Drop in GP script rate creates PBS headroom

Simone Roberts

The report, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, showed GPs wrote 11 million fewer prescriptions in 2006-07 than in 1998-99.

Reasons behind the drop include the increased number of combination products available, the movement of medications from prescribed to over-the-counter availability and a tendency among GPs to order a higher number of repeats, the authors suggested.

Medicines Australia said the decline was creating financial "headroom" for the Australian Government to list innovative new medicines on the PBS.

"The steady decline in GP prescribing also points to continual improvement in the quality use of medicines. This contributes to more efficient usage of PBS funding and is creating headroom for future investment in innovative new medicines currently under development," Medicines Australia chief executive, Ian Chalmers, said.

Mr Chalmers also said he was encouraged by the report's finding that newly developed combination medicines and vaccines have contributed to the reduction in the number of GP prescriptions.

"Through the research and development of combination medicines, the innovative pharmaceuticals industry has significantly reduced the number of products that many patients will require for the treatment of certain illnesses.

"The development of combination medicines has realised considerable savings for Australian patients and the Australian government and, most importantly, contributed to better health outcomes," he said.

The study found four out of five medications were prescribed by the GP, less than one in 10 medications were supplied to the patient by the GP and almost one in 10 were recommended by the GP for OTC purchase.

Amoxycillin was the most often prescribed drug, followed by paracetamol and cephalexin.

The report summarises a sample of 93,000 patient visits with 930 GPs across the country.