From September 1st, 2023, many medications currently available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will now qualify for a 60-day prescription from their doctor.
This means that patients living with a stable, chronic medical condition will be able to access 60-day's worth of common PBS medications, as opposed to the 30-day's worth available under the previous arrangement.
Pharmacy + Co welcomes these changes from the Federal Government in assisting our valued patients to obtain more simpler, more affordable access to their medications.
We understand there may be some questions about the new 60-day dispensing scheme, so have taken the time to answer some of your most common questions below.
60-day prescriptions will allow patients on long-term, stable drug therapy to access greater amounts of their medication at a time, enabling them to spend more time on the important things, such as looking after themselves and their loved ones. The changes will also allow some patients to access their medicines for a more affordable price, helping them with their costs of living.
The 60-day prescriptions will allow patients to access two month's worth of medications at a time.
For patients holding a valid concession card, this will come at no extra cost, meaning overall your medicines become cheaper in the long run.
For patients without a valid concession card, the price of the two month's supply may be more than the one month’s supply you are used to. However, the price will not be more than purchasing two, separate one-month supplies of the medication on their own, meaning it will still be cheaper for you in the long run.
For all patients, if your medication has a brand price premium, you will be charged this premium twice under the 60-day dispensing rules.
The full list of 60-day dispensing medications is being released slowly over the next 18 months.
The first group of 60-day dispensing medications, released September 1st, 2023, will contain 92 medications covering the following health conditions:
Please be aware some medications, strengths, and dosage forms may not be included in the list of 60-day dispensing medications. You can find the full list of 60-day medications here.
You must provide a new prescription written on or after September 1st, 2023 to be eligible for 60-day dispensing. Prescriptions written prior to this date are ineligible.
Yes. Your doctor will have to assess that you are stable on your current medication(s) to ensure eligibility before writing a new prescription.
Due to PBS restrictions we are unable to amend the prescribed amount of medication a doctor has written for you. If you are wanting to receive more or less of your medication at a time, speak with your doctor about the prescription quantity that would be best for you.
A 60-day prescription will offer concession patients two month's worth of medication for the price of one. This means that some people will no longer reach their Safety Net, or will reach it later in the year than usual.
If you have concerns about reaching your Safety Net in 2023 or 2024, please speak to one of our knowledgeable pharmacists in store.
Simply Contact Us, call or visit any of our pharmacies to chat to one of our professional pharmacists about any medication related questions you may have.
