PPP087 - Paying for Pharmaceuticals with PBAC chair Prof Andrew Wilson

In this episode, Dan and Kristin are joined by Professor Andrew Wilson, chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

We discuss:

• What the PBAC does

• How it makes decisions on which drugs to recommend for subsidy

• How decisions are made in difficult situations, for example with new drugs with very little long term information, or where prices are exceptionally high

The PBAC is an independent expert body appointed by the Australian Government. Members include doctors, health professionals, health economists and consumer representatives. You can find out more about the work of the PBAC here

If you are interested in learning more about QALY’s, Alwyn Smith’s 1987 article “Qualms about QALYs” is an interesting place to start.