We do not judge the system on its humanity because we never even discuss it

The PBS has come under renewed scrutiny in Washington after the U.S. pharmaceutical industry used a submission to call for Australia’s inclusion on its Priority Watch List.

The proposal, led by Advanced Pharmacy Australia, argues that medicine shortages are no longer isolated incidents but a persistent structural challenge for the health system.

As global health leaders gather in Sydney for this week’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Summit, one message is clear. The world is running out of time to address the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant infections.

Recently elected Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has confirmed that South Australian senator Anne Ruston will remain responsible for the health and aged care portfolio, signalling continuity in the Coalition’s approach to two of the country's most politically sensitive policy areas.

Concerns that US tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals could deliver a major blow to the economy appear overstated, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest assessment of Australia’s outlook, which instead points to rising and mostly unavoidable health spending as the far more significant long-term policy challenge.

“This is an important treatment option and today is a proud day for CSL Seqirus as an Australian company,” said CSL Seqirus Executive Medical Director Dr Jonathan Anderson. “We look forward to seeing decision-makers assess our application for funding so that more Australians can access NEFFY.”

The life sciences sector will come together in March 2026 for a major show of support for women’s leadership, as AusBiotech and Medicines Australia expand their partnership to deliver both the long-running Women in Life Sciences Luncheon and, for the first time, a dedicated Leadership Summit.

Remuneration for board directors in Australia’s listed healthcare and biotechnology sector increased materially in the financial year 2025, with growth driven largely by the expanding use of equity-based incentives rather than increases in base fees.

Health Minister Mark Butler has confirmed that the Albanese Government has approved new and expanded Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listings to improve access to treatments for Australians living with cystic fibrosis, chronic kidney disease, and psoriasis.

Mark Butler made this point at the recent GBMA Summit. He is currently grappling with the PBAC's recommendation to reimburse a GLP-1 therapy for weight loss. The minister essentially acknowledged that he has to find the money, which is the nature of the system. Simply arguing for more without a focus on how to achieve it is frankly akin to a beauty pageant contestant calling for world peace.

As Sussan Ley exits politics, her tenure as health minister is best remembered for driving some of the most structurally significant reforms to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in decades, reshaping pricing, governance, industry engagement, and patient access despite at times intense opposition.

The Kosi Challenge has grown into one of the country’s most inspiring community fundraising events, bringing together patients, families, corporate teams and individual supporters with a shared goal: ensuring no one faces cancer alone.

If a system requires a decade of so-called continuous improvement to address access timelines and delivers no discernible change, or at least evidence of it, that suggests either a serious, enduring problem or a limited impact of the effort.

Reflect on Susan Ley’s legacy as a former health minister, especially the 2015 PBS Access and Sustainability Package. She was treated rudely and unfairly, and that meaningful ecosystem reform has since stalled. Critique Senate Estimates, noting that departmental witnesses were evasive and overly defensive, with patients largely absent from the conversation. The discussion expands to reform and the lack of patient rights. Also note the troubling political rhetoric about medical information and regulation. Close by teasing upcoming upgrades to the BPD website.

A Canberra family’s experience with two young sons diagnosed with Crohn’s disease framed another Senate estimates exchange over paediatric access to biologic medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The committee will reconsider whether GSK's meningococcal B vaccine, BEXSERO, should be funded for broader infant and adolescent populations under the National Immunisation Program after the item was added late to the agenda for its March meeting.

Arrotex Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Australia have announced a new strategic commercial partnership under which Arrotex will represent ENBREL (etanercept) across community and hospital pharmacy channels, as well as prescriber networks.

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.