Hope is not a plan: Public patients shouldn't be penalised
Since 2006, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program has aimed to give Australians that better chance – initially for those aged 55 and 65 and today for everyone aged between 45 and 74 – with self-testing kits mailed out to those eligible across Australia every two years.
In Victoria, statistics show that among those who die of cancer, bowel cancer is behind only lung cancer among men and lung and breast cancer among women. So the kits have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives.
But that potential can only be harnessed if a positive test from the kit is followed by a timely examination and diagnosis, beginning with a colonoscopy. On Friday, this masthead's senior health reporter Henrietta Cook revealed that public hospital patients in Victoria are waiting up to nine months to be seen for the vital procedure.
Given that the screening program recommends a colonoscopy within 30 days of any positive test result, time is being lost that could be the difference in successfully treating a life-threatening condition.
Adjunct Professor Iain Skinner, a colorectal surgeon at Werribee Mercy Hospital, described the increased demand for colonoscopies as 'a challenge faced by many Victorian hospitals'.
The Age recently reported that the Victorian Heart Hospital on Monash Health's Clayton campus is having to cut back on operating theatres and recovery beds only two years after it opened. While the hospital insisted the number of procedures performed would not be affected, cardiologists who agreed to speak to us under condition of anonymity said the cuts had already forced them to warn of delayed treatment. 'It's terrible from a patient perspective,' one said. 'The longer they wait, the worse their heart gets.'
Victoria's growing population is one of the reasons that the state's government has embarked on a Big Build of transport infrastructure. But the health of those travelling around the state will not wait. Dr Roderick McRae, the state president of doctors' union the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation, argues 'there is a massive underinvestment in physical and mental healthcare across Victoria'.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'It's a living nightmare': inside the regional wood fire pollution crisis
Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe. "Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame." Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years. "I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said. Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction". "Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse". Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem. After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes. "I couldn't breathe," she said. "If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better." Ms Cunial's story is not unique. ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution. Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating. For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire. Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere. These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms. NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them. "Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said. Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk. NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters". New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution. The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia. In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest. Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution. Find out the emissions for your area: Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution. Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter". The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities. "Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said. Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters. "When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said. "It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities." Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes. "People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said. "Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation." Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said. "We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health." In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045. Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough". "We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up." She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems. Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns. "This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said. Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs. Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said. Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households. Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas. For some, any action comes too late. Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters. She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater. "The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said. "I lost work days because I was so sick." She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming". The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning. She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene. "Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said. "I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?" Do you know more? Email the journalist: Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe. "Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame." Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years. "I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said. Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction". "Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse". Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem. After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes. "I couldn't breathe," she said. "If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better." Ms Cunial's story is not unique. ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution. Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating. For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire. Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere. These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms. NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them. "Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said. Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk. NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters". New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution. The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia. In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest. Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution. Find out the emissions for your area: Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution. Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter". The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities. "Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said. Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters. "When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said. "It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities." Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes. "People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said. "Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation." Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said. "We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health." In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045. Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough". "We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up." She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems. Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns. "This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said. Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs. Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said. Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households. Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas. For some, any action comes too late. Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters. She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater. "The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said. "I lost work days because I was so sick." She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming". The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning. She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene. "Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said. "I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?" Do you know more? Email the journalist: Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe. "Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame." Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years. "I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said. Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction". "Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse". Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem. After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes. "I couldn't breathe," she said. "If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better." Ms Cunial's story is not unique. ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution. Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating. For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire. Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere. These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms. NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them. "Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said. Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk. NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters". New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution. The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia. In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest. Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution. Find out the emissions for your area: Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution. Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter". The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities. "Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said. Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters. "When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said. "It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities." Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes. "People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said. "Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation." Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said. "We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health." In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045. Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough". "We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up." She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems. Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns. "This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said. Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs. Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said. Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households. Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas. For some, any action comes too late. Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters. She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater. "The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said. "I lost work days because I was so sick." She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming". The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning. She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene. "Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said. "I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?" Do you know more? Email the journalist: Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe. "Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame." Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years. "I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said. Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction". "Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse". Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem. After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes. "I couldn't breathe," she said. "If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better." Ms Cunial's story is not unique. ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution. Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating. For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire. Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere. These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms. NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them. "Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said. Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk. NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters". New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution. The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia. In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest. Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution. Find out the emissions for your area: Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution. Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter". The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities. "Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said. Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters. "When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said. "It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities." Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes. "People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said. "Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation." Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said. "We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health." In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045. Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough". "We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up." She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems. Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns. "This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said. Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs. Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said. Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households. Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas. For some, any action comes too late. Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters. She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater. "The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said. "I lost work days because I was so sick." She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming". The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning. She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene. "Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said. "I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?" Do you know more? Email the journalist:
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Big problem with essential Aussie scheme
Health Minister Mark Butler says he is looking at recommendations to speed up medicine approvals amid pressure from lobbyists both within Australia and in the US. Medicines Australia has repeatedly highlighted that Australia lags behind comparable countries in listing new medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) – a list of federally subsidised medicines. It takes an average of 466 days from when the Therapeutic Goods Administration approves a medicine to when it becomes affordable on the PBS, according to the peak body. This is much longer than in the UK and Canada, for example. The lengthy timeline has also angered the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which has framed the PBS as a 'non-tariff trade barrier' that harms American companies in representations to the Trump administration. Lengthy PBS listing times is among PhRMA's core criticisms. Mr Butler said on Thursday he would look at Medicines Australia's recommendations to make the 'approvals system quicker'. Powerful pharmaceutical lobbyists in the US have accused Australia of 'freeloading' on the high prices paid by American consumers. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia 'We're getting an enormous number of new medicining coming on to the market,' he told the ABC. 'We're living through a turbocharged period of discovery bringing more and more new medicine, so making sure that we can assess them and approve them very quickly to get them into patients as quickly as possible is something I've said is a real priority for us this term.' Because the PBS compels drugmakers to negotiate prices with the federal government, PhRMA has accused Australia of 'freeloading' on US-funded research and development. Meanwhile, American consumers pick up the bill, according to the lobby group. 'The medicines industry, understandably, given their interest, want to make prices higher as well, so there will be a bit of a debate about how we do that,' Mr Butler said. 'But I'm very much on the page of getting medicines more quickly into our system, our PBS system. 'It's a terrific system and we're trying to make medicines cheaper at the same time for Australians.' PhRMA has explicitly urged the Trump administration to 'leverage ongoing trade negotiations' to influence Australia's PBS policies. Mr Butler has echoed Anthony Albanese and fellow senior government ministers in ruling out any 'compromise' on the system as part of tariff talks. For the moment, Donald Trump's concern with the sector appears to be largely focused on bringing down prices in the US rather than punishing allies for having cheaper medicines. A RAND Corporation report found that Americans pay nearly four times more than Australians for medicines and about three times more than the average in other developed economies. The answer, according to the US President, is to make pharmaceuticals in the US. In a warning shot to firms, Mr Trump this week threatened to slap tariffs of up to 250 per cent on foreign-made products. With Australian pharma exports to the US worth more than $2bn in 2024, it would hit producers Down Under hard. Exports are mostly blood products and vaccines but also include packaged medicines and miscellaneous products, such as bandages. 'We'll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals,' Mr Trump told US business news channel CNBC. 'In one year, 1½ years maximum, it's going to go to 150 per cent and then it's going to go to 250 per cent because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country.' He did not say what the initial rate would be, but earlier in the year he said duties on the sector would start from 25 per cent. Mr Trump last week wrote to 17 major pharmaceutical companies demanding they lower their prices for American consumers and bring them in line with prices overseas.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Medicinal cannabis crackdown looms as high-strength products hit market
Australia's medicines regulator has flagged a crackdown on the medicinal cannabis industry, pointing to a ballooning number of high-strength products issued through telehealth appointments. The Therapeutic Goods Administration this week put the industry on notice, floating in a confidential consultation paper obtained by this masthead that it would gauge support for 'significantly restricting or preventing access' to more than 1000 unapproved cannabis products prescribed to hundreds of thousands of Australians. The wide-ranging review will canvass substantial changes to the system permitting access to the once-illegal drug, although the consultation paper specifically notes the federal government 'is not intending to remove access to medicinal cannabis'. The TGA review warns that the strength of cannabis extracts is not limited in Australia and has grown rapidly, with some containing up to 88 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the component in cannabis that makes users feel 'high'. One pro-cannabis MP said this was more than eight times as strong as the 'pot' many people had smoked in previous decades. Access to cannabis for medical purposes was legalised in Australia in 2016, and has sharply increased as many recreational users realise they no longer need to access the drug illicitly. Cannabis use in Australia has not changed dramatically. The federal government's Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found 13 per cent of Australians used cannabis in 2001 compared with 11.5 per cent in 2023. But the institute found that among people who used cannabis, the use of prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes was on the rise. In the past 12 months, this masthead has detailed the supercharged growth of corporate-backed telehealth cannabis clinics and the explosion in prescribing since 2016. Major companies have emerged supplying the drug. The biggest, Montu, turned over $263 million last year.
