Opioid addicts will get free access to radical medication that can break dependency
Patients addicted to prescription medication will be given free access to a radical medication that can help break the cycle of dependency. The weekly or monthly injection for people addicted to opioids will be subsidised as part of a $40 million package.
NSW
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Patients addicted to prescription medication will be given free access to a radical medication that can help break the cycle of dependency.
From September, Buvidal — a weekly or monthly injection for people addicted to opioids — will be subsidised as part of a $40 million package.
It will also reduce the cost of an oral morphine tablet, which eases symptoms for patients suffering from breathlessness in the final stages of life.
The listing comes as experts warn Australian’s reliance on opioids is at record levels, with doctors estimated to have written 15.4 million prescriptions to 3.1 million people in 2016-17.
Turning Point director and professor of Addiction Studies at Monash University Dan Lubman welcomed the announcement but said more could be done to combat the prescription drug crisis.
“There is a whole range of barriers to treatment, including difficulties in accessing a suitable pharmacy on a regular basis, so any medication that is weekly or monthly and free is an enormous improvement,” he said, adding that providing better training for doctors and greater access to treatment would also help.
A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found the number of deaths in Australia involving opioids had almost doubled in the decade to 2016, from 591 to 1119.
It is estimated 110,000 Australians are struggling with opioid dependence, with an average of 50,000 people receiving treatment every day.
The newly subsidised injection, which previously cost more than $90 a week, is long lasting and administered by a healthcare professional.
From September, oral pain-relief tablet Kapanol will also be subsidised for patients in their final weeks of life.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said both drugs had been approved by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, which advises the government on medications to subsidise.
“Our commitment to the PBS is rock-solid,” Mr Hunt said.
He said the Coalition had subsidised on average 30 drugs a month at a cost of $10 billion to the Budget since 2013.