Posted by Michael Wonder on 21 Aug 2024
Dying patients up for $4,000 painkillers in drug supply crisis
21 August 2024 - Dying patients may have to pay more than $4,000 for a box of imported pain-killing tablets after the existing product was removed from the market, while the overseas alternative – 23 times more expensive – has not been listed on the PBS.
A bottle of another discontinued product, the commonly used liquid morphine Ordine, normally would cost $7.30, but palliative care patients have to pay the full price of up to $100 because it has not been PBS listed.
