Pledge your support for a Stronger PBS
A stronger Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will ensure Australians can access the new medicines they need sooner once they are deemed safe and effective by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The Stronger PBS campaign aims to reduce the wait time from 466 days to 60 days.
Hear why a Stronger PBS is vital
Patients and healthcare professionals share their stories.
Maria – Living with Breast Cancer
“You're thrown into this world and
suddenly you really have to advocate for yourself. I shouldn't have to do that, and sometimes that's really hard.” - Maria, living with breast cancer.
Through her own research Maria found a treatment available overseas with
promising results for her type of cancer,
but it’s not yet available in Australia.
Prof John Zalcberg, Medical Oncologist
“The PBS has been a fantastic public health program that has provided many effective drugs to a majority of the population.
“On the other hand, the PBS is limited in its structure, and the processes that underpin whether a drug is available or not are complex… unfortunately, it doesn’t always provide the most recent drugs to the people who need them quickly and urgently.”
Dr Ceri Cashell, GP
“As a doctor, there are times you know of a treatment that would work for your patient, but either it’s unaffordable because it’s not on the PBS, or it isn’t available in Australia. To see somebody unnecessarily suffering goes against everything you’ve been trained to do.”