Can we keep avoiding the simplest of all questions in a shifting medicines global order?

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.

At a summit hosted by the Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association in Canberra yesterday, Australia’s political and policy leaders warned that the nation’s medicines system is approaching a critical inflection point.

In his opening address, Health Minister Mark Butler equated HTA reform with ensuring supply and identified both as core priorities in his agenda, clearly signalling the terms of engagement for an upcoming negotiation.

Australia’s nuclear medicine sector is urging the Commonwealth to establish a dedicated national funding stream for radiopharmaceutical cancer therapies

Pfizer has reported encouraging mid-stage clinical results for an experimental once-monthly injectable obesity treatment, strengthening its push into one of the most competitive and fast-growing areas of global pharmaceuticals.