Australian Government spending on the PBS in 2018–19 was approximately $12 billion. This significant increase in the past decade is due to:
- advancements in medicines, including a shift from traditional ‘small molecule’ medicines for large patient populations, to targeted biologics for smaller patient sub-groups.
- an increased rate of prescribing.
- an ageing population.
Once a medication is approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), an application can be made for it to be listed on the PBS.
