BioPharmaDispatch Executive

A small player with no market share and no real prospect of gaining any agreed to an almost 50 per cent price reduction to secure reimbursement. Who would have thought the market leaders, on whom patients rely, would respond negatively? Discussion about the change to nurse prescribing, which has been a feature of the PBS for more than 15 years, and concerns over vaccine hesitancy.

There was no concession of the need for change. However, the 'no concessions' rhetoric that has dominated Australian responses to US interest in the PBS for so many years was set aside in favour of language acknowledging the challenge.

Liz Selby, Country Lead and Head of Pharma, Australia and New Zealand, said, "The registration of ALTUVIIIO marks an exciting milestone for the haemophilia community in Australia."

The Medicines Australia chief concedes the conversation gets uncomfortable when it turns to pricing, but argues the alternative is worse. “Sometimes it is an uncomfortable conversation to talk about fair pricing, but it is not as uncomfortable as delays and medicine departures are for patients fearing for their health.”

The Australian College of Nursing called the move a major milestone that will improve access to equitable, timely, and high-quality medication prescribing across the country.

According to the Indian proverb, 'nothing grows beneath a banyan tree'. The tree is strong and stable. Yet its root system monopolises the soil and water, which, combined with the dense light-blocking shade of its canopy, kills off everything beneath it. Sounds like something else.

Cartherics has been recognised as the Emerging Leader in Allogeneic Cell Therapy at the Asia Pacific Cell and Gene Therapy Excellence Awards 2026, a milestone that highlights the company's rise in the off-the-shelf immune cell therapy field.

The insistence that a company accept a dramatic cut as the price of securing a listing for an off-patent medicine for a degenerative neurological condition, when there is no legal or transparent policy basis for such a demand. That insistence has become an unwelcome feature of the system, particularly targeted at small, naive companies.

Health Minister Mark Butler was very deliberate in response to a question about the future of multiple sclerosis therapies on the PBS, and his message that these medicines should remain on the PBS was unmistakable. Are the relevant people listening?

DKSH Australia brought together pharmaceutical and life sciences leaders in Sydney yesterday to discuss how commercial outsourcing is becoming more prominent as healthcare systems in Australia and New Zealand grow more complex.

No minister acting responsibly or exercising proper judgment would take any action that would result in patients losing access to innovative therapies for a degenerative neurological condition for which disease control is critical. The issue in this case is the risk that a minister will not exercise their legal authority.

If the committee advises the minister to delist the therapies on cost grounds, Health Minister Mark Butler still retains the power to set aside the advice and waive the reduction. Under the National Health Act 1953, the minister retains absolute discretion over pricing.