Uptake of opioid agonist therapies could be dramatically improved if they were no longer listed on the PBS as highly specialised drugs, says a leading GP working in the field.

The Federal Government is currently reviewing how methadone and buprenorphine treatments for opioid use disorders are funded through the PBS, saying it wants to address barriers to patient access.

Dr Paul Grinzi, a GP educator on pharmacotherapy for opioid dependence, said the obvious move would be to make them available through the general schedule rather than listing them as section 100 drugs — the PBS category for highly specialised medications.

Currently, co-payments for all section 100 drugs are covered by the states, yet dispensing fees were not covered at all, he said.