Update to Continued Dispensing Arrangements – Emergency Measure

Page last updated: 10 December 2025

From 10 December 2025 to 31 January 2026, a temporary PBS Continued Dispensing Emergency Measure has been put in place to support people affected by the bushfire disaster in six Local Government Areas in New South Wales to continue to access their PBS subsidised medicines.

This PBS Continued Dispensing Emergency Measure will support access to a wider range of PBS medicines than under ongoing Continued Dispensing arrangements, covering most medicines on the General Schedule of the PBS. For further information, please see the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Continued Dispensing Arrangements web page.

Third-party dispensing software used by pharmacies to claim payment for PBS supplies may not be updated immediately after the Measure’s commencement. As it is expected that some pharmacies will not have received related system updates in time to enable contemporaneous lodgement of claims in respect of items on the expanded list of medicines, pharmacies may submit their Continued Dispensing claims, that are not covered under existing (ongoing Continued Dispensing) arrangements claims, at the next available opportunity, once their system is updated.