Affordable Medicines Now

During the 2025 federal election campaign, the Guild called for government commitment to reduce the PBS co-payment even further to ease cost-of-living pressures for patients and families.

Our campaign delivered results. From 1 January 2026, Australians will again save on their PBS medicines, paying no more than $25.00 per prescription — the most affordable they’ve been since 2004.

This success was made possible through strong collaboration across the health and community sector.

The Guild worked alongside a coalition of more than 20 organisations, including

  • Advanced Pharmacy Australia
  • Australian Association of Adolescent Health
  • Asthma Australia
  • Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Australia
  • Hepatitis Australia
  • National Australian Pharmacy Student’s Association
  • OzHarvest
  • Patients Australia
  • Parents & Citizens QLD
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia
  • The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
  • Wounds Australia
  • QENDO

Independent research shows that one in five Australians have skipped or delayed filling a script in the past three years because of cost — and in regional areas, it’s as high as one in three. In a country as fortunate as ours, that’s simply unacceptable.

Together, these reforms mean no Australian should have to choose between their medicines and other essentials like food and housing.

Communications toolkit

We’ve developed these communications resources to help Guild members and partners:

  • Communicate confidently with patients and local communities about the PBS price drop
  • Share consistent messages through local and social media
  • Amplify the Affordable Medicines Now campaign message nationally

By working together, we can continue to show how community pharmacies are helping Australians through cost-of-living challenges — and reinforcing the Guild’s role in driving meaningful reform for affordable, accessible healthcare.

  • In-pharmacy resources
  • Social media
  • Newsletter content
  • Non-English Resources

In-pharmacy resources

Download these materials to help patients and passers-by understand the coming changes:

Posters

The posters can be printed in A4 and A3 sizing.  A3, full colour printing is recommended.

A-Frame

See A-Frame Printing Guide for specifications

Digital Displays

Social media

Download these materials to help patients and passers-by understand the coming changes:

Tile 1

Tile 1

From 1 January — your PBS medicines will cost less.

Affordable Medicines Now.

Tile 2

Tile 2

No more tough choices.

Affordable medicines for every Australian.

More tiles

Social profile cover banners

Upload these cover banners to your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to show you’re part of the campaign:

Newsletter content

Use these banners in your e-bulletins to highlight the PBS price drop. Whether you’re communicating with pharmacists, healthcare partners, or patients, these visuals and copy will help spread the message.

Example Newsletter

Subject

Your medicines will cost less from 1 January!

Copy text

Body

Good news for patients — from 1 January 2026, the cost of many PBS medicines will drop again.

The PBS co-payment — the amount you pay for each prescription — will fall from $31.60 to $25.00 per medicine.

This change will help millions of Australians afford the medicines they need, especially as cost-of-living pressures continue to bite.

Your local pharmacy team is here to help you understand what the changes mean for you and your family.

If you have questions about how the new PBS price applies to your medicines, just ask your pharmacist — they’re always happy to help.

Copy text

Non-English Resources

In-pharmacy resources in non-English languages for communities where English isn’t the most commonly spoken language.

  • The posters can be printed in A4 and A3 sizing. A3, full colour printing is recommended.
  • See A-Frame Printing Guide for specifications.

Simplified Chinese

Traditional Chinese (HK)

How to get involved

  • Share the campaign message on your pharmacy’s social channels using #AffordableMedicinesNow
  • Display posters and digital materials in-store
  • Talk to patients about how the PBS price drop will help them save
  • Engage your local MP and community leaders using the provided messaging
  • Amplify national campaign posts from Guild channels

Together, we made change happen!

We know that many Australian patients are facing significant difficulty affording their medicines. Research showed that 21% of people—3.75 million Australians—went without prescriptions in the three years prior to 2025 because of cost, especially those with chronic conditions or living in disadvantaged areas. As pharmacists and community health advocates know, skipped medicines can lead to poorer health, more hospital visits and greater financial stress for families.(Affordable Medicine Research Track 4 December 2024)

In the lead up to the federal election in early 2025, the Guild launched the Affordable Medicines Now campaign calling on the government to reduce the PBS co-payment even further and make essential medicines more affordable.

  • What We Did
  • What We Achieved

What We Did

Throughout the campaign, Australians across the country helped amplify the call for more affordable medicines by:

  • Sharing patient stories, bringing real experiences to the forefront.
  • Supporting local media conversations, ensuring the problem couldn’t be ignored.
  • Spreading the message in pharmacies and on social media to build national momentum.

Our success was strengthened by the collaboration of more than 20 health and community organisations working together for meaningful change.

What We Achieved

In July 2025, the federal government responded—introducing legislation to reduce the maximum PBS co-payment to $25 from 1 January 2026. This reform will benefit 20 million Australians without a concession card, delivering $689 million in savings over four years and ensuring fewer people must struggle to afford their health needs.

Thanks to the collective effort of pharmacists, community partners, and everyday Australians, we’ve taken a powerful step toward making essential medicines more affordable for all.

Read more

Affordable Medicines Now Q&A

Despite the recent reduction in the PBS co-payment, many Australians still struggle to afford their medicines. The government needs to go further to make medicines more affordable. We know that the cost of living is causing significant hardship for many Australians, and we are seeing an increasing number of people reporting that they have been unable to afford their prescription medicines.

Freezing the PBS co-payment rate is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough. Many Australians face rising costs for essentials like housing, food, and utilities, and even a frozen rate remains a barrier for those struggling to afford medications. For people managing chronic conditions, the need for affordable medicines extends far beyond a one- or five-year freeze. Reducing the co-payment further is essential to ensure ongoing access to care and better health outcomes.

While the safety net helps some Australians, many never reach it because they can't afford the initial costs. Recent data shows that 21.9% of Australians aged 45+ skip medications due to cost, even with the safety net in place. We need solutions that help people now.

Our position has always been about sustainable access to medicines. We support making medicines more affordable through PBS reductions because this ensures both affordability for patients and sustainable local pharmacy services. This approach helps maintain the essential healthcare services your local pharmacy provides while reducing cost barriers for patients.

Reducing out-of-pocket costs and maintaining viable local pharmacies aren't contradictory goals - they're both essential for healthcare access. We need solutions that make medicines affordable while preserving the local pharmacy services communities rely on.

Making medicines affordable while maintaining access to local pharmacy services is crucial. In the past 3 years, 3.75 million Australians have been unable to afford prescription medicines. Reducing PBS costs provides immediate relief while ensuring pharmacies can continue providing essential healthcare services in your community.

Making medicines affordable is an investment in preventing more expensive health problems later. When people can't afford their prescriptions, they often end up needing costly hospital care. This is about smart healthcare spending that helps all Australians stay healthy.

Page last updated on: 21 November 2025
Back to top