Joint Medicines Policy Conference 2008
Outcomes of the Joint Medicines Policy Conference 2008
The Second Joint Policy Conference was held in 2008 at the Hotel Realm, Canberra and built on the first ever Joint Policy Conference which was held in 2006. Medicines Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing have now collaborated twice to bring a range of stakeholders together to discuss issues of joint interest in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. These conferences are pivotal in facilitating discussion on the varying perspectives on how public subsidy of medicines best operates in Australia, with a particular emphasis on the assessment of medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
Outcomes Report 
59k
Future of Medicines Policy in Australia
As Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) turns 60 years old, the scrutiny of medicine policy and patient access to medicines is more intensive than ever.
Currently the Australian Government spends over $6 billion per annum on PBS listed medicines, contributing to over 8 percent of the government’s total health spend. Key issues for the future are to ensure that the Australian public has access to innovative subsidised medicines, ensuring the sustainability of the medicines policy system and maintaining a viable innovative pharmaceutical industry.
To date, the registration and funding of medicines in Australia has functioned well. However, advances in medicine technology, the ageing population and the need to spend the health dollar more wisely continue to provide challenges for the regulation, reimbursement and policy for medicines in Australia.
This conference will look at the challenges ahead for the government and the pharmaceutical industry. Issues that will be examined include the role of health technology assessment (HTA) in Australia, funding of targeted therapies and biologics, the regulatory system of medicines in Australia and the issues it faces, as well as the marketing of medicines.
We are delighted to welcome two international keynote speakers to Canberra:
- Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Chair of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom, will speak on future issues in HTA.
- Dr Durhane Wong-Rieger, founder and head of the Consumer Advocare Network and President and CEO of the Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes will speak on the role of consumers in health and HTA.
Program and Registration Brochure 1585k
Program and Handbook 954k
Page updated: August 2011