✓ The Conversation AustraliaScience & Systems
PBS medicine black market is real but its scale is unclear
Australia knows some PBS medicines are diverted, but the available data still does not show how large the black market is.
Some subsidised PBS medicines are being sold on the black market, but it is hard to know exactly how big the problem is today, whether it is becoming more common, or how much it costs taxpayers. The available data does not show how people obtained those medicines or how much diversion is happening.
- One in 20
- Usage rate
- A$1 to $30
- API style price
- $1.5 to $3 billion
- Fraud estimate
- 2024 NSW Police
- State report
Why it mattersWithout a clear measure of the problem, it is harder to target fraud, misuse and drug-harm policy effectively.
Open this story in InSnip →
