Australians are missing out on too many new medicines and waiting longer for reimbursement than in other OECD nations, according to a new report by a pharmaceutical lobby group.
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The report, which was launched by the Medicines Australia chairman Martin Cross this week, found Australia ranked 18th out of 20 comparable OECD countries in terms of access to new medicine.
"It's disappointing to see that Australia, which is known for a universal healthcare system, has fallen behind most comparable OECD countries when it comes to access to new medicines," he said.
The report, which was conducted by IMS Consulting Group, reviewed 247 medicines registered between 2009 and 2014 to look for differences in access, supply and reimbursement.
"The countries examined were selected because they have comparable nominal and per capita GDP values to Australia," the report said.
The study found Australians had access to less than 40 per cent of new medicines deemed safe and effective, compared with 75 per cent or more in many OECD nations.
"Australia's poor access compared to other countries is even more startling when we confine the examination to include only first-in-class medicines," the report said.
The consultants ranked Australia third last behind New Zealand and Portugal for access to "innovative products considered important enough to have expedited, breakthrough or priority assessments".
"This is just not good enough and I'm sure I share the same views as patients when I say access to medicines needs to be modernised," Dr Cross said.
"It's becoming too apparent to patients, clinicians and the industry that Australia's system for selecting and making new medicines available is struggling."
According to the report, some Australians wait more than a year on average for medicines to become available on the PBS after being deemed safe and effective.
"This is compared to many other countries which provide access to their population immediately, or within three to six months of the medicine being authorised for sale."
The average time from registration of new cancer medicines to reimbursement was 573, compared with 336 days for asthma, 316 days for cardiovascular disease, and 297 days for arthritis.
Dr Martin said it was time the government took action to modernise access to medicine.
"We need the emphasis to shift from the cost of medicines to the value they provide in keeping the Australian population healthy, participating and productive."
Medicines Australia has called on the government to improve the transparency of the PBS and TGA processes and to provide a stable environment so the domestic medicine sector can attract foreign investment.
Earlier this month, a position paper by the University of NSW raised concerns the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership between Australia and 11 other nations would increase the price of medicines.
"The Trans-Pacific Partnership risks increasing the cost of the PBS which is likely to flow on to the Australian public in terms of increased co-payments for medicines," the paper said.
"This may result in medical non-adherence for prescription use and prioritising health costs over other necessities.
"Vulnerable groups include those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, people with chronic conditions, younger populations, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
The UNSW study recommended the Australian government support global efforts to separate the funding of research and development from medicine process.
