Arrotex and Pfizer forge strategic pharmacy partnership for ENBREL in Australia

If Australia were to signal upfront that it is prepared to pay higher prices, it would validate the premise that its current system is wronging the U.S. The industry should adopt the same strategy in its response to the issue. Why concede anything before a negotiation has even begun?

Renewed US pressure on pharmaceutical pricing, including the emergence of Most Favored Nation concepts under the Donald Trump administration, should not be dismissed as irrelevant to Australian policy debates or characterised as an illegitimate intrusion into domestic decision-making.

CSL has reported a slip in first-half results for 2026, shaped by policy headwinds, restructuring charges and asset impairments, even as the company accelerates a wide-ranging transformation aimed at restoring growth and long-term value.

Australia has largely avoided serious consequences from PBS pricing because our market is comparatively small and has carried few global repercussions. In blunt terms, no one has really cared. Yet as the global context shifts and Australia’s pricing decisions attract greater attention, the question is now whether we have the maturity to engage in a serious discussion about how best to respond.

The danger is that the very mechanisms that have allowed systems like Australia’s PBS and New Zealand’s Pharmac to deliver affordable access for the government become national liabilities once MFN is imposed by a much larger market.

One potential solution to the Trump administration's more assertive posture on pharmaceutical pricing in benchmark countries like Australia is to raise the published list PBS price paid to manufacturers. Yet it could have unintended consequences.

CSL has announced a leadership transition, with Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Dr Paul McKenzie set to retire, marking the end of a seven-year executive tenure.

The risk may arise when a representative of one company discloses an internal policy approach to managing MFN, particularly if that approach is likely to be reflected in a future submission or engagement with government.

"The introduction of new clinically evaluated treatment options will support healthcare professionals in managing the growing burden of chronic metabolic conditions,” said Manny Simons, General Manager, Lilly New Zealand.

Twelve months after the Albanese Government announced its $792.9 million women’s health package, new data shows significant uptake of subsidised medicines and expanded access to Medicare-funded services for women across Australia.

ViiV Healthcare Australia has marked another milestone in its long-running commitment to community-led HIV responses, awarding $200,000 to six organisations through its annual Positive Action Community Grants program.

Mark Butler’s four 'pillars' on medicines policy and the argument that Australia prioritises low prices over preventing shortages and ensuring access. Do we need smarter, targeted incentives to address shortages that often reflect global challenges? Is there a risk of 'process creep' that actually slows access? Aged-care reforms that unintentionally removed funding for dose administration aids and glucose monitoring.

New research commissioned by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia suggests that growing frustration with long GP wait times is pushing men to seek care elsewhere, with community pharmacies increasingly filling the gap.

The speculation of a proposed pre-negotiation memorandum of understanding between the two manufacturer groups can be interpreted as further evidence of planning.

At the top of the field, GSKlimbers have established themselves as the current frontrunners with over $22,000 already raised.

Early examples appear designed to attract attention. High-profile medications, such as GLP-1 weight-loss therapies, are advertised with steep discounts. 

In 2025, nearly 100,000 cases and more than 300 flu-related deaths were recorded in Queensland. Most hospitalisations and deaths were among unvaccinated people.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in healthcare. It will be the focus of an upcoming breakfast in Sydney, bringing together pharmaceutical and healthcare executives to examine how AI can be adopted while regulatory frameworks continue to evolve.

Australia's complex federation creates a 'status quo' bias on policy. This is particularly true in health. Major reform is very difficult beyond financing changes that often buy time and delay problems.