Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 1:39:06 to 1:44:48
Discussion on the status of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) review final report and upcoming strategic agreement negotiations with the medicines industry peak bodies.
Topics: Health, Manufacturing
Speakers: Daniel McCabe, Chris Gatenby, Senator Nita Green, Speaker 17, Senator Ellie Whiteaker, Celia Street
It is Groundhog Day for me given I worked on the 2010 one back in the day. Um, I won't take up too much of your time, but um, I was just after really the status of the HDA I A's final report uh, and implementation roadmap. What's the status of that?
So Senator, the um IAG report is still under consideration by government. Um but in saying that uh we are progressing a number of the recommendations in the HDA review. Uh and we are also um shortly going to be commencing uh negotiations with the medicines industry. So government has signaled that uh the work that we're doing on the HDA review will be uh done in concert
with the work we're doing on the strategic agreement. >> So which of the recommendations or of the accelerating access to the best medicines for Australians now and into the future will be implemented and by
when? So Senator, we're uh working on a um implementation roadmap uh which we're uh working with government uh to share. As I indicated, uh a number of the elements of the review uh will need to be managed in uh the context of the negotiations that we're going to do with the medicines industry. >> Uh and so that uh work is um underway at the moment. Um we anticipate being able to say more about that over the coming months. Uh we are um establishing a multistakeholder reform and implementation group to start to work through with uh consumer groups, patient groups and clinicians on how we implement the recommendations in the review rather than the reviewing the review as such. Um and so I think we'll be able to talk about more more about that shortly. But we are as I indicated uh focusing on uh negotiations with the medicines industry.
>> So you got the report in January was it this year and provided to government in and around there at that time. Uh what's the time frame for the medicines the negotiations that you're doing? Um
>> so the current um agreements with the medicines industry both the innovative sector and the generics and biologics uh agreements uh end at the end of this financial year. Uh we are uh in discussions with both uh medicines Australia and the generics and biosimilars medicines association uh and we'll be commencing negotiations with them shortly on uh building and forming
Are there not some elements though of this review that could be progressed while we're waiting on it's not all about medicines. Um there's MSAC, there's um there's various elements single point of um you know touch point for industry which has been an issue for some years now. Um um is there anything in particular that could be progressed while we're waiting for that medicines?
>> Yeah, and I should just qualify my previous uh evidence senator. Uh we are continuing work and progressing uh uh work um on a number of the recommendations uh and government has already committed and announced a number of early actions on a number of actions in the HDA review as you indicate there are recommendations that are not specific to uh the medicine's agreement. uh we we are working on those in parallel uh and that's why I reference the establishment of um a multistakeholder reform and implementation group to actually just work through and make sure as we give government advice about how we implement that we're making sure that we've got um good stakeholder buyin over the next little while
>> and so just remind me for the medicine's work in negotiating when do you think that'll be finished by and
>> so the as I said the strategic agreements uh with the two um peak bodies in the medicines industry finish at the end of this financial year on the 30th of June to 2027. Uh we are working uh with uh those groups to um negotiate new agreements. I don't have a timeline about where where that will finish that that is work still um in progress.
>> um and so in terms of the the final report and the implementation roadmap when will that be released publicly? We don't you can't give me an answer on
>> No, that'll be a matter for government.
>> That is a matter for government.
>> Minister, does the government have that report now? I know there's obviously stakeholder group. Is there elements that they can release to industry um or to anyone in particular that might be interested in it? I mean, what's is there a time frame for that? My answer
is the same as the [clears throat] officials in that we are working to progress um the that review um uh in line with the negotiations around the strategic agreement. Um and in the meantime there's there's already work underway on those implementation pieces. Um particularly focusing on making sure that there's p patient consumer voices as part of the implementation.
>> So there's there's no part of the report you're just going to release it in full. there's nothing you can progress or release prior to that minister.
>> I think progress and release are two different I mean you you understand um that that we are progressing that work um uh through government um and we'll consider um when the um when to release
>> Okay. Thank you.
>> You all done Senator Gamb? >> Excellent. Okay. I will pass the call to Senator Little.