The Federal Government has released a new report on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), concluding that the scheme has continued to grow with new drug listings and increased demand for existing drugs listed under the scheme.

Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the report proved a number of claims made by Medicines Australia wrong.

“Many of the findings of “Trends in and Drivers of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Expenditure” are at odds with a report released by Medicines Australia last week which contained errors, inaccuracies and selective use of statistics,” Ms Plibersek said.

“The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is a cornerstone of our universal health system, giving Australian patients access to thousands of life-saving medicines at an affordable price,” said Ms Plibersek.

“This new report confirms growth in PBS spending is lower than forecast, as taxpayers reap the benefits of 2010 legislation which is bringing government subsidies for medicines into line with prices pharmacists pay their suppliers, saving $2 billion over the forward estimates.”

Ms Plibersek said the government report found the ageing population and increased incidence of chronic disease were also putting upward pressure on PBS spending, which was reflected in the growth in the Highly Specialised Drugs program. 

“More than half of PBS spending goes to people aged over 65 years old with 86% of PBS expenditure going to concessional patients who pay just $5.90 a prescription.”