Episode 126: Australia's Medicine Funding with Prof Robyn Ward and Ms Jo Watson [medicines series]

Welcome to a new series looking at Medicines in Australia. To kick off our medicines series, this episode features conversations with Professor Robyn Ward, Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), and Ms Jo Watson, PBAC deputy-chair. Robyn briefly discusses her work as a cancer oncologist and researcher and has taken up a new position as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice President at Monash University in Melbourne since we recorded this conversation. Robyn then talked us through the important work that the PBAC does in assessing which medicines should be recommended to the Commonwealth Health Minister for inclusion on Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The PBS is an important part of Australia’s health system, as it helps to keep the cost of a range of medicines more affordable for people across Australia who are prescribed them. Robyn discusses the range of expertise that makes up the PBAC, including health economists, clinicians, researchers, and community members, who all consider applications for new drugs to be added to the PBS from different perspectives. Jo talks us through her career as a health consumer advocate, including work done advocating for people living with HIV back in the 1990s, through to her current roles today as deputy-chair of PBAC, Chair of the Consumer Consultative Committee, within the Office of Health Technology Assessment in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, and Deputy Chair and Director on the Board of the Consumers Health Forum (CHF), the peak national health consumer organisation in Australia. Jo talks us through how the different members of the PBAC work together to produce the advice to the Health Minister, and provides some insight into the types of questions that need to be asked and answered as part of that process. Read more about Robyn here: https://www.monash.edu/about/structure/senior-monash-staff/deputy-vice-chancellor-research-and-enterprise-and-senior-vice-president Read more about Jo here: https://genomics4newborns.sydney.edu.au/team/ms-jo-watson/ A big thank you to Prof Sallie Pearson from the Medicines Intelligence Centre of Research Excellence (MI-CRE) at University of NSW who shared her thoughts (and contacts) for guests to feature in our medicines series. Read more about MI-CRE here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/medicine-health/our-schools/population-health/research/centre-research-excellence-medicines-intelligence As always, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can contact us at: meaningofhealth@outlook.com Instagram Twitter/X Bluesky @healthmeanswhat FaceBook @MeaningofHealth Or visit our website: www.meaningofhealth.com.au