Liberal chaired committee tells Greg Hunt to try again

The PBAC leadership appeared yesterday at a public hearing of the parliamentary inquiry into approval processes for new drugs and novel medical technologies.

Opal Biosciences has called for expressions of interest from companies and organisations wanting to support its planned lease of the site that currently hosts a GSK manufacturing facility.

Another cause for concern for epilepsy patients in New Zealand with PHARMAC announcing plans to do another forced switch of another medicine.

Chemist Warehouse has celebrated the launch of its second European store, opening the doors in retail space on the iconic Henry Street in Dublin.

Health minister Greg Hunt confirmed the delayed National Medicines Policy review will begin in August and be chaired by a Department of Health employee.

GSK has announced a transformation that will see the demerger of its consumer health business in mid-2022 and a renewed focus on vaccines and specialty medicines.

Health minister Greg Hunt has announced additional new PBS listings for 1 July with expanded access to Bristol Myers Squibb's immunotherapy combination and BioMarin's therapy for a rare inherited disease.

Recently launched Organon has marked over 40 years since the birth of Australia's first IVF baby highlighting the extent to which it has improved the chance for childbirth.

Australian headquartered private health insurer nib has launched a prescription medicines cover in New Zealand with individual benefits up to NZ$300,000 per year for treatments not reimbursed by PHARMAC.

Publicly-funded organisations that essentially operate as extensions of the bureaucracy do not get to not answer questions about their funding.

A group of Australia's most eminent immunisation experts have called for action from the government, business and individuals to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The push to create a system for the repurposing of approved and reimbursed medicines appears to be gaining momentum with planned roundtables and some potential candidates already identified.

Only one of the organisations that comprise the Targeted Therapies Alliance has responded to recent questions about its activities and promotion of prescription medicines.

Australian immunotherapy company Immutep (ASX:IMM) has announced a $60 million capital raise and approval for a phase one clinical trial of its lead investigative candidate as part of a triple combination for the treatment of various forms of solid tumour.

Pfizer’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation has entered a new oncology-focused research collaboration with the Melbourne-based St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research.

Rather than actually questioning and scrutinising officials, reflecting the evidence of stakeholders, the committee allowed them to pontificate and give opinions for almost two hours on significantly irrelevant issues to that evidence.

Outcomes from May's intracycle PBAC meeting raise the question of whether the committee itself decided on low patient caps as a mechanism to limit spending on particular medicines or is it a policy decision?