, 2000 L5, Issue 14. 

Stevens, A., Secretary to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Pricing Authority of Australia, Sydney, Australia, personal communication, December 11, 1991. 

Australia Dept, of Health and Ageing, Guidelines for the pharmaceutical industry on preparation of submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee including major submissions involving economic analyses, http //www. health.gov.au/pbs/pubs/pharmpac/gusubpac.htm, accessed March 11, 2002. 

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