There are three types of premiums:
The Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits shows differences in price in some therapeutic groups where alternative drugs may have a therapeutic group premium.
The Therapeutic Group Premium Policy applies within narrowly defined therapeutic sub-groups where the drugs concerned are of similar safety and health outcomes.
The Australian Government, through the PBS, subsidises up to the price of the lowest priced drug in the group. This means that consumers may have to pay for more expensive drugs (those with a therapeutic group premium). This extra amount does not count towards their PBS safety net threshold.
Therapeutic group premiums apply where a prescriber has prescribed a drug within a therapeutic group that attracts a therapeutic group premium and has not sought an exemption from Medicare Australia on clinical grounds.
The exemption provisions are:
The premiums are not a Government charge but reflect the fact that the supplier(s) of the drug charge a price higher than the Government is willing to subsidise.
Under the Therapeutic Group Premium Policy drug substitution by pharmacists is not permitted.
For ease of prescribing and dispensing, and in the interests of your patients, the following list shows those PBS drugs that attract a therapeutic group premium.
The information on this page is drawn from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule, effective
1 November 2008
http://pbs.gov.au Printed on
19 November, 2008
(c) The Commonwealth of Australia as presented by the Department of Health and Ageing, 2008. Kindly reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder for use as general reference material only.
DisclaimerThe Schedule provides information on the arrangements for the prescribing of pharmaceutical benefits by medical practitioners and participating dental practitioners, and the supply of pharmaceutical benefits by approved pharmacists, approved medical practitioners and approved hospital authorities. These arrangements operate under the National Health Act 1953. However, at the time of release, the relevant legislation giving authority for the changes included in this issue of the Schedule may still be subject to the usual Parliamentary scrutiny. This website is not a legal document, and, in cases of discrepancy, the legislation will be the source document for payment for the supply of pharmaceutical benefits.
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The information on this document is for use as general reference material only.
The information is not intended to give or replace any legal, medical or dental advice. This document is not a legal document and does not constitute legal advice. Neither the information nor this document can be relied upon without first seeking and obtaining independent legal, medical or dental advice beforehand. To the extent permitted by law, the Commonwealth of Australia will not be held responsible, nor accept any liability (whether arising out of negligence or otherwise), for any injury, damages, costs, expenses and losses suffered or incurred by a person where such a person has relied on this document or used the information in it as legal, medical or dental advice.