The temporary Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listings introduced during the global tocilizumab shortage last year are set to be removed. These PBS listings allowed patients to transition off tocilizumab and onto another biological disease-modifying drug (bDMARD). This facilitated appropriate continuing treatment for patients who could not access their tocilizumab as prescribed. (More information on these initial arrangements can be found in the PBS news item dated 20 August 2021)
From 1 December 2022, these temporary PBS listings will be placed in a ‘Supply Only’ state for a period of 6 months before being completely removed. During this period, these items can no longer be prescribed, but patients can continue to access outstanding repeats on prescriptions that were issued under these item codes.
Medications affected by this issue are:
- Abatacept;
- Adalimumab;
- Baricitinib;
- Certolizumab pegol;
- Etanercept;
- Golimumab;
- Infliximab;
- Tofacitinib; and
- Upadacitinib.
Please refer to Table 1 below or the PBS website for affected PBS item codes.
Table 1. PBS item codes affected by these changes
| Abaacept | Adalimumab | Baricitinib | Certolizumab pegol | Etanercept | Golimumab | Infliximab | Tofacitinib | Upadacitinib |
| 12680J 12758L 12738K 12756J |
12686Q 12699J 12674C 12695E 12696F 12700K 12701L 12732D 12678G 12697G 12749B 12752E 12690X 12698H 12715F 12729Y 12719K 12731C 12733E 12741N |
12708W 12730B |
12691Y 12702M 12742P 12712C 12724Q 12743Q |
12718J 12734F 12740M 12750C 12906G 12907H 12908J 12909K 12679H 12716G 12735G 12736H 12675D 12676E 12737J 12757K |
12744R 12703N |
12717H 12751D 12687R 12689W 12748Y 12677F 12688T 12753F |
12720L | 12685P |
Recommendations from the PBS:
- Prescribers may wish to consider the clinical appropriateness of changing patients back to tocilizumab. Patients can transition back onto the relevant ‘continuing treatment’ phase without having to re-meet the ‘initial treatment’ criteria of their former prescribed treatment. These codes are available here.
- If the current bDMARD therapy is to be continued, prescribers should review their patients to ensure they meet the PBS criteria for the relevant ‘continuing treatment’ listing.
- Pharmacists should be aware that authority prescriptions for these temporary listings will no longer be valid and cannot be dispensed after 31 May 2023.
- Patients with prescriptions for one of these temporary PBS listings should be encouraged to discuss their options with their prescriber as soon as possible and before 31 May 2023, when their prescription will no longer be valid.
For further information, please consult the PBS website.
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