Hydroxychloroquine will be restricted to Authority (streamlined) on the PBS from 1 May following a recent doubling of scripts that’s contributing to supply shortages, a Federal Government letter reveals.

The proposed move follows global interest in the drug as a treatment for COVID-19.

In a letter to RACP president Associate Professor Mark Lane, circulated to all members of the College, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly asks for help in managing supply of the drug, which is indicated for treatment of rheumatoid conditions and malaria.

“In recent months, the number of PBS prescriptions supplied of hydroxychloroquine has doubled, from the usual number of 23-25,000 per month to 49,000 in March 2020,” Professor Kelly writes.