Pharma priorities for Labor’s second term: The clock is ticking

Sue MacLeman, Chair of Medicines Australia Board, and Owen Smith, General Manager of BMS ANZ and MA Board Member, unpack what the re-elected Labor government means for the pharma industry. Policy promises are on the table, but now the sector is looking for follow-through.

With Labor returning to power and holding an overwhelming majority of seats in the House of Representatives and an increased presence in the Senate, the game has changed. But for the pharma sector, the mission remains urgent: deliver timely, affordable access to innovative medicines.

Patient advocacy groups are losing patience over long waits for life-altering therapies. Smith brings real-world examples to the table, humanising the impact of sluggish systems. MacLeman adds context from the ground up, painting a picture of bottlenecks and bureaucracy standing in the way of progress.

With no new budget allocation and a Health Department already stretched thin, how exactly are the HTA reforms meant to be implemented? The duo offer a candid look at what’s stalling progress and what needs to shift.

As Australia’s public hospitals struggle under the weight of industrial action and the private system fights to stay afloat, the question looms: where does this leave the HTA reforms on the Health Minister’s desk?

In the next few months, Medicines Australia is ramping up targeted engagement with Health Minister Mark Butler and Shadow Health Minister Senator Anne Ruston to keep pharma priorities front and centre. It’s a deliberate push: sharp, strategic, and rooted in urgency to drive better outcomes for patients, the industry and the Australian economy.

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