Frustrated minister encourages an early negotiation of new agreements

There is no shortage of reasons to challenge the minister over his handling of the HTA Review. Yet, nobody would argue it is in any way inconsistent with his predecessors. In fairness to Mr Butler, he has been very transparent about his actions.

CEO Nikki Lorenz said the Budget provides a strong platform to build on, particularly as Australia looks to balance access with long-term supply security.

Gareth Richmond, Business Unit Leader for Cardiometabolic Health at Eli Lilly Australia and New Zealand, said the study answers an important question about what happens to body weight over time once initial treatment-related weight loss has been achieved.

The forum convened CEOs, general managers and directors of operations to focus on building capability, resilience and collaboration across the onshore medical manufacturing ecosystem.

The collapse of Australia's Health Technology Assessment Review into a laughable but deeply cynical 'Delphi' process has exposed a hard truth. Change advocates are simply wasting their time engaging this institution from the inside.

The forecast for spending on pharmaceutical benefits in 2025-26, which is just 8 weeks from finalisation, is $5.6 billion higher than it was four years ago, assuming most of that growth will be offset by rebates. This is not to defend the status quo but to encourage accuracy.

The new investment will fund free comprehensive genomic profiling of tumour DNA for Australians with advanced or incurable cancers and support matching to advanced treatments and clinical trials.

Advocates for people living with diabetes expressed disappointment after the 2026–27 Federal Budget made no new commitments to improving care for the condition that affects millions of Australians.

The Albanese Government confirmed its decision to defer the bigger decisions, or any decisions, on the Health Technology Assessment Review and signalled a push to lock in new cost‑recovery and agreement arrangements within the next 12 months. A vaguely worded commitment on biosimilars.

Measures could include modest additional funding for the Health Department to prepare to implement new processes or provide support. It might not. 

Gordon Naylor, who stepped into the interim chief executive role in February, has completed a 90-day review and set out a plan to accelerate the company’s transformation.

Dr Ross Murdoch joins the board as an independent non-executive director, bringing more than 30 years of global pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, as well as direct involvement in neurology and neurodegenerative disease programs.

Presenting the Budget forecast as evidence of falling pharmaceutical spending misrepresents how the forecasts are constructed and undermines the credibility of those who make that claim.

The minister cannot simply launch a negotiation that might commit the Commonwealth to certain things, any more than he can unilaterally choose to implement the HTA Review. The Cabinet needs to authorise it.

One week to go until the annual BPDInsights meeting, and this year’s program opens on a powerful human note with two patients sharing lived experiences of navigating Australia’s health system.

On 1 July 2026, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Community Service Obligation will undergo what might be the most profound change since its creation in 2006.

In this week's episode, the focus is on the latest example of no progress on reform, the mindset and intransigence it reveals, the repeated pattern, and the early evidence that it would always end this way. Can it be an opportunity? Next week's Budget is upon us, and the discussion focuses on what to look for, that just because it is not in there, does not mean it is not in there, and why gaining any cut-through will be a real challenge.

Officials will use participation as evidence that the process was inclusive and broadly supported. That claim provides procedural cover for inaction, allowing officials to present incremental adjustments as stakeholder-supported reform. The Delphi studies will be weaponised as a durable rhetorical shield against renewed scrutiny. There are options.

Victoria has become the latest Australian jurisdiction to fund BEXSERO, the meningococcal B vaccine produced by GSK, joining South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory in offering state-supported access while a national roll‑out remains off the table.