Yet the law remains the same. Under section 101 of the National Health Act 1953, the PBAC must prioritise a medicine's effectiveness and cost compared with alternative therapies. The Act does not require the consideration of, or make any reference to, consumer input.
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Latest News
Is the reluctance to revisit term limits because they are such an obvious change?
In the first article in a series, we highlight issues that may not currently be on the agenda but should be. Health Minister Mark Butler has said HTA reform will be finalised through agreement negotiations, with advice from advisory committees. If so, the negotiations are the right forum to discuss governance, starting with term limits.
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Latest News Does new report suggest that patient voice reforms are stalling? November 4, 2026
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Latest News Sydney summit program focused on the reshaping power of AI November 4, 2026BioPharmaDispatch-BPDInsights.ai will open the day with findings from a reader survey, including AI use in health technology assessment. The report will be launched.
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Latest News Medicines industry faces tough PBS talks, but will it be the most challenging ever? November 3, 2026Is this the worst time to be negotiating an agreement? History offers some competition. What is unquestionably different is the program’s financial capacity to fund innovation. The imperative is to negotiate these agreements with a strategic, long-term focus on access to innovation.
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Latest News Report finds 196 missing medicines and billions in unreinvested PBS savings November 3, 2026Australian patients are missing out on nearly 200 medicines that are standard of care in comparable countries, according to a new report. It says two decades of policy focused on managing government spending have led to a decline in Commonwealth expenditure on medicines.
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Latest News Diabetes scheme registrations fall as health department points to GLP-1 use November 3, 2026The number of Australians registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme fell in 2025-26, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has named the growing use of GLP-1 medicines as one reason.
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Latest News Older Australians given three weeks to have their say on in-home aged care services list November 3, 2026Since March, the organisation has raised with Aged Care Minister Sam Rae the loss of access to Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Dose Administration Aids that followed the Government's move of older Australians from the Home Care Package Program to the Support at Home Program.
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Latest News ‘We are now bridled only by our imagination’. Amgen’s Paul Burton on AI and medicine’s hinge moment November 2, 2026Asked whether it is now evolving into something closer to an AI-powered health technology developer, Burton does not hesitate. "Yeah, I think so," he says.
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Latest News Australians with thyroid eye disease gain first PBS subsidised treatment November 2, 2026Seth D. Ginsberg, co-founder and president of Global Healthy Living Foundation Australia, said, "This is an important moment to raise awareness of Thyroid Eye Disease in Australia and the significant impact it can have on a person's quality of life."
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Latest News Takeda secures expanded listing for first line treatment of advanced Hodgkin lymphoma November 1, 2026"We welcome the Australian Government's decision to expand the PBS listing for ADCETRIS for eligible Australians with newly diagnosed CD30+ advanced Hodgkin lymphoma," said David Henderson, Country Head, Oceania at Takeda.
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Latest News Edwards Lifesciences opens new Sydney head office as heart valve disease burden grows November 1, 2026Pat Williams, Vice President and Country Leader for Australia, New Zealand and Korea, said the opening was a milestone for the local business.
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Latest News If only these patients needed a Spoodle, rather than a medicine October 30, 2026The NDIS can fund an assistance dog's food, vet bills and grooming year after year. Meanwhile, women with breast cancer that has spread to the brain are denied funded access, and children with Crohn's disease wait for "the very near future".
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Latest News Most Australians want PBS medicine prices frozen or cut, poll finds October 30, 2026Most Australians want the maximum price of PBS medicines capped at $25 or less, according to new polling released by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia ahead of a planned price increase in January 2027.
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Latest News Canberra program shows young women where a future in health could take them October 30, 2026"Australia's health sector depends on inspiring and supporting the next generation of talent," said Lindsay Grant, AbbVie's Medical Director, AbbVie Australia and New Zealand.
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Latest News A hearing that provided more evidence of the need for meaningful change October 29, 2026Since 2000, nine people have served as federal health ministers, from Michael Wooldridge to Mark Butler. Elected governments, the electorate, companies, and other organisations recognise the need for new thinking. What makes these committees so uniquely special?
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Latest News Biotech sector warns R&D tax changes could drive clinical trials offshore October 28, 2026Melbourne biotech Magellan Stem Cells is 17 years old and about to begin a pivotal Phase 3 trial of its stem cell treatment for osteoarthritis, a condition affecting more than 2 million Australians. Yet under legislation now before the Federal Parliament, it may also lose access to the refundable R&D Tax Incentive.
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Latest News Rebates and net spend are the major PBS story of the past decade October 28, 2026The real story is that per capita spending on the program, accounting for inflation and population growth, remains where it was ten years ago. Not so for Medicare and public hospitals.
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Latest News Astellas bets up to US$1.34 billion on Melbourne startup's cancer candidate October 28, 2026A small Melbourne company founded by two medical researchers has landed one of Australia's biggest potential licensing deals.
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Latest News The stakes are very high on access in a contested budget environment October 28, 2026The risk is that industry offers further concessions while reform remains conditional or delayed. In part two of his access series, Insight Strategy's Jody Fassina says the next agreements need clear commitments, funding where required, implementation dates and accountability on both sides.
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Latest News Managing an agreement negotiation as a 'prisoner of circumstance' October 28, 2026The more one party needs what another controls, and the fewer alternatives it has, the weaker its position. Power does not really come from size or the strength of an argument. It comes from the relationship between two parties.
Australian Biotech
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Biotech sector warns R&D tax changes could drive clinical trials offshore
October 28, 2026 -
Astellas bets up to US$1.34 billion on Melbourne startup's cancer candidate
October 28, 2026 -
AusBiotech takes 15-year refund limit fight to the Senate as R&D tax bill lands
October 28, 2026 -
BioNTech opens mRNA plant, putting Melbourne's north on the biotech map
October 22, 2026 -
Quarterly update shows Telix holds course for a US$1 billion milestone year
October 21, 2026
Other Health
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Edwards Lifesciences opens new Sydney head office as heart valve disease burden grows
November 1, 2026 -
Families take the fight for faster juvenile arthritis diagnosis to Parliament House
October 13, 2026 -
Persistent fatigue could be an overlooked sign of liver disease
September 15, 2026 -
Bupa to discontinue international referrals for 'Doctors on Demand' telehealth
September 7, 2026 -
Combined monitoring of key indicators as the future of diabetes care
September 3, 2026
Latest Video
New Stories
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Sydney summit program focused on the reshaping power of AI
November 4, 2026 - - Latest News -
Does new report suggest that patient voice reforms are stalling?
November 4, 2026 - - Latest News -
Is the reluctance to revisit term limits because they are such an obvious change?
November 4, 2026 - - Latest News -
Report finds 196 missing medicines and billions in unreinvested PBS savings
November 3, 2026 - - Latest News -
Medicines industry faces tough PBS talks, but will it be the most challenging ever?
November 3, 2026 - - Latest News -
Diabetes scheme registrations fall as health department points to GLP-1 use
November 3, 2026 - - Latest News -
Older Australians given three weeks to have their say on in-home aged care services list
November 3, 2026 - - Latest News