Introduction of Australian post-market reviews of pharmaceutical benefits scheme subsidized medicines and its implication to China / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for strengthening the post-admission management of drugs on the medicare formulary in China. METHODS The basic situation， implementation process and effect of post-market reviews （PMR） were introduced after marketing approval of the Australian pharmaceutical benefits scheme （PBS） subsidized medicines. The suggestions were put forward for post-admission management of medicare formulary drugs in China. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS PMR system exemplified Australia’s concept of life-cycle management of medicines on the PBS catalogue； as a mechanism for managing the admission and adjustment of PBS medicines， it provided a continuous evaluation of medicines in the PBS catalogue； the process mainly included two types： the pre-initiation process of PBS drug review and the PBS drug review process， involving steps such as drug selection， determination of review scope， and implementation management. Through PMR， Australia had completed the review of multiple medicines in nine treatment areas including diabetes， childhood asthma and Alzheimer’s disease in the PBS catalogue. The author suggests that China can improve the post-admission review of medicines at the institutional level （clarifying the selection criteria and methods of the review object， main procedures and responsible parties， and ensuring the transparency of the review process）； specify the National Healthcare Security Administration or the third-party organization until a special technical organization is established to take charge of this work； at the same time， further improve the construction of data collection and monitoring systems.

Change in multiple sclerosis prevalence over time in Australia 2010-2017 utilising disease-modifying therapy prescription data.

OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Australia in 2017 using MS-specific disease-modifying therapy (DMT) prescription data and estimate the change in prevalence from 2010. METHODS: DMT prescriptions were extracted from Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data for January-December 2017. Percentages of people with MS using DMTs (DMT penetrance) were calculated using data from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study. Prevalence was estimated by dividing the total number of monthly prescriptions by 12 (except alemtuzumab), adjusted for DMT penetrance and Australian population estimates. Prevalences in Australian states/territories were age-standardised to the Australian population. Comparisons with 2010 prevalence data were performed using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Overall DMT penetrance was 64%, and the number of people with MS in Australia in 2017 was 25,607 (95% confidence interval (CI): 24,874-26,478), a significant increase of 4324 people since 2010 (p < 0.001). The prevalence increased significantly from 95.6/100,000 (2010) to 103.7/100,000 (2017), with estimates highest in Tasmania in 2017 (138.7/100,000; 95% CI: 137.2-140.1) and lowest in Queensland (74.6/100,000; 95% CI: 73.5-75.6). From 2010 to 2017 using the median latitudes for each state/territory, the overall latitudinal variation in MS prevalence was an increase of 3.0% per degree-latitude. CONCLUSION: Consistent with global trends, Australia's MS prevalence has increased; this probably reflecting decreased mortality, increased longevity and increased incidence.

The effects of reduced copayments on discontinuation and adherence failure to statin medication in Australia.

This paper assesses whether the concession card, which offers discounted out-of-pocket costs for prescription medicines in Australia, affects discontinuation and adherence to statin therapy. The analysis uses data from the Australian Hypertension and Absolute Risk Study (AusHEART), which involves patients aged 55 years and over who visited a GP between April and June 2008. Socioeconomic and clinical information was collected and linked to administrative data on pharmaceutical use. Patients without a concession card were 63% more likely (hazard ratio (HR) 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14-2.33) to discontinue and 60% (odds ratio (OR) CI: 1.04-2.44) more likely to fail to adhere to therapy compared to concessional patients. Smokers were 2.12 (HR CI: 1.39-3.22) times more likely to discontinue use and 2.23 (OR CI: 1.35-3.71) times more likely to fail to adhere compared to non-smokers. Patients who had recently initiated statin medication were also 2.28 (HR CI: 1.22-4.28) times more likely to discontinue use. In conclusion, higher copayments act as a disincentive for persistent and adherent use of statin medication.