Butler orders extra PBAC meeting to mitigate delays

The 44 deferred submissions will now be reviewed in May, rather than July 2025.

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Federal health minister Mark Butler has waylaid continuing criticism of the medicines approval process by ordering an extra Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee meeting to be held in May 2025 to deal with an unusually high number of submissions.

Last week the PBAC announced it was swamped by over 50 major submissions for consideration at its March 2025 meeting, saying it would consider the leftovers at its July meeting.

That brought criticism from not-for-profit advocacy group Better Access Australia, who yesterday launched a petition after learning that 44 out of 77 medicine applications would be deferred.

Today Mr Butler weighed in, saying he had directed the PBAC to hold an additional full meeting in May 2025.

“This additional meeting will consider submissions from pharmaceutical companies deferred from the March 2025 meeting,” he said.

“Since being notified of the situation, the Albanese Government has increased capacity to ensure all submissions are evaluated and considered by May 2025.

“At the March 2025 meeting, the PBAC will consider the submissions most likely to benefit patients and improve the standard of care in Australia.”

Yesterday Better Access Australia said the decision to postpone hearing 44 submissions was taken in secret.

“The PBAC had held a secret meeting to determine those medicines they would proceed with and those they would not,” it said. 

“Patients were not consulted, and still do not know which of the medicines … have been … delayed.   

“Does the list of medicines include cancer treatments, or treatments for chronic or rare diseases? The community simply does not know.”

TMR reached out to Better Access Australia for their response to scheduling of a new meeting, but it had not responded by publication deadline.