Medication update
60-day prescriptions of PBS medicines – Stage 2
It may now be possible to pay less for your regular diabetes Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines.
Stage 2 of 60-day prescriptions commenced on March 1, 2024. This means that you may be able to access twice the amount of your regular diabetes medications on a single prescription. There are now almost 200 medicines available including many medications for managing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
A list of medications available as 60-day PBS scripts can be found here.
Speak with your GP to see if you are eligible for a 60-day prescription.
Further information about this new initiative to help reduce the cost of medicines can be found here.
Shortage of Gliclazide 30mg tablets
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has notified shortages of multiple brands of gliclazide 30 mg modified release (MR) tablets. Gliclazide is used to treat type 2 diabetes. Common brands of this medication include Diamicron and Glyade.
The shortages are because of manufacturing issues. The TGA has said that normal supply of this medication should resume after the end of June 2024.
Because of this shortage, the TGA has made a Serious Scarcity Substitution Instrument. (SSSI).
This SSSI allows for pharmacists to supply gliclazide 60 mg tablets to consumers who have a prescription for gliclazide 30 mg tablets.
What does this mean for you if you are taking gliclazide 30mg tablets?
Your pharmacist may give you the 60 mg strength of gliclazide tablets for a short time while the 30 mg tablets are unavailable. Before doing this, they will check with you to make sure you consent to the swap. If you do not consent, tell your pharmacist.
If your pharmacist gives you gliclazide 60 mg tablets as a substitute, they will explain to you how to take them:
- The tablets are a different strength and might look different.
- Break a 60 mg gliclazide tablet in half and take only one of the halves to get a 30 mg dose.
- You can break the tablets in half but do not crush or chew them. Crushing or chewing the tablets may change the effectiveness of the tablet.
When gliclazide 30 mg tablets are available again, you will no longer need to halve tablets to get a 30 mg dose.
Further information from the TGA about this medication shortage can be read here: https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/information-about-major-medicine-shortages/about-shortage-gliclazide-30-mg-tablets.
Talk to your prescribing doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about this substitution.
