The decision puts Labor on a collision course with the Pharmacy Guild, one of Australia’s biggest political donors, which is warning of a $3.5 billion hit to community pharmacies.
Australians will be able to buy twice as many common medicines for the price of one script under a major pharmacy reform to deliver more cost of living relief in next month’s budget.
Patients will be able to receive 60-day scripts from September, with the same maximum co-payment of $30.The government says it will save Australians up to $180 a year on each common medicine listed on the scheme – including widely prescribed drugs such as atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and perindopril. The six million Australians who are prescribed the eligible medications will be able to get the 60-day scripts from September.
The government said this would mitigate any risk to patients while rejecting the Pharmacy Guild’s claim it would lead to medicine shortages., while benefiting people in rural areas by halving the frequency of their trips to buy medicines.government savings from paying dispensing fees
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