GM says Australia cannot afford to fall behind

With more than 40 patient groups and policy makers gathering in Canberra today for the annual Patient & Parliament Summit, BMS ANZ General Manager, Owen Smith, says “Australia cannot afford to fall behind” as national debate on medicine access intensifies. 

Medicines Australia’s recent Access Denied report exposed a stark gap in access for Australians with only 26 per cent of new medicines available in comparable OECD nations currently funded on the PBS, warning that this gap is likely to worsen after a decade of declining PBS investment, an outdated HTA system, and a global pricing environment that is making it increasingly difficult for new medicines to be funded in Australia.

This year’s panel discussion Australia’s Moment to Act: What Will It Take? will deliver a candid assessment of the systemic changes required within Australia’s HTA and reimbursement frameworks in the face of shifting global economic and policy dynamics.