The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme under threat

During the decade 1991-2001, the number of drugs prescribed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme increased by 50 per cent, the price per script rose by more than 120 per cent and costs to the government soared from $1 billion to over $4 billion. In this article Ken Harvey summarises the fifty-year history of the PBS, explains the drivers behind the recent cost escalation and comments on a number of policy options currently being proposed.