Pharmacist says medication changes will cause shortages and chemist closures

Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler yesterday revealed regulation changes to allow patients to purchase 60 days of selected medication at a time.

The previous limit was 30 or 28 days.

The decision was welcomed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, who called it "a win for patients", but not everyone is happy about the change to dispensing limits.

Pharmacist and owner of Blooms the Chemist in Wagga's Sturt Mall, Claire Roberts, said the plan would aggravate existing supply issues with some medications.

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"It sounds really good on paper, but every day we print of an eight or nine-page list of things we actually can't get at the moment," she said.

"Our concern is this is only going to make matters worse by doubling the amount people are getting.

"There's one item we're struggling to get in so much at the moment, and if I had said, 'oh sorry, I just sold two boxes to the last person', you wouldn't be very happy with me."

The plan will offer 60-day scripts at the same price as 30, meaning pharmacists will only receive half their usual dispensing fee on some medications.

"By having less dispensing fees, pharmacists - which generally offer free blood pressure checks, free delivery, free medication packing - it may be that we can no longer provide those for free," Mrs Roberts said.

"For some pharmacies, it would mean they'd have to close because it will drop their profits so much."

Associate Professor Ayman Shenouda, a general practitioner at Glenrock Country Practice, was supportive of the plan but said the government would need to take steps to reduce medication supply shortages for it to work in the best interests of patients.

"In a stable patient who's been stable for a while, and with the approval of GPs, I think it's very sound to make sure those patients can be on the medication longer term," Dr Shenouda said.

"It would save the pharmacists the time of dispensing that medication, and save the patient money, and a trip to the pharmacy that isn't warranted.

"I understand there may be problems with some particular medications, but I would think the government would work that out before implementing the policy."

Mr Butler said the change, which starts in September, will help reduce medication costs for patients with chronic illnesses, while providing better health outcomes.

"Every year, nearly a million Australians are forced to delay or go without a medicine that their doctor has told them is necessary for their health," he said.

"This cheaper medicines policy is safe, good for Australians' hip pockets and most importantly good for their health."

"Australian pharmacies already do much more than just dispense medicine and the government is supporting our trusted pharmacists to play an even bigger role in the healthcare of Australians."

The 60-day prescribing policy will provide doctors with the option to prescribe a two-month supply of over 320 medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to Australians with stable, ongoing conditions.

According to the Department of Health, six million Australians will have their medicine costs halved, saving a total of $1.6 billion over the next four years.

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