From 1
July 2023, ODT medicines will
become part of the Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) Program (Community Access)
arrangements. This means ODT medicines will be dispensed in the same way as
other community access Section 100 HSD Program medicines from section 90 approved community pharmacies, section 92 approved medical
practitioners,
and section 94 approved hospital authorities (public and private).
Under the Section 100 HSD Program, PBS-eligible patients will
pay the PBS co-payment to
access their treatment (for up to 28 days’ supply per pharmaceutical benefit
prescribed) and the amount paid will contribute towards their PBS Safety Net
threshold. Additional private dispensing or dosing fees cannot be charged by
section 90 community or section 94 hospital pharmacies to patients for access
to ODT medicines under the PBS.
Supplying patients with methadone liquid, buprenorphine
sublingual tablets and buprenorphine + naloxone sublingual films often requires
more frequent activities relating to in-pharmacy and take-away dosing.
Therefore, from 1 July 2023, a community pharmacy program for ODT medicines will
be established, including on-site pharmacist administration of injectable
buprenorphine, that will introduce nationally consistent payment arrangements
for ODT services provided by community pharmacists.
State and territory governments operate individual ODT programs
in their respective jurisdictions. The operation of state and territory ODT
programs are and will continue to be governed by the respective policies,
guidelines and regulations within each of those jurisdictions.
The
Commonwealth Government has published factsheets on the 1 July 2023 changes for
opioid dependence treatment medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
on the ODT
website.
The
Pharmacy Programs Administrator (the PPA) has released Program Rules for the
Opioid Dependence Treatment Community Pharmacy Program here.