Medicines Australia chief executive Ian Chalmers said tonight he was disappointed by the Governments decision to reintroduce legislation forcing the pharmaceutical industry to fund the Governments own Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

Mr Chalmers said the Governments move to recover the cost of the PBACs decisionmaking was inappropriate and would put at risk access to new medicines for small patientpopulation groups.

“We have consistently argued it is fundamentally inappropriate for the industry to pay for Government procurement decisionmaking. Our view has not changed one iota over the last three years,” Mr Chalmers said.

“The procurement of pharmaceuticals for the PBS is a government function and its unreasonable for industry to be expected to pay for the business of government. “The proposal put forward by Government risks Australian patients access to medicines. It does not improve the expensive and lengthy process for PBS listing of new medicines and it deters innovation and investment in the Australian pharmaceutical industry.

“Frankly, it has no merit.”
Mr Chalmers said costrecovery was particularly unwelcome at a time when the pharmaceutical industry in Australia was being forced to cut the price of its medicines by a further $175 million as a result of additional savings measures announced in