The Department of Health amended the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations 2017 to require the inclusion of active ingredients on all Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation PBS (RBPS) prescriptions from 1 February 2021. All eligible prescriptions generated from 1 February 2021 will need to comply with the new Active Ingredient Prescribing (AIP) requirements.
Prescribers must make sure they are using updated software by 1 February 2021.
Benefits to Active Ingredient Prescribing
The aim is for patients to identify their medicine’s active ingredients and reduce the risk of taking multiple doses of medicines because they accidentally take different brands with the same active ingredient. Other benefits are;
- patients will be better informed about the medicines they are taking
- it will increase the uptake of generic and biosimilar medicines, leading to the reduction of out-of-pocket expenses for patients
- active ingredient information will appear on prescriptions, medicines packaging, pharmacy dispensing labels and in My Health Record Shared Summaries
- it will enhance prescribers’ stewardship role of the PBS and encouraging more sustainable prescribing practices and
- it will align Australian prescribing practices with international standards.
Prescribers can still prescribe a brand of medicine if they believe it is clinically necessary and, if deemed clinically appropriate, include brand names on prescriptions along with the active ingredients to reduce risk of patient harm or minimise patient confusion.
Patients will still be able to choose the brand they want.