AMA calls for independent body to oversee National Medicines Policy

The AMA has made a third submission to the revised National Medicines Policy (NMP) consultation. Overall the latest revision is positive, and the addition of committee recommendations to accompany the NMP is welcome.  

In the AMA’s initial submissions, the recommendations included developing a set of Key Performance Indicators to ensure Australia is meeting the objectives of the NMP. While there are clearer directions for implementation and evaluation, the AMA has called for the reintroduction of an independent national medicines advisory body to oversee the NMP and ensure that the vision and aims of the NMP are achieved. The first action of this body should be establishing key performance indicators and actioning the recommendations of the committee. 

The AMA would support this body playing a central role in issues which have the potential to undermine medicines safety and quality use of medicines, such as the continued efforts of non-medical health professionals to prescribe medicines. This body would consider all applications transparently in line with NMP principles and pillars including patient safety, QUM, collaboration and conflicts of interest. Increased access to medicines on the basis of convenience may compromise QUM. 

The AMA had called for the review to be postponed until after the 2022 Federal Election and welcomed the decision to delay the final reporting. This has allowed the review committee to address outstanding issues with the previous drafts and provide broader guidance on the direction of the NMP.   

Some of the AMA’s key concerns remain unaddressed in the revised NMP, however the revie committee has stated some advice sits beyond the scope of the NMP. As such, the AMA submission has encouraged the review committee to make stronger recommendations to the Minister for Health accompanying the final report.  

The AMA would like to see the review of the NMP lead to further examination of medicines safety and access in Australia. For example, there must be a review of pharmacy ownership and location rules to increase medicines access and reduce the cost of medicines. The NMP should be used as a vehicle to ensure that future community pharmacy agreements meet the principles and pillars of the new NMP, as the current agreement is far from meeting them. 

You can read an earlier AMA submission to the National Medicines Policy consultation here.