PBAC plan to restrict diabetes drug prescribing ‘inconsistent with guidelines’
Associate Professor Neale Cohen also criticised the PBAC for rejecting a potential PBS listing for tirzepatide.
A proposed PBS crackdown on GLP-1 receptor agonists is inconsistent with type 2 diabetes management guidelines and will force doctors to prescribe less efficacious drugs, says a leading endocrinologist.
Following its July meeting, the PBAC has said subsidies for dulaglutide and semaglutide should be restricted to patients with contraindications, intolerance or inadequate response to SGLT-2 inhibitor therapy.
It also recommended an authority listing for initiating GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) for all indications, with streamlined authority for continuing treatment.
But Melbourne endocrinologist Associate Professor Neale Cohen said the restrictions, first flagged in March and opposed by the RACGP, could lead to suboptimal treatment.
