PCA submission to TGA on medicines shortages
This submission responds to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s consultation on Medicines shortages – challenges and opportunities.
The submission raises concerns about a growing pattern of discontinuations of essential palliative care medicines which poses a significant risk to patient comfort, care, and clinical outcomes. The unavailability of key medicines affects not only palliative care patients and those nearing the end of life, but also those with chronic pain, cancer, and other conditions requiring effective pain control. PCA highlights challenges regarding the limited notice period for suppliers to notify the TGA about discontinuations, and explains how some of the actions that could alleviate the risk of medicines shortages may lie outside the control of the TGA.
PCA’s proposed solutions include improving our responses to immediate medicines shortages, anticipating future medicines shortages through an early warning system, and exploring the potential for government to encourage domestic manufacture of opioid analgesics.
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