00:00This was the first comprehensive review of the system in 30 years.
00:05It was handed to the federal government last year.
00:08It made a raft of recommendations to streamline the process so that people can access medicines
00:13earlier.
00:14The federal government hasn't yet responded to that report, instead it set up an implementation
00:18advisory group, an expert group.
00:21The chair of that group, Professor Andrew Wilson, is also the former chair of the Pharmaceutical
00:25Benefits Advisory Committee, which decides what goes on the PBS.
00:29He says one of the issues is that the system that they're dealing with is incredibly complex.
00:34And he says there's questions about whether the incremental changes we've seen to the
00:38PBS in the past and the PBS listing process have helped or even made it more complicated.
00:44So that's what they're dealing with at the moment.
00:47Medicines Australia says there's added incentive for things to move along.
00:51Of course, we know that the lengthy PBS listing process is one of the long-held gripes of US
00:57pharmaceutical companies.
00:58Earlier this year, they pressed Donald Trump to target Australia with punitive tariffs, saying
01:03the PBS was egregious and discriminatory.
01:05And so, Medicines Australia says if the government implemented the recommendations of this review,
01:11that would go some way towards assuaging the concerns of Donald Trump and the US pharmaceutical
01:17industry.
01:18Now, Health Minister Mark Butler labelled the review that was done last year as visionary,
01:23but he's yet to formally respond.
01:25He set up that expert group.
01:27He says that that group will provide him with the interim findings very shortly, within potentially
01:33as early as next week.
01:34And then their final report is due early next year.
01:37Let's take a listen to Health Minister Mark Butler on News Breakfast earlier.
01:42We're getting an enormous number of new medicines come onto the market.
01:46This is happening around the world.
01:47We're living through this turbo-charged period of discovery that's bringing more and more
01:52new medicines.
01:53And so, making sure we can assess them and approve them very quickly to get them into patients
01:57as quickly as possible is something I've said is a real priority for us this term.
02:02The medicines industry, understandably, I guess, given their interests, want to make prices
02:06higher as well.
02:07So, there will be a bit of a debate about how we do that, but I'm very much on the page
02:13of getting medicines more quickly into our system, our PBS system.
02:17It's a terrific system and we're trying to make medicines cheaper at the same time for
02:21Australians.
02:22Now, the opposition has accused the federal government of dragging its feet in response
02:26to that review.
02:27It says that it was handed down almost 12 months ago and that it's unacceptable that the government
02:33has yet to respond and that Australians are missing out on affordable and life-saving medicines
02:38as a result.
02:39So, let's see.
02:40Let's see.
02:41Let's see.
02:42Let's see.
02:43Let's see.
02:44Let's see.
02:45Let's see.
02:46Let's see.
02:47Let's see.
02:48Let's see.
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02:50Let's see.
02:51Let's see.
02:52Let's see.
02:53Let's see.
02:54Let's see.
02:55Let's see.
02:56Let's see.
02:57Let's see.
02:58Let's see.
02:59Let's see.
03:00Let's see.
03:01Let's see.
03:02Let's see.
03:03Let's see.
03:04Let's see.
03:05Let's see.
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