02 April 14
Ending HIV
NEWS: PBS Regulatory Barriers Removed for HIV+ Australians
ACON and medical practice Holdsworth House have teamed up to help promote a recent change to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which affects people with HIV.
Holdsworth House’s Dr Mark Bloch appears in a video produced by ACON to help explain that, as of 1 April 2014, one of the regulatory barriers preventing some people with HIV from accessing PBS-listed HIV medicine has been lifted. Previously, the PBS did not allow doctors to prescribe HIV treatment to people with CD4 counts above 500 who had no clinical symptoms.
This barrier has now been removed, and today anyone in Australia with HIV who has a Medicare card can receive subsidised treatment through the PBS.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill says the change to the PBS will make a significant contribution to ending HIV transmission in NSW by 2020.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Holdsworth House on communicating this important development to members of our community through this video.”
“We thank Dr Bloch for participating in the production of the video and for the wonderful support that he and his colleagues at Holdsworth House – as well as the many other treating HIV physicians throughout NSW – provide to members of our community as we work together to end HIV.”