Neither Ozempic nor Wegovy are listed on the PBS to treat obesity. When Wegovy becomes available, users will need to pay the full price. Or should the government subsidise it?
The big news on budget night was a tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. It’s hoped to stem the decline in bulk billing – but it’s unclear if it will increase it.
Children with persistent or severe asthma symptoms need medicines to reduce airway inflammation. But a change last week means these medicines are harder to access.
Changes in the latest federal budget will mostly affect people who need multiple medicines throughout the year, perhaps for chronic disease. But there are other ways to reduce drug costs.
A trend towards including more diverse characters has changed children’s television, but there’s still work to be done, especially when it comes to gender and representation.
The Pharmacy Guild represents the owners of community pharmacies around the country. Their reach into every community and large political donations make them more powerful than other lobby groups.
There are more than 30 different types of contraceptive pills. But brand names such as Microgynon, Levlen, Yaz and Brenda give little indication of the ingredients, dose or who should use them.
The HIV prevention drug Truvada (PrEP) will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from this Sunday, moving Australia closer to achieving its goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2020.
It’s exciting to think we’re on the brink of a genomic revolution in health care. But just because new technology becomes available, it doesn’t mean it should automatically be publicly funded.
Some argue the current system of subsidising drugs in Australia needs changing to accommodate new cancer therapies. But two recent drug listings show the current system is working perfectly well.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne