Consultation on the Active Ingredient Prescribing (AIP) Initiative: List of Medicines for Brand Consideration (LMBC)

Overview

Active Ingredient Prescribing (AIP) is mandatory for all Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) prescriptions. However, there are circumstances when prescribers may need to include brand name on a prescription, in addition to active ingredient.

The Department of Health and Aged Care is seeking prescriber feedback about utilisation of the List of Medicines for Brand Consideration (LMBC) as a support tool to prescribing by brand name in addition to active ingredient.

What you need to know about the List of Medicines for Brand Consideration (LMBC)

The LMBC is an online support tool for prescribers consisting of a list of medicines that practitioners may want to consider prescribing by brand name in addition to active ingredient. Medicines included in the LMBC may also be flagged to prescribers as electronic prompts aimed to alert the prescriber that the medication selected may require prescribing by brand name in addition to active ingredient.

Unlike the LEMI, the LMBC is not legislative or mandatory to follow and aims to offer prescribers guidance only. Prescribers can include brand name in addition to active ingredient on a prescription, if they believe it is clinically necessary, whether the medication appears on the LMBC or not. This caveat is in place to ensure that the decision regarding prescribing by brand name in addition to active ingredient remains the choice of the prescriber as part of shared decision making with the patient.

Consultation scope

The Department is undertaking a review of the administration and processes of AIP. This consultation is seeking stakeholder input on the LMBC support tool, specifically:

• The use and benefits of the LMBC as a support tool for prescribers
• The impacts and ramifications to stakeholders of any change(s) to the LMBC
• If there are other options that could effectively fulfil the objectives of the LMBC.

Out of scope:

• The Active Ingredient Prescribing Initiative and associated legislation
• The List of Excluded Medicinal Items and associated legislation

Please ensure all information provided is read prior to commencing the survey questions.

Why your views matter

The Department is reviewing the support tools available to prescribers regarding prescribing by brand name in addition to active ingredient. Changes to such support tools may impact some of the prompts you see, through prescriber software, when prescribing a medicine.

The feedback you provide will help assess whether the LMBC is useful to support prescribers’ decisions to prescribe by brand name in addition to active ingredient.