Anthony Albanese had promised the change<\/a> to the government-subsidised program during the lead up to the 2025 federal election, with bipartisan support from the opposition.<\/p>\n The last time PBS medicines were capped at $25 was 2004, and the cuts are predicted to save Australians more than $200 million collectively every year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re cutting the cost of PBS medicines because Australians shouldn\u2019t have to worry about whether they can afford to fill a script,\u201d Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The election promise was met with backlash from pharmaceutical<\/a> lobby groups in the US<\/a>, with claims \u201cegregious and discriminatory\u201d pricing policies were undervaluing American innovation, threatening billions in lost sales and putting American competitiveness, jobs and exports at risk \u2014 but the PM vowed to defend the program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Opposition spokesperson for health Senator Anne Ruston said the Coalition backed the PBS being capped at $25, having also taken the promise to the election, and is \u201ccommitted to ensuring Australians have more affordable access to medicines\u201d.<\/p>\n The Labor government previously reduced the maximum price of a PBS script from $42.50 to $30 in 2023.<\/p>\n The Pharmacy Guild of Australia said that without that action, \u201cAustralians would be up paying up to $50 per script by 2026\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking earlier this year, guild national president Professor Trent Twomey said patients were having to choose between medicine and other essentials including rent and groceries.<\/p>\n \u201cThis ($25 cap) is a significant step towards relieving the financial burden of medicines particularly for those Australians with chronic conditions,\u201d Twomey said.<\/p>\n Canberran woman Jess McGowan lives with a number of chronic health conditions and told the guild she will save hundreds of dollars<\/a> every year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means I won\u2019t have to stress about my medications \u2013 what I can afford, or missing food or rent,\u201d Gowan said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy stress levels will go down a lot. I\u2019ll no longer have to ration my medication, which I had to do a few months ago and I ended up in hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n The PBS launched as a limited scheme in 1948 and is now available to all Australian residents with a Medicare card.<\/p>\n The government said cheaper medicines combined with the launch of free health advice service 1800MEDICARE, Medicare Mental Health Check In, its subsidised childcare policy, changes to a raft of social security payments,<\/a> and its cash mandate will deliver cost of living relief in the New Year.<\/p>\n![\"Changes](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/549e14034b263dae941528195858950790c0dd72.jpg\")
Changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme could save Australians $200 million a year. Credit: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n