PBS overhaul will ‘mainstream’ opioid dependence treatment, GPs say
But Dr Paul Grinzi says practical elements of the update may need tweaking.
Patients paying $150 a month for opioid dependence treatment will see their out-of-pocket costs slashed to $30 a month under major PBS changes, the RACGP says.
From July, medicines including methadone and buprenorphine will become part of the PBS’ Section 100 — Highly Specialised Drugs Program (Community Access) arrangements for the first time, after the Federal Government invested $380 million over four years.
Melbourne GP Dr Paul Grinzi, who has a special interest in addiction medicine, said that until now patients had typically faced private dispensing fees of $5 a day, rather than the typical PBS co-payment.
“It’s much more than most people with a chronic disease have to pay,” he told AusDoc.
