Hepatitis C Medicines - Fact Sheet for Community Pharmacy Dispensers
Page last updated: 1 June 2017
A range of medicines for the treatment of hepatitis C are available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), through both the PBS General Schedule and the Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) Program. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended these medicines be made available in this way to ensure the broadest possible access.
Patient eligibility is the same whether the medicines are prescribed through the General Schedule or the S100 HSD program.
These prescriptions are all Authority Required. They are not streamlined authorities.
Community pharmacists can dispense General Schedule (S85) prescriptions for
- Harvoni® (ledipasvir with sofosbuvir)
- Sovaldi® (sofosbuvir)
- Daklinza® (daclatasvir)
- Ibavyr® (ribavirin)
- Pegasys-RBV® (peginterferon alfa-2a with ribavirin)
- Viekira Pak® (paritaprevir with ritonavir with ombitasvir and dasabuvir)
- Viekira Pak–RBV® (paritaprevir with ritonavir with ombitasvir and dasabuvir and ribavirin)
- Zepatier® (grazoprevir with elbasvir)
Community pharmacists cannot dispense S100 Public HSD prescriptions for these medicines. You will not be reimbursed if you do so.
Community pharmacies can dispense S100 Private HSD prescriptions for these medicines. Payment will be made in line with the scheduled fees and mark-ups for the Section 100 HSD Program.
Pharmacists can differentiate between General Schedule prescriptions and S100 HSD Public and Private prescriptions by the inclusion or lack of a HSD prefix on the Medicare (DHS) authority approval code:
|
Schedule |
Phone |
Written |
|---|---|---|
|
General schedule (S85) |
Z1234AB* |
Round, red stamp that says: Approved by PBS-DHS |
|
S100 Private |
PTE Z1234AB* |
Round, red stamps that say: Approved by PBS-DHS, and PRIVATE HOSPITAL (item code) |
|
S100 Public |
PUB Z1234AB* |
Round, red stamps that say: Approved by PBS-DHS, and PUBLIC HOSPITAL (item code) |
*These are sample codes only. The actual authority number may be different.
The following item codes will be used for General Schedule authority approvals against the listed medicines depending on the numbers of repeats:
|
|
Harvoni |
Sovaldi |
Daklinza 30mg |
Daklinza 60mg |
Viekira Pak |
Viekira Pak-RBV 200mg |
Viekira Pak-RBV 600mg |
Zepatier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 weeks (1 original + 1 repeat) |
10668L |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
12 weeks (1 original + 2 repeats) |
10628J |
10624E |
10645G |
10642D |
10766P |
10772Y |
10769T |
11021C |
|
16 weeks (1original + 3 repeats) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
11011M |
|
24 weeks (1 original + 5 repeats) |
10670N |
10657X |
10671P |
10659B |
- |
10771X |
10747P |
- |
If it is unclear into which category an approved Authority prescription falls, pharmacists should contact Medicare (DHS) on 132 290 for clarification. Medicare will be able to confirm which item code a prescription has been approved against, provided the medication and strength on the prescription matches the authority approval record.
If a patient presents a S100 HSD prescription for one of the medicines listed above, community pharmacists may:
- Refer the patient back to the hospital to have the hospital pharmacy dispense their medicine; or
- Call the prescriber and discuss the option of having a General Schedule prescription written for the patient.
