Posted by Michael Wonder on 05 Mar 2017
Australians paying four times above international prices for drugs
5 March 2017 - Yet another report from the Grattan Institute on the prices of off-patent medicines in the PBS; the third in four years.
Australians are paying almost four times more than the best international prices for a range of prescription drugs, as 6% of patients delay or forgo necessary medication due to cost.
A report recommending changes to drug prices on the taxpayer-funded Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme says $1.2 billion in potential savings to the health budget have been missed in just the past four years, while recommending changes to restrictions on pharmacy locations and rules to allow pharmacists to administer vaccinations and issue prescription repeats.
