Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to inform the chamber that Senator Bilyk will also sponsor the motion. At the request of Senator Polley and Senator Bilyk, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) June is Migraine Awareness Month,

  (ii) migraine severely impacts an individual’s capacity to work, their mental wellbeing, quality of life and relationships,

  (iii) approximately 4.9 million people in Australian suffer from migraine, of which 400,000 are chronic migraine sufferers,

  (iv) migraine affects more women than men, with approximately 3 women sufferers for every male sufferer, a ratio of 3 to 1, and

  (v) there are currently two drugs recommended for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat migraine, Emgality and AJOVY, with Emgality having been recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee in July 2019; and

(b)   calls on the Government to list these drugs on the PBS immediately to provide relief to those suffering from migraine.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By law, the government cannot list a medicine on the PBS unless it's recommended by the independent medical experts on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, the PBAC. Unlike Labor, the coalition has a policy to list on the PBS all new medicines recommended by the PBAC. To date, the multinational drug companies that make these medicines have not provided PBS listing proposals that are consistent with the advice of the expert PBAC. The government cannot compel these drug companies to list their medicines on the PBS, and the Australian government will list these medicines on the PBS as soon as the drug companies provide listing proposals consistent with the PBAC recommendations.

Question agreed to.