Double dispensing is a welcome step forward for rheumatology patients, says ARA therapeutics chair.
The Health Department has released the first tranche of 92 medications to be available for 60-day dispensing from 1 September.
The list of medicines in stage one has been confirmed, with the legislative instrument to enable the policy change registered on the Federal Register of Legislation, ahead of being tabled in the Senate next month.
Dr Helen Cooley, chair of the ARA Therapeutics Committee, told Rheumatology Republic, “It’s a really great step forward, and it brings us in line with other countries.”
Among the medicines in the first stage are sulfasalazine, allopurinol, febuxostat, alendronate and risedronate.
This first stage also includes medicines for:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Heart failure
- High cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Ulcerative colitis.
The complete list of medications in the first tranche is available here.
While acknowledging there’s not much among the first tranche in the way of rheumatology drugs, Dr Cooley said patients will benefit from cost savings on drugs for cardiovascular disease and other comorbidities common to the patient group.
“Our patients are under particular cost pressures, because not only do they have a rheumatic disease, they often have several chronic conditions they need to manage and prioritise,” she said.
“We know that they’re at risk of accelerated cardiovascular disease, so we want them to have good control of their blood pressure, have their cholesterol adequately managed and for their diabetes to be well maintained. But patients are actively tossing up between which drugs they can afford, and which they think they can go without.”
Dr Cooley said that 60-day dispensing can also potentially improve compliance, not only because of greater affordability, but also the convenience factor in terms of access to GPs and pharmacies – especially for rural patients.
However, she said, what hasn’t been communicated clearly is that patients will need a new script – they can’t simply ask for two repeats with their existing one.
“Patients can continue to use their 30-day scripts. But if patients want a 60-day script for any drug, they have to see their GP, who will determine if it’s suitable. I don’t think that’s been particularly well communicated,” said Dr Cooley.
The full list of medicines recommended for longer dispensing intervals will include more than 300 common medicines and will be implemented in three stages over 12 months starting 1 September 2023.
“Every year, nearly a million Australians are forced to delay or go without a medicine that their doctor has told them is necessary for their health,” said Health Minister Mark Butler.
“The Government is delivering cheaper medicines through 60-day dispensing for more than 6 million Australians. This will halve the cost of medicines for millions of Australians, including pensioners, who are living with a chronic condition.
“The Government continues to work with all parts of the pharmacy sector on the implementation of this policy.
“Australian pharmacies already do much more than just dispense medicine and the Government is supporting our trusted pharmacists to play an even bigger role in the healthcare of Australians.”
RACGP vice president Dr Bruce Willett said the RACGP fully supported 60-day dispensing as a massive win for patients, many of whom could save up to $1000 a year on the cost of their prescription medicine.
“At the end of the day, this is just catching up with other countries and it is really long overdue to support patients,” he said.
In response to Mr Butler’s announcement, the AMA referred us to a recent interview with the ABC’s Lorna Dunkley and AMA vice-president Dr Danielle McMullen.
“I think the most important thing to remember about these measures is that they will halve the cost of medicines for many Australians across the country, particularly people on low income and healthcare cards and pensioners who missed out on the last cut to medicines prices,” Dr McMullen said.
“So we do think it’s really important policy change to help people deal with the cost of their regular medicines, give them easier access to medicines and stay on their medication, because we all know people who’ve run out of their medicines don’t get back to the pharmacy or back for another script and then just fall off of their regular medicines, which obviously isn’t good for their health.
“So it is definitely sensible health policy, which is good for patients, and it’s now about time to make it work.”
Dr McMullen also addressed concerns that the changes would lead to shortages of some medications, said it had been “widely debunked, and we think it’s unfair on patients actually to still be holding this scare campaign”.
“I’ve had patients come into my office panicked because they’ve been told that they won’t be able to get their medicine next month because of this policy change. Now, that’s patently untrue,” she said.
“The policy doesn’t come in place for some months yet, and actually this doesn’t change how much medicine goes out the door. Patients will still be on the same amount of medication. It’s just a timing interval.
“There are some medication shortages in Australia at the moment, but that’s an entirely separate issue to the 60-day dispensing, and we think it’s unfair that patients are being made to be feel scared about their medicine supply when this change will have no impact in the longer term on those shortages.”
