Medicines and drugs
Medicines and drugs: Prescribing Medicines and drugs appropriately, best clinical practice, quality use for effectiveness and patient safety
Due to their clinical use or other special features, Complex Authority Required (CAR) drugs need written authority approval from the Department of Human Services before they can be prescribed.
The drugs and conditions funded under this program can be found on the Department of Human Services website.
Information on how to apply for a written authority approval can be found on the Department of Human Services website.
As written approval from Medicare Australia is required before prescribing these drugs there is no patient eligibility certification form to complete.
CAR prescriptions can be dispensed by either a public hospital pharmacy or a community pharmacy.
From 1 December 2014, the drug eculizumab (Soliris®) is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) as a section 100 only medicine (CAR HSD) for the treatment of atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (aHUS).
In a departure from existing HSD program arrangements, this new listing enables eculizumab to be prescribed and administered to admitted patients receiving treatment at or from a public hospital. This is a unique arrangement for eculizumab only.
New record retention requirements also come into effect for eculizumab under this arrangement which require eligible medical practitioners prescribing eculizumab, or approved hospitals treating eligible patients with eculizumab as a pharmaceutical benefit, to keep a copy of any clinical records relating to that prescription for two years.
Additional details for prescribing eculizumab can be found on the Australian Department of Human Services website.
Additional details for prescribing Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) drugs including the following list can be found on the Australian Department of Human Services website.
These drugs may only be prescribed by physicians associated with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Designated Prescribing Centres. In South Australia these centres are:
Public Hospitals wishing to become Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Designated Prescribing Centres may lodge a submission (DOC 333KB) if they can satisfy specific requirements. These requirements include:
For more information, refer to the Pulmonary arterial hypertension designated treatment centre criteria fact sheet (PDF 77KB).