Medicine shortages in Australia – Challenges and opportunities

Overview

Medicines are essential for the health and wellbeing of Australians. Medicine shortages can occur for various reasons. Unfortunately, some are unavoidable and can cause significant impact.

Through our mandatory reporting scheme, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is responsible for receiving and publishing reports of shortages and discontinuations of prescription and certain over-the-counter medicines. We work closely with our stakeholders to respond to shortages and limit their impacts.

Medicine supply chains are complex global systems involving many parties. There are numerous points in the supply chain where problems can cause a national medicine shortage, each requiring a different response. We need the cooperation of all stakeholders in the medicine supply chain to develop solutions to better prevent, manage and communicate shortages.

Although many improvements have been made, medicine shortages continue to impact on the health and wellbeing of people in Australia, and the health professionals who support them. A strategic workplan for the future is required, to further reduce the impact of medicine shortages and discontinuations in Australia.

Why your views matter

We want to better understand the nature, extent and urgency of problems impacting the supply of medicines, including shortages and discontinuations of medicines in Australia. We also want to hear about possible opportunities to address these challenges, in continued collaboration with the broad range of stakeholders responsible for medicine supply and utilisation in Australia.

Your feedback will give us insights into different perspectives on the medicine supply chain, and inform recommendations on medicine shortages priorities for future improvement.

Please contact us at shortages.strategy@health.gov.au if you have any issues with completing this survey.

What happens next

We are considering the feedback received and will publish a summary of all responses on this page and share it with relevant stakeholders in developing recommendations on future medicine shortages reform priorities.

A copy of all responses received will be published here on the TGA Consultation Hub, unless requested to be kept confidential. In publishing these responses, we will only include your name if you consented to it being published as part of your response.