Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last Friday I met with John Gray and his wife Fay, who live in my electorate of Corangamite. I was able to tell John, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, that the Albanese government has listed Opicapone on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Opicapone is now much more affordable for John and for many others suffering with Parkinson's across Australia. Fay told me the listing was amazing. Affordable access to Opicapone will give John such a quality of life and now it is on PBS. It will deliver a saving of around $1,800 a year for John and for so many others. The Albanese government's cheaper medical policy, launched last month, means Opicapone will now cost just $30 per prescription or $7.30 with a concession card.

Last week I also visited Cottage Pharmacy in Grovedale with the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney, to meet with pharmacists and families. We explained that our government's cheaper medicines policy means savings are $150 per year for one monthly script, or between $300 and $450 for two-to-three monthly scripts. Since last July, extra funding has also been approved for 65 new and amended medicines listed on the PBS. That means many people will no longer have to choose between putting food on the table and their medicines. That's life saving for many Australians

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