PBS funding for MHT patches ‘at risk’, doctors say
Transdermal patches could be pulled from the PBS if the manufacturer's bid for a price hike is declined
Women’s health advocates are fighting to keep several menopausal hormone therapy products on the PBS — including the only two remaining combined transdermal patches — after a bid to delist them.
The supplier of Estradot (oestradiol) and Estalis (oestradiol and norethisterone), Sandoz (a division of Novartis), applied to the PBAC earlier this year to delist the products, saying the PBS price was no longer covering its costs.
GP Dr Karen Magraith, president-elect of the Australasian Menopause Society, said the organisation was concerned about the potential impact, particularly for women with premature menopause, and expressed this to Minister for Health Greg Hunt and Sandoz.
The company has now applied for a price increase instead.
