As a member of the Bridging Funding Coalition, we support the release of a national consensus statement for bridging funding. This would provide earlier, faster, and fairer access to new medicines, bridging the gap between TGA registration and PBS funding, where there is a high unmet need, and patients cannot afford the additional expense and the time to wait for a medicine to be listed on the PBS.
We are calling on the Government to ensure Australian patients get faster access to medicines by committing to establishing bridging funding for medicines; it is wonderful to see an Expert Implementation Group has been established to rapidly co-design a sustainable criteria and model for bridging funding.
Australian patients, their families, and treating clinicians cannot afford the 442 days to make medicines available on the PBS.
The Bridging Funding Coalition now calls on the Government to ensure Australian patients get faster access to medicines by:
- Committing to establishing bridging funding for medicines, and
- Establishing an Independent Expert Implementation Group to rapidly co-design a sustainable criteria and model for bridging funding.
Go to www.bridgingfundingaustralia.com.au for more information.
