Betaxolol, Bimatoprost, Bimatoprost + Timolol, Brimonidine, Brimonidine + Timolol, Brinzolamide, Brinzolamide + Timolol, Dorzolamide, Dorzolamide + Timolol, Latanoprost, Latanoprost + Timolol, Pilocarpine, Timolol, Travoprost, Timolol + Travoprost
Elevated intra-ocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, including those with inadequately controlled monotherapy requiring combination therapy.
Access path
- Mar 2015Recommended · restricted
- PBS listing · Restricted
From the public summary
6.1 The PBAC recommended that the NOTE for the following anti-glaucoma preparation when prescribed by an optometrist be amended to state ‘For prescribing in accordance with Optometry Board of Australia guidelines’: • Betaxolol (0.25% and 0.5%) • Bimatoprost (bottle and unit doses) • Bimatoprost + Timolol (bottle and unit doses) • Brimonidine (0.15% and 0.2%) • Brimonidine + Timolol • Brinzolamide • Brinzolamide + Timolol • Dorzolamide • Dorzolamide + …PSD · Mar 2015
• Timolol + Travoprost Further, the PBAC recommend removal of the ‘PBS Guidelines for Shared Care of Glaucoma Patients’ from the PBS Schedule, which is the document to which the NOTE referred.PSD · Mar 2015
4.2 RANZCO requested that the following statement be added to the existing ‘PBS Guidelines for Shared Care of Glaucoma Patients’: “The authorised optometrist must refer the patient to an ophthalmologist every 2 years as a minimum requirement for reassessment. Frequency of referrals might need to be higher and should be determined by collaborative arrangements with an ophthalmologist”.PSD · Mar 2015
Cost-effectiveness
not-modelled — Minor administrative submission with no economic evaluation
The PBAC considered that allowing the requested items to be prescribed in accordance with the revised OBA guidelines would not change the appropriateness of its original recommendations to list the anti-glaucoma medicines on the PBS, including that it would not change the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the relevant items. PBAC · 2015
Decision context
PopulationAuthorised optometrists prescribing anti-glaucoma medicines for patients with elevated intra-ocular pressure, open-angle glaucoma, or ocular hypertension in accordance with Optometry Board of Australia guidelines.
Submission history
| Decided | Outcome | Comparator | ICER | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | Recommended · restricted | — | — | Other |
Consumer voice
RANZCO submitted consumer input expressing concerns that removal of shared care arrangements would result in unnecessary diagnostic tests, misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment management, risks to patient safety, and increased healthcare costs, with an estimated net increase in Commonwealth expenditure of $58.7 million by 2020.
result in; unnecessary diagnostic tests, misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment management, risks to patient safety and increased health care costs. Consumer comments · PSD