PBAC agenda reflects increasing number of companies seeking revised recommendations

The result is a paradox. Even before the HTA Review is formally concluded, announced, and implemented, the environment it was meant to reform has already worsened. Expectations that the review would stabilise or improve conditions now need to be recalibrated. The baseline has moved, and not in a favourable direction.

Medicines New Zealand says the government’s 2024 increase to the medicines budget has begun to ease long-standing pressure on the country’s pharmaceutical funding system, offering cautious optimism for patients seeking access to modern treatments.

Under the Malinauskas government’s plan, the number of pharmacists receiving subsidised training will double from 120 to 240, equipping more practitioners to assess and manage a range of everyday and chronic health conditions.

For countries like Australia moving toward association with Horizon Europe through a trade agreement, what might change? How should researchers and companies think about engaging with a program that is itself evolving?

The 2026-27 Budget process, identified as the implementation platform for the HTA Review, began around six months ago. Minister Mark Butler will have submitted his proposals in late January or early February, and they will be formally considered by Cabinet in late March or early April. What the Albanese government plans to implement on the HTA Review in this Budget is close to finalised, if not finalised.

The decision came just 54 days after the application was filed, marking one of the fastest approvals of its kind and the fourth granted under the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program.

The Australian National Audit Office could undertake a performance audit examining the establishment and early implementation of the Australian Centre for Disease Control, which commenced as a statutory authority on 1 January 2026.

Melbourne-based Amplia Therapeutics, a company focused on developing targeted cancer therapies, has released updated data from its ongoing ACCENT clinical trial, and its share price more than doubled in response.

London-born retail executive Alex Palin has stepped into a key leadership role at National Pharmacies, marking an important moment for the organisation as it continues to evolve in an evolving healthcare landscape.

The vaccine candidate, known as VLA15, has been under joint development for several years and represents the most advanced effort to develop a human vaccine against Lyme disease, a condition caused by the Borrelia bacteria transmitted by infected ticks.

The newly published analysis is based on insights from 18 respondents across 14 companies representing around half of the total spending on medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

It is not credible for institutions to treat company behaviour as external to system performance, particularly in the context of a more assertive US stance on pharmaceutical pricing. Yet what review processes exist are mostly about additional adjustments by stakeholders to the institutional framework. How about changing the framework to recognise realities?

The Guild said there must be zero tolerance for PBS fraud. Any individual found to have engaged in such deliberate and sustained misconduct should face the full force of the law, it said. 

New Zealand's Pharmac has launched a review of how it funds medicines for people with exceptional clinical circumstances, following growing concerns that the current system is difficult to navigate and understand.

Country Lead Liz Selby said the new headquarters represents an open invitation to partners and the broader community, positioning the Barangaroo office as a shared meeting place intended to foster action and meaningful engagement.

How Australia’s health system is failing patients by prioritising process and cost control over timely access to treatment, forcing more to rely on compassionate access programs. HTA processes are slow, often dehumanising, and used by the government as a delay tactic. Meaningful reform requires shifting away from process-driven decision-making toward real patient needs. The opportunity articulated this week by one leader is to pursue a more strategic approach to policy. The episode also highlights the growing role of pharmacy, which is increasingly based on trust and confidence, especially post-COVID, in contrast to struggling GPs.

There was something striking about the way Owen Smith handled a recent 45-minute discussion on Australia’s life sciences policy settings. He refused to get dragged into the weeds of tactical health technology assessment.

Novo Nordisk has announced a collaboration with pharmacies, hospitals and recycling specialists to pilot the nation’s first dedicated recycling initiative for medical injection pens.