Pressure is mounting on the federal government to add weight loss medications to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, with Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledging the drugs are financially out of reach for many Australians currently paying as much as $600 a month — or around $150 a week — to access them privately.

Weight Loss Drugs on the PBS: Where Things Stand

Speaking publicly on Monday, Butler described the medications as "a revolutionary class of drugs" and said he was committed to seeing them listed on the PBS so all Australians could access them equitably, not just those who can afford several thousand dollars a year out of pocket.

"It's way out of reach of far too many Australians," Butler said. "There are too many benefits for too many Australians to have it available only to those who are able to find $5,000 or $6,000 a year for it."

Around 600,000 Australians are currently accessing weight loss drugs through the private market, a figure that underscores the significant demand for treatments that could otherwise be subsidised through the PBS.

The medicines advisory panel that oversees PBS listings has already recommended a listing, though a relatively restricted one — covering people with a body mass index of 35 or higher who also have established cardiovascular disease. That criteria would limit who qualifies under any potential subsidised arrangement.

Price Negotiations Remain the Key Hurdle

Despite broad agreement on the importance of making the drugs accessible, Butler confirmed that stalled price negotiations with pharmaceutical companies remain the primary obstacle to getting weight loss medications onto the PBS.

"We haven't been able to agree that price yet but we've got to get there," he said, adding that he had made the government's position clear to both companies currently supplying the drugs in Australia, as well as to his department.

Complicating matters further, Butler noted that broader global pressures on medicines markets — partly driven by policy decisions in the United States — were also affecting price negotiations across other drug categories, including treatments for multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

Bulk Billing Rates Rise Across the Country

The push for cheaper weight loss drugs comes as the government points to encouraging signs in another key area of healthcare affordability. New figures released on Monday show bulk billing rates have climbed from 81.9 per cent to 84.1 per cent nationally in the June quarter.

New South Wales and Victoria lead the country, both recording bulk billing rates above 85 per cent, while the Northern Territory posted a notable annual rise of 13 per cent. The ACT continues to lag significantly behind the rest of the country, sitting at just 59.3 per cent.

Butler said the improvement would translate to "millions" of additional free GP visits this year, with pensioners again seeing bulk billing rates exceed 90 per cent.

"It means that people are going to the doctor when they need to, rather than when they feel they can find the $50 or $60 to pay the gap fee," he said.

Australians without concession cards have also seen meaningful gains, with bulk billing rates for that group rising by more than 10 per cent since last October. Several regions — including the Illawarra, the Northern Territory, Northern Tasmania and Bendigo — have recorded increases of between 20 and 30 per cent.

What Comes Next

Butler did not provide a timeline for when price negotiations over weight loss drugs might be resolved, but his language was unambiguous about the government's intent. With hundreds of thousands of Australians already self-funding access to medications that could have significant health benefits, the pressure on both the government and pharmaceutical companies to reach an agreement is only expected to intensify.

"This is too important a class of drugs not to have on the PBS," Butler said. "I've made that clear."