Paracetamol and aspirin could be taken off Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in a proposed budget measure designed to save millions of dollars.
The pharmaceutical benefits advisory committee is reviewing the PBS and the proposal to remove medications such as paracetamol and antacids has the cautious support of the opposition. Labor’s health spokeswoman, Catherine King, has called it “sensible”.
Moving paracetamol off the PBS would stop pensioners using such prescriptions to get the 60 scripts a year required for all subsequent scripts to be free, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
Paracetamol, which is sold in supermarkets and convenience stores as well as over the counter at pharmacies, usually costs between $2.89 and $3.50 for a pack of 20.
“It is very sensible to constantly review the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and look at what is on there,” King said on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday morning.
“The government’s locked in some very intense negotiations with the pharmacy guild over the six pharmacy agreements at the moment and I suspect the story you have seen today is a precursor to some of those negotiations.”
Reducing scripts by $1 and reducing the PBS co-payments to a minimum of $5.10 for pensioners and $36.70 for general patients has also been foreshadowed, with pharmacists having the final say on where they set the co-payment.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia would not say if it would support the measures.
“We’re not really commenting on that today. It’s a speculative pre-budget story and we’re not adding to it,” a spokesman said.
The office of the health minister, Sussan Ley, has been asked for comment.