PrEP to be publicly subsidised on the PBS in Australia
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has announced its decision to recommend that HIV prevention pill PrEP be listed and subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
In its decision, the committee noted it was both satisfied with the power of PrEP in reducing the risk of HIV infection, and its cost-effectiveness.
It also emphasised that the drug was appropriate for an eligible population, including medium to high risk individuals.
Advocates and health experts have welcomed the decision, and highlighted it as a critical step towards dramatically reducing HIV transmission in Australia.
PrEP is a once-daily pill with 99 per cent effectiveness at preventing HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men.
It was approved for use in Australia last year by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), however many were waiting for it to be publicly subsidised and affordable for people around the country.
Chief Executive of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO), Darryl O’Donnell, said a PBS listing of PrEP was a huge step towards the government’s goal of ending HIV transmission.
“Gay and bisexual men continue to carry the greatest burden of HIV in Australia, and we expect that PrEP will sharply drive down rates of HIV for this community,” he said.
“But great effort will be needed to ensure PrEP access and awareness across all parts of the gay community.
“Additionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, migrant communities, and some heterosexual populations have seen starkly higher rates of HIV transmission over the last five years. While a PBS listing of PrEP is critical, we must make sure everyone who needs PrEP is aware of it and can access it.”
Until now, access to PrEP has been patchy. The full commercial cost sat at almost $5,000 per year, with many Australian PrEP users having to access it via state and territory trials – such as those in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland – or online imports.
Subsidisation through the PBS will slash the cost of the medication to around $39 dollars per script for most patients in Australia, and $6.30 for concession cardholders.
President of ACON, Justin Koonin, said the decision was important in ensuring that those who would most benefit from PrEP will be able to access it in an affordable way.
“There are three new HIV diagnoses each day in Australia and we expect the government will now move quickly to list PrEP on the PBS,” he said.
“Prevention of HIV is much cheaper than a lifetime of treatment and it makes good sense to have this medicine available to all who need it.”
Earlier this week, Chief Executive of the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC), Simon Ruth, raised concerns around the capacity of GPs to prescribe PrEP in the event of a PBS listing.
“There are 8,000 people in the NSW [PrEP] trial and 4,000 in the Victorian trial, so there are at least two thousand guys in Melbourne wanting to access PrEP – in the event of it being subsidised, there will be a lot of people seeking GP appointments very quickly,” he said.
Your headline “we expect the government will now move quickly to list PrEP on the PBS” would be laughable if it weren’t so serious !
The PBAC and the government, especially the Health Minister move with all the speed of a snail !
Meanwhile it is costing the taxpayer millions of $$’s while they all dither ! How many trials and surveys do they need before it occurs to them all that PrEP has been the best option for over 2 years. The Swiss knew it and so did the FDA !!
Long Overdue!
Fantastic news. I’m not homosexual but will definitely be seeking an appointment with my GP to ensure I get access to this drug as I choose to engage in sex without a condom with many different partners and this will give me peace of mind.
F or what I understand is in effect a vaccine against HIV, and may lead to its end, it is fantastic news that prep may be made available to all income levels of the population.
I understand trials take time, but if the TGA approved it last year, then every day of delay from then to when it is on the PBS, and every new hiv infection as a consequence of this delay is the liability of the bureaucrats and politicians involved…
“Prevention of HIV is much cheaper than a lifetime of treatment and it makes good sense to have this medicine available to all who need it.”
If the morons who are in charge at the PBAC and the Health Minister had half a brain, that would have been obvious almost 2 years ago !
The delayed approval just demonstrates how they need a broom through them all.
Dr Neal Blewett did it to the TGA back in the 1980’s when he was the Labour Health Minister. It’s time to do it again !
..Keith Styles