E-drug: National Medicines Policy for Australia (cont'd)
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Dear Colleagues,
The "official" press release of our "first" national medicines policy
follows.
Dr. Ken Harvey, Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health,
La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3083, Australia
Tel +61 3 9479 1750, Fax +61 3 9479 1783, Mobile 0419 181910
Internet: http://www-sph.health.latrobe.edu.au/kharvey/
10 December 1999
A NATIONAL MEDICINES POLICY FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS
For the first time ever, Australia has a national medicines policy,
launched in Canberra today by Senator the Hon Grant Tambling,
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Aged Care.
"A central plank of this policy is that it encompasses the whole
spectrum of medicines, including prescription, non-prescription and
complementary healthcare products," said Senator Tambling.
Australia has a unique system for providing access to affordable,
necessary medicines.
"This policy is essential to continue to ensure timely access to
medicines that Australian consumers need, at a cost individuals and
the community can afford. It is also essential that medicines meet
appropriate quality standards; that there is a rational funding system
and a viable local medicines industry."
Reflecting the growing emphasis on shared responsibility between
governments, healthcare providers, consumers and industry in meeting
healthcare needs, the policy is the product of wide consultation and a
partnership between these groups. To ensure complete coverage of all
the key players in the growing medicines sector, input was recently
expanded to include complementary medicine representatives and
medical writers.
The Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (APAC), a
consultative forum that advises the Commonwealth Government on a
wide range of medicines policy issues, facilitated development of the
policy.
"I am proud to launch this policy," said Senator Tambling. "It is a
tangible sign that Australia has a cohesive, genuinely representative,
fair and sustainable system to ensure continued timely access by
Australians to high-quality medicines."
A copy of the National Medicines Policy can be obtained at
http://www.health.gov.au/haf/docs/nmp2000.htm or by contacting
David Pearson on (02) 6289 8023.
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Attachment
A National Medicines Policy for all Australians: Why is a policy
needed?
Medicines - prescription and non-prescription medicines, including
complementary healthcare products - have a significant impact on
both health and health expenditure. It is therefore essential that
Australia has a well-developed, practical national medicines policy to
ensure:
* optimum access to and use of high quality medicines
* a rational funding system, and
* a viable local medicines industry
Whose policy is it?
Coordinated by the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council
(APAC), a consultative forum that advises the Commonwealth
Government on a wide range of medicines policy issues, the National
Medicines Policy reflects the growing emphasis on shared
responsibility between governments, healthcare practitioners and
educators, consumers, industry and the media.
What are the policy objectives?
* Timely access to medicines that Australian consumers need, at a
cost individuals and the community can afford;
* Medicines that meet appropriate standards of quality, safety and
efficacy;
* Quality use of medicines; and
* Maintenance of a responsible and viable medicines industry.
The policy outlines major issues under each of these objectives. In
ensuring access to medicines, issues include scheduling controls and
subsidisation of drugs through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme,
considering both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of
treatments in PBS listing recommendations.
The policy states that quality, safety and efficacy of medicines
available in Australia should be equal to that of comparable countries.
This encompasses:
* nationally standardised regulation of medicines,
* pre-market assessment of medicines that aim towards assurance of
quality, safety, efficacy and timely availability; and
* effective post-market monitoring systems (for adverse drug
reactions, for example) to ensure ongoing assessment of safety.
To achieve optimum use of medicines consumers and healthcare
providers should have timely access to: accurate information and
education about medicines and their use, including from industry and
healthcare providers; public health and health education programs, and
other programs relating to quality use of medicines such as
development and implementation of guidelines, and schemes for the
disposal of unwanted medicines, to be coordinated between
Commonwealth and State/Territory governments and other
stakeholders; and accurate and responsible media reporting of
medicines issues.
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ENDS
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