10/12/1999

Coordinated by the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (APAC), a consultative forum that advises the Commonwealth Government on a wide range of medicines policy issues, the National Medicines Policy reflects the growing emphasis on shared responsibility between governments, healthcare practitioners and educators, consumers, industry and the media. (A list of APAC member organisations is attached.)

What are the policy objectives?

1. Timely access to medicines that Australian consumers need, at a cost individuals and the community can afford;
2. Medicines that meet appropriate standards of quality, safety and efficacy;
3. Quality use of medicines; and
4. Maintenance of a responsible and viable medicines industry.

The policy outlines major issues under each of these objectives. In ensuring access to medicines, issues include scheduling controls and subsidisation of drugs through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, considering both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatments in PBS listing recommendations.

The policy states that quality, safety and efficacy of medicines available in Australia should be equal to that of comparable countries. This encompasses:

• nationally standardised regulation of medicines,
• pre-market assessment of medicines that aim towards assurance of quality, safety, efficacy and timely availability; and
• effective post-market monitoring systems (for adverse drug reactions, for example) to ensure ongoing assessment of safety.

To achieve optimum use of medicines consumers and healthcare providers should have timely access to:

• accurate information and education about medicines and their use, including from industry and healthcare providers;
• public health and health education programs, and other programs relating to quality use of medicines such as development and implementation of guidelines, and schemes for the disposal of unwanted medicines, to be coordinated between Commonwealth and State/Territory governments and other stakeholders; and
• accurate and responsible media reporting of medicines issues.

A complete copy of the National Medicines Policy is available at www.health.gov.au/haf/docs/nmp2000.htm
or contact David Pearson on (02) 6289 8023.

National Medicines Policy - Partner membership organisations

Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council

Member organisations

• Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS)
• Australian Medical Association (AMA)
• Australian Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
• Australian Nursing Federation (ANF)
• Australian Pensioners' and Superannuants' Federation (AP&SF)
• Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (APMA)
• Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT)
• Consumers' Health Forum of Australia (CHF)
• Council on the Ageing, Australia (COTA)
• Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care - Pharmaceutical Benefits Branch
• Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care - Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
• Doctors' Reform Society (DRS)
• Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA)
• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
• National Pharmaceutical Services Association (NPSA)
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
• Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA)
• Proprietary Medicines Association of Australia (PMAA)
• Returned and Services League (RSL)
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
• Royal College of Nursing Australia (RCNA)
• Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA)

Observers

• Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC)
• Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA)
• Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR)
• Health Insurance Commission (HIC)
• Pharmaceutical Health and Rational Use of Medicines Committee (PHARM)