Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions over time

There has been little change in the monthly PBS prescriptions rate (Figure 1) between January 2013 and December 2023 in Australia, which indicates that Australians were dispensed a similar volume of PBS subsidised prescriptions over time (from a prescription rate of 0.9 per person per month in January 2013 to a rate of 1.1 per person per month in December 2023).

During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, a number of temporary changes to prescribing and dispensing of PBS medicines were implemented (AIHW 2021, AIHW 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic initially had an impact on the number of prescriptions dispensed with an increase during March 2020 (an elevated monthly prescription rate of 1.2 per person). For subsequent years, this momentary impact reverted to the general trend.

The expenditure rate across all PBS subsidised prescriptions dispensed has increased between 2013-2023, from an average of $28 per person per month in January 2013 to $61 per person per month in December 2023 (Figure 1). This increase remains once the effects of inflation have been accounted for (Table 1).

There is a monthly seasonal component to the utilisation data, with regular increases in PBS prescriptions dispensed occurring in November and December. Every year, the PBS Safety Net thresholds resets at the start of each calendar. During the year, once thresholds have been met, some patients can purchase their medicines at a reduced cost (or free for concessional patients) for the remainder of the calendar year before the price then resets back to the standard pricing at the start of the next calendar year. The increases in PBS prescriptions dispensed towards the end of the year are due to subsequent stockpiling of medicines, resulting in seasonal patterns of increased rates of dispensing towards the end of the year followed by decreased rates at the start of the next year (Mellish et al. 2015).

Figure 1: Monthly PBS prescription and expenditure rates