Active Ingredient
The Australian Government has introduced Active Ingredient Prescribing. From the 1st February 2021, this will change the way your medicine looks on your script.
What is an active ingredient?
Active ingredients are the substances in medications that have an effect on the body.
So what’s changing?
From the 1st Feb, scripts must show the active ingredient – this is instead of just the brand name. Brand name medicines that include the same active ingredients and have the same effects as generic medicines often cost more.
If your doctor has a clinical reason why you should only have a particular brand, they are still able to specify this for you on your script. There are some exemptions to the Active Ingredient Prescribing regulations. For example, over-the-counter medications, non medical items like food supplements, and medications with 4 or more active ingredients.
Why is this changing?
There are many benefits of this change. A few include:
- To help you better understand the medication you are taking
- To reduce the risk of patients taking multiple doses of the same medicine
- To help you get more cost-effective medicines, when appropriate
You can find answers to Frequently Asked Questions here:
To learn more, and for the latest information, visit:
https://www.pbs.gov.au/info/general/active-ingredient-prescribing
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