13 May 2014.
- Employs 2,400 Australians
- Manufactures and exports $400million in medicines annually
- Ensures patient access and choice
- Increases investment in Australia.
Generic Biosimilar Medicines Association
Making Medicines Affordable
By GBMA Admin
13 May 2014.
By GBMA Admin
2 May 2014.
The National Commission of Audit’s complete dismantling and destruction of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) via a damaging set of recommendations could have the public erroneously believing that the PBS has failed and must be growing out of control.
The Commission’s Report, released yesterday, acknowledged the success of PBS policy in reducing expenditure, with payments under the scheme expected to be $426 million less than previously forecast for 2013/14. These savings have been driven by the generic medicines sector.
Yet, the Commission did not recognise the significant and ongoing savings that are being driven by existing policies. It is madness to consider overhauling a system that is already driving significant savings and is designed to drive continual and ongoing future savings. Only last month, this Government introduced further legislation that will drive down the price of generic medicines even faster – this legislation has not yet even been implemented.
Prices cited in the report are out of date because existing policies continue to drive down the price of generic medicines. The price of atorvastatin is quoted in the report at $38, in fact, today the price of atorvastatin is $19 and this price will be revised downwards again as soon as 1 October 2014.
Statements that Government spending on the PBS is ‘out of control’ are simply not true. The PBS is sustainable. According to the Government’s own Medicare Australia PBS statistics, the PBS is in decline. Comparing the 12 months to March 2013 with the 12 months to March 2014, we see a 13% reduction in the number of PBS scripts and a 9% reduction in expenditure. “We call on the Government to reject this scorched earth approach to the PBS“, said Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA) Chairman, Mr Mark Crotty.
A tendering system for generic medicines reduces patient choice, causes medicine shortages and rationing, would destroy investment in this country, and would irreparably damage the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Australia.
A New Zealand PHARMAC system to administer the PBS will lead to reduced government accountability for facilitating life-saving medicines and goes against the Government’s agenda of less bureaucracy.
Yesterday, a Commissioner commented in the press that increasing patient co-payments for medicines will result in fewer medicines being used. We need to ask, where is the evidence that patients are over-utilising medicines? What will be the consequences and costs due to poorer health outcomes from using fewer medicines?
Members of GMiA are proud of the role we play to ensure Australians have access to affordable, high quality medicines through the best medicines scheme in the world – the PBS. Members of GMiA are mobilized to present practical policy options to Government that will strengthen the PBS. What is urgently required is a National Generic Medicines Policy that enables greater market penetration of generic medicines, which subsequently delivers savings for the Commonwealth Government.
Further price cuts to the PBS are not required, nor justified, and will only jeopardise access to essential medicines for patients. The PBS is an important area of Government expenditure, and is a world-class system that benefits every Australian. ENDS.
By GBMA Admin
21 March 2014.
Members of the generic medicines industry sector welcomes the release by IP Australia of the Pharmaceutical Patent Review.
GMiA supports a well balanced pharmaceutical patent system that adequately addresses the rights of originator and generic pharmaceutical companies. Patents are effective and necessary tools for promoting innovation. GMiA members are not anti-patent.
However, the current Australian system for pharmaceutical patents is not effectively balancing the objectives of “securing timely access to competitively priced pharmaceuticals, fostering innovation and supporting employment in research and industry”[1] as stated in the aim of the Pharmaceutical Patents Review carried out last year.
Some originator pharmaceutical companies are using the patent system to inappropriately delay the supply of generic medicines in Australia.
This imbalance is significantly costing Australia. Delaying generic medicine entry onto the market means that the Government pays more for longer. The delay is caused by a combination of strategies employed by originator companies and deficiencies in the Australian legal system.
The Pharmaceutical Patent Review has performed an in-depth review of this issue and the findings of this Panel are welcomed by GMiA.
The publication of the Pharmaceutical Patent Review is an important step in addressing inappropriate delay of the supply of generic medicines in Australia.
The report can be found at https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/pdfs/2013-05-27_PPR_Final_Report.pdf
ENDS
By GBMA Admin
13 March 2014.
Today, at the Annual Professional Pharmacy (APP) conference attended by members of the National Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Mr Mark Crotty, Chairman of the Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA), called on government to think before irreversible damage occurs to the generic medicines industry in Australia.
Mr Crotty highlighted, “PBS reform is delivering more savings than expected and to avoid inflicting irreversible damage to the generic medicines industry, it is important that there are no more damaging price cuts to generic medicines”.
These unforecasted and unplanned savings are most damaging to the generic medicines sector and disproportionately damage the generic medicines industry model placing at risk a viable generic medicines industry and patient access to medicines. Policy changes are urgently required.
It is imperative that if Australians want a best practice PBS, we should not aim for the ‘cheapest’ scheme or cherry-pick elements from other countries. A best practice PBS provides a stable industry with fair remuneration from the PBS and is an essential foundation for the entire medicines industry in Australia.
-Ends-
By GBMA Admin
20 February 2014.
Comments made yesterday by Federal Health Minister, Peter Dutton MP, about expenditure on the PBS being a growing component of Federal Government Health spending could be misinterpreted.
Government expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is in decline, according to the Government’s own data.
PBS reforms in 2007, 2010 and 2013 continue to deliver significant savings to the Federal Government.
Facts about PBS expenditure are:
“The savings are a result of successive layers of PBS reforms that continue to provide ongoing savings,” GMiA Chairman, Mark Crotty, said.
“PBS expenditure is in decline, in stark contrast to other areas of health expenditure.”
“No further reform of the PBS is warranted.” ENDS
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