I was fortunate to be part of the Medicines Australia PharmAus23 event at Parliament House in Canberra last week.
The event, themed, ‘Partnering for Future Health’, brought parliamentarians, clinicians, and patient groups together with representatives from Australia’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies and provided a much-needed platform to discuss policy reform in order to strengthen our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
It marked an important moment in time for our sector.
There was universal agreement that reforms are needed to improve patient access to new medicines, and ensure Australia keeps pace with global technological advances that underpin a 21st century healthcare system.
#strongerPBS was the call to action for the event and I must admit, I really loved it, and I will be sticking it on this article when I post it.
However, now that a few days have passed since PharmAus23, I will also admit that I would have liked to have seen the hashtag gaining greater traction within the industry news articles and social commentary.
Despite there being hundreds of people in attendance at the event, the use and sharing of the hashtag has been somewhat lacking on forums like Facebook and LinkedIn since the event.
I know this is a small detail, but it really puts a fine point on the fact that words without actions really are meaningless. We must all play a more active role, encourage broader collaboration and work together in earnest for the betterment of healthcare in Australia.
A #strongerPBS will benefit us all.
If you look at the latest figures, the time between regulatory approval, TGA and PBS reimbursement in Australia has never been longer.
In some cases, it's hundreds of days longer than other countries.
Similarly, if you compare Australia with many major markets, the delay between, say, when the US is registered (it’s usually the first market registered) to us being registered.
It can stretch to years of difference.
Naturally, the people this effects the most severely is patients and their families.
To illustrate the inadequacies of today’s system and its impact in real terms, one patient-focused session at PharmAus23 provided the opportunity for a family to tell the story of their daughter growing up with cystic fibrosis.
They recalled how, throughout her childhood, there hadn’t been any truly effective medications to treat their daughter’s inherited disease, and how it was heartbreaking to see her suffer.
However, they held out hope because a number of new treatments were coming through trials in the US, and after some time watching from afar, they were overjoyed to learn that one of the treatments had been approved by the US FDA.
Relief finally seemed possible.
Little did the family know that they would have to wait 8 more years before the treatment would be approved in Australia - and their daughter would have access to the treatment.
Hearing this story; seeing the mother in tears as she told it, it really struck everyone in the audience: 8 years is too long.
Thank you to the families for sharing their stories and insights. Whilst all the stories shared during the event had a familiar storyline, we all deeply appreciated hearing about their journey, particularly the industry attendees.
Which brings me to the next group who will benefit from a #strongerPBS: us.
It is generally agreed that the longer the disparities between Australia and other markets exist, the more likely Australian affiliates of pharma companies are at risk of being deprioritised.
Why would we be considered for the first wave of innovative new medicines when it takes hundreds of days longer for reimbursement? The wait is just too long and often focussed only on the cost, with the broader financial impact and benefits to the community ignored.
It’s understandable that the decision makers would choose country A, B or C over Australia.
The good news is that parliamentarians acknowledge that the cost of inactivity will lead to poorer outcomes, and they understand the system needs to evolve and improve.
A real talking point at PharmAus23 was the fact that there's more doctors, who are now parliamentarians and ministers on both sides, than ever before.
Many of them are now sitting on the relevant subcommittees talking about their experience from within the system and the perspective as a community doctor (not a politician) and that's hugely impactful.
They're leading the way, and they're all extremely supportive and positive about working together with pharma and biotech, recognising that the industry is losing its footprint in Australia, and we need to regain it quickly.
There was a genuine willingness from everyone to work together, for all parties to collaborate and align.
But as I said earlier, we now need to act upon that good will and momentum.
With a #strongerPBS, we all benefit together - patients, clinicians, politicians, and industry, by having access to new treatments earlier.
- Benet Irish, CEO Asteri Pharma
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