Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: The Australian Government recently undertook a HTA Policy and Methods Review to improve the listing of health interventions. One of the recommendations (Rec. 25) proposed improving the involvement of consumers through engagement across the HTA continuum. Within this context, consumer comments represent an important component of the decision-making process, providing insights into disease burden, unmet need, and patient relevant outcomes. While the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is viewed as a key driver of funding decisions, the extent to which consumer input influences PBAC recommendations alongside traditional criteria remains unclear. The objectives of this research were to analyse the importance of consumer comments in recent pharmaceutical reimbursement decisions for medicines in Australia.
METHODS: PBAC Public Summary Documents (PSD) published between March 2020 and November 2025 were reviewed, with submissions involving a cost-utility analysis (CUA) included. The PBAC outcome, consumer comments and key characteristics of the submission were extracted to determine the impact of consumer input on PBAC decision making.
RESULTS: Four hundred and thirty-two PBAC submissions were included in this study, of which 183 received a positive recommendation (42.4%), 187 (43.2%) were rejected and 52 (12%) were deferred. Consumer comments were received for 83.2% of submissions, with these submissions associated with a lower rate of positive recommendation compared to those without consumer comments (38.7% vs 61.6%). The average number of consumer comments received per submission was 24.9.
CONCLUSIONS: The extent of consumer comments does not have an observable impact on the likelihood of a PBAC recommendation for medicines. Our results underscore the need for a more transparent and structured approach to engagement and advocacy, with clearer evidence of consumer involvement in the PBS listing and PBAC processes.