NAPWA

There are a growing number of positive people legally living in Australia who do not have access to Medicare, including subsidised antiretroviralsA medication or other substance which is active against retroviruses such as HIV. through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme[Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme] The federal government program which subsidises medication costs in Australia. Anti-HIV drugs are part of a special part of the PBS called Section 100 (S100) which is used for expensive, highly specialised drugs. (PBS).

Many of those ineligible for Medicare have been diagnosed during health screenings while living in Australia. Health care workers and clinicians are struggling with the moral demands of providing care and treatment to these patients without any support in the current health system arrangements.

For many without a Medicare card, the cost of antiretrovirals is prohibitive, forcing them to import lower-cost generic drugs. For others, treatment simply becomes too hard to access or continue.

The public health implications of this are also significant. In 2005, a national meeting of state and territory health ministers agreed to support a scoping studyA clinical trial is a research study to answer specific questions about vaccines or new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Clinical trials are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work in people. Trials are in four phases: Phase I tests a new drug or treatment in a small group; Phase II expands the study to a larger group of people; Phase III expands the study to an even larger group of people; and Phase IV takes place after the drug or treatment has been licensed and marketed. of the issues relating to Medicare ineligibility for people with HIV in Australia.

This report was finalised in 2008 but since then little progress has been made. An in-depth report on the current situation is being prepared by NAPWA for further Commonwealth discussion next month.