E-drug: Australian PBAC: more trouble (cont)
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Dear Colleagues,
"Huge profits are at stake when the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory
Committee (PBAC) considers a drug for listing. Now senior PBAC
members claim they have been dumped because they refused to bow to
the enormous industry and political pressures."
More media coverage of this matter is available below:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/02/02/FFXF8N8BNIC.html &
http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/02/02/FFXDWW14OIC.html &
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2001/02/item20010201210604_1.htm
Last year, in Australia, Pfizer Pty. Ltd. unsuccessfully took the PBAC to
the Federal Court after the committee recommended against Viagra being
listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This year, a more
successful industry tactic appears to have been to gain
representation on the PBAC. The reasons are obvious:
1. The industry wants the rigor of evidenced-based economic evaluation eased
so that more expensive drugs with more dubious benefits can be publicly
subsidised.
2. They want less expensive drugs to be delisted from the PBS so they can
escape price negotiations and make consumers pay the prices the (wealthy)
market can afford.
3. And finally, they want the right to advertise direct to consumers about
prescription drugs in order to stimulate demand.
Fortunately there is an election coming up in Australia later this year! The
struggle continues...........
Cheers,
Ken
Dr. Ken Harvey, Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health,
Room 221, Building HS1 (NW9),
La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3086, Australia,
Telephone +61 3 9479 5773,
Facsimile +61 3 9479 1783,
Personal mobile 0419 181910,
"Ken Harvey" <k.harvey@latrobe.edu.au>
Internet: http://www-sph.health.latrobe.edu.au/kharvey/
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