The average wait for patients to receive subsidised access to new medicines to treat asthma and COPD remains above 6 months in Australia, far longer than in many comparable countries.
There are calls for more to be done to fast-track the process for PBS approvals amid claims patients are being forced to dip into superannuation to access treatment.
Analysis by industry group Medicines Australia shows it takes an average of 219 days for an asthma or COPD drug to get on the PBS after being registered with the TGA.
Other therapy areas where drugs face prolonged average wait times for PBS listing include cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular and mental health, while vaccines typically take over three years to get the nod.
Therapy area | Average wait for PBS listing | Number of registered products |
Arthritis | 227 days | 12 |
Asthma/COPD | 219 days | 8 |
Cancer | 496 days | 56 |
Cardiovascular | 528 days | 8 |
Diabetes | 376 days | 9 |
Hep C | 295 days | 11 |
Mental health | 361 days | 5 |
Others | 376 days | 80 |
It says in other developed countries, 60% of medicines are reimbursed within six months of registration, compared with only 22% in Australia.
The lobby group pointed to figures showing 80 medicines registered in Australia between 2015 and 2020 still had not received PBS listings.
All up, there were currently 21 cancer drugs and seven other medicines being reimbursed in other OECD nations but not in Australia, Medicines Australia said.
Among them were the cancer drugs Cyramza (ramucirumab) and Ninlaro (ixazomib) which had been subsidised in 17 and 14 OECD countries respectively.
Notably, Cyramza remained off the PBS despite having been recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) in March 2018.
AMA vice president Dr Chris Moy said that although the Federal Government had promised to subsidise every medicine recommended by the committee, there were still major delays while bureaucrats haggled with drug companies over price.
“The delays come from a combination of things and to be fair to the government, it’s ultimately a matter of resources,” he said.
“Nevertheless, the process can take an inordinately long time.”