Australia, the US, and their different choices about health system trade-offs

An unhinged reaction to the new pharmacy prescribing initiative in New South Wales, why Australia needs to be humble in any health system comparison with the US, and given that the Government sets and umpires the rules for reimbursing innovative technologies, it can hardly complain when companies say no.

In the second in a series comparing health spending, BPDInsights breaks down the drivers of the healthcare spending gap between the US and countries like Australia and New Zealand. To be clear, it is not medicines.

Australians living with lung and bladder cancer will benefit from reimbursed access to more treatments, with Health Minister Mark Butler confirming two listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The New South Wales Government’s decision to allow trained pharmacists to prescribe the oral contraceptive pill marks a significant shift in the structure of primary healthcare delivery.

Much of the focus comparing health systems in Australia and New Zealand to the US relies on an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of how and what it finances. It certainly finances a lot more than global healthcare innovation, including services that would never be classified as healthcare in Australia or New Zealand.

The regulator said the guidance reflects a broader push to accelerate the development of highly personalised therapies while maintaining rigorous scientific oversight.

Australian-based company Akesa has taken a significant step in its Asia Pacific expansion, establishing a presence in Japan and appointing an experienced pharmaceutical executive to lead its operations in one of the world’s most demanding clinical research environments. 

There is obviously no difference between a minister using their legal authority to ensure continued reimbursement for a medicine and using the same authority to ensure its reimbursement in the first place.

"It is a privilege to lead the ANZ business at this pivotal time, and a responsibility I take on with gratitude and excitement. This is a special organisation, shaped by our people and united by a shared purpose," he said.

Current usage indicates steady engagement, with several hundred unique queries submitted each day. By consolidating information from multiple sources, the platform enables a more efficient understanding of trends, context, and historical developments.

There is a divergence between countries that treat HTA as a standalone evaluative tool and those that are working to embed it within a broader economic and national life sciences strategy.

Australian nuclear medicine company Telix Pharmaceuticals has announced a collaboration with Regeneron to develop new targeted cancer treatments.

Argent BioPharma has completed the acquisition of AusCann Group Holdings' interest in CannPal Animal Therapeutics, marking an important step in strengthening its neurological pipeline and expanding its reach into veterinary medicine.

Medicines Australia has responded to Health Minister Mark Butler’s address to the AFR Healthcare Summit by reinforcing its call for structural reform of Australia’s medicines system, with CEO Liz de Somer directly articulating the association's position.

According to AusTender documentation, the university was contracted in January 2026, with a term running through to August 2026 and provisions to extend as late as August 2027.

In an institutional framework where decision-making authority remains fixed within a legislated framework that mandates a good deal for the government as its sole legal decision-making criteria, what other outcome was likely?

According to the McKell Institute, and based on a survey of over 1,500 Australians, 43 per cent have been prescribed or offered a medicine that is not subsidised by the PBS. 

To understand just how far this has drifted, it is worth comparing the HTA process to the longest, most demanding and consequential inquiries Australia has undertaken. Very little comes close to the time it has taken.