Menu Close

Articles on Medicines Australia

Displaying all articles

The leaked measures would have benefited consumers and taxpayers, with small imposition on the lucrative bottom lines of pharmacists and the pharmaceutical industry. NVinacco/Flickr

Budget entrée disappoints but PBS reform still on the menu

Despite numerous leaks about impending changes to medicines policy, the budget showed savings of just $252.2 million over five years from adjusting the price of a small number of PBS-listed drugs.
Medicines Australia code of conduct for pharmaceutical companies has attracted a large number of negative submissions. hobvias sudoneighm/Flickr

Pharmaceutical industry code of conduct fails to find favour

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is considering whether to approve the latest Medicines Australia code of conduct for pharmaceutical companies. The code lays out disclosure requirements…
The current debate obscures the much larger question of why doctors need to receive “tea and biscuits” from pharmaceutical companies at all. Yortw/Flickr

Forget tea and biscuits, why should doctors get any gifts from pharma companies?

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and medical specialist groups are currently debating public disclosure of gifts received by doctors from pharmaceutical companies. The bone of contention is how…
Reform of medical regulations has become a hot potato being passed from one agency to another. eltpics/Flickr

Consumers lose out as TGA reform turns into a hot potato

Two bills in the national parliament provide a snapshot of our health regulatory system, and just like a smoker’s lungs, it’s not a pretty picture. The bills show that we’re slow in fixing regulatory incapacity…
The government has launched several inquiries into patent law and pharmaceutical drugs. Daniel Weir

Julia Gillard, Big Pharma, patent law and public health

It takes a lot of bravery for governments to stand up to big business. But the Gillard government has shown a lot of guts during its tenure. It stood up to Big Tobacco in the battle over plain packaging…

Top contributors

More