The Federal Government says new advice from the PBAC and former RACGP president Professor Michael Kidd supports its decision to let GPs write double-length scripts for 325 medicines.

Last week’s federal budget locked in the government’s plan to save $1.2 billion over five years by letting patients collect 60 days’ supply of common PBS drugs at once, therefore cutting the dispensing fees paid to pharmacists.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia warned that dispensing double quantities of drugs like sertraline or semaglutide would increase the risk of shortages, with more medicines leaving pharmacy shelves at once.

But over the weekend, Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said new advice from PBAC chair Professor Andrew Wilson confirmed that “the volume of medicines prescribed will not change significantly as a result of an increase in the maximum quantity”.