Health Minister Mark Butler has accused pharmacy peak bodies of scaremongering on upcoming changes to prescription medicines.
As many as six million Australians will be able to pay less for medicines, with the government to allow people to buy two months' worth of subsidised medicines on a single prescription, rather than two separate prescriptions.
More than 300 medicines will be included on the list, including treatment for conditions such as heart disease, cholesterol, Crohn's disease and hypertension.
The medicines will be phased in during three stages, with the first to take place on September 1.
Mr Butler has dismissed concerns from the Pharmacy Guild warning the changes would lead to wide medicine shortages and compound those already in place.
"This is not going to change the number of tablets dispensed in a given period of time, it's simply going to mean that people can get two boxes at a time instead of having to get one box and come back twice as often," Mr Butler told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.
"I really would caution against some of the scare campaigns being put by the pharmacy lobby group."
Of the 325 medicines as part of the list, seven were experiencing shortages, the health minister said.
Mr Butler said the changes were estimated to save the government $1.2 billion over the next four years, with that money set to be reinvested into community pharmacy health programs.
"Almost one million Australians go without a medicine or defer getting a script filled because of cost. We know that dropping the price of medicines is better for patients' compliance with their medicines that their doctor has prescribed," he said.
However, Pharmacy Guild of Australia president Trent Twomey said the changes could lead to further medicine shortages for patients.
"I'm all for cost-of-living relief and a cost-of-living measure, but this, unfortunately, is just smoke and mirrors," he told ABC TV on Wednesday.
"If you don't have the medicine in stock, how do you give double nothing? Double nothing is still nothing."
Mr Twomey said there were more than 470 medicines in the country that already had critical shortages or were completely unavailable.
Doctors will still be able to choose to write a prescription for a one-month supply for patients, rather than two.
Mr Butler said the changes would not impact on supply for the medicines on the list.
He said many countries made three months' supply available at a maximum.
"We've decided to go with two months at the moment. We think that's the right balance between the interests of patients and support for a strong community pharmacy sector."
Australian Medical Association vice-president Danielle McMullen welcomed the changes to prescriptions.
"At the time we're talking about so many cost-of-living pressures, this will really ease the burden on patients across Australia," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
"There are some situations of shortages in medicines at the moment but there will be a staged approach to this announcement to ease the burden on the shortages."
© AAP 2023