2023 transition arrangements
From 1 January 2023, ongoing maintenance of active ingredient prescribing, including operations and curation of resources, will transition from the Commission to the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department). Please see the Department's active ingredient prescribing webpage for more information.
From 1 January 2023, please direct all enquiries relating to active ingredient prescribing to aiprescribing@health.gov.au.
Commission curated active ingredient prescribing resources were last updated in December 2022.
Resources
The following resources were developed by the Commission to support clinicians with active ingredient prescribing.
2022
Guide, user guide or guidelines
This user guide supports prescribers to prescribe medicines by the active ingredient with best practice guidance for specification of brand.
This document was last updated by the Commission in December 2022. From 1 January 2023, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is managing the curation of Active ingredient prescribing resources. From this date, please direct all AIP enquiries to aiprescribing@health.gov.au
2022
Fact sheet or brochure
This fact sheet provides an overview of active ingredient prescribing for prescribers, legislative requirements, and recommendations for implementation of the initiative.
This document was last updated by the Commission in December 2022. From 1 January 2023, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is managing the curation of Active ingredient prescribing resources. From this date, please direct all AIP enquiries to aiprescribing@health.gov.au
2022
Guide, user guide or guidelines
The List of Medicines for Brand Consideration includes medicines prescribers should consider prescribing by brand name as well as active ingredient name.
This document was last updated by the Commission in December 2022. From 1 January 2023, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is managing the curation of Active ingredient prescribing resources. From this date, please direct all AIP enquiries to aiprescribing@health.gov.au
2022
Guide, user guide or guidelines
The List of Excluded Medicinal Items includes medicines that should be prescribed by brand name, for practicality and safety purposes.
This document was last updated by the Commission in December 2022. From 1 January 2023, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is managing the curation of Active ingredient prescribing resources. From this date, please direct all AIP enquiries to aiprescribing@health.gov.au
2022
Publication, report or update
The Active ingredient prescribing issues register lists medicines considered for inclusion/exclusion to the List of Medicines for Brand Consideration (LMBC) and the List of Excluded Medicinal Items (LEMI).
This document was last updated by the Commission in December 2022. From 1 January 2023, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is managing the curation of Active ingredient prescribing resources. From this date, please direct all AIP enquiries to aiprescribing@health.gov.au
Safer insulin prescribing
Insulins are high-risk medicines with a high incidence of medication error and related harm if the incorrect insulin is inadvertently prescribed, dispensed and administered. Prescriptions should include both the insulin brand name and active ingredient name to support safer product identification and selection. This factsheet highlights the importance of including the insulin brand name, as well as other critical elements for safer insulin prescribing.
2022
Fact sheet or brochure
This factsheet outlines the critical safety elements for safer insulin prescribing within the context of active ingredient prescribing. As prescriptions are generated with the active ingredient name, prescribers should check the brand name is included. Inclusion of insulin brand name supports safer product identification and selection.
Background and implementation
Active ingredient prescribing aims to improve safe and quality use of medicines with consistent and standardised descriptions of medicines; increase consumer health literacy around their medicines; and promote the uptake of generic and biosimilar medicines, as described in the Australian Government’s 2018-19 Budget.
From 1 February 2021 most prescriptions for supply under the PBS and the RPBS must describe the medicine by active ingredient name to be eligible for subsidy.
Prescribing using the active ingredient name is safe in the majority of prescribing situations where available brands are therapeutically equivalent. A set of principles determine the limited, but clinically important exceptions to this approach; particularly important for some high-risk medicines and/or for high-risk consumers. The principles of active ingredient prescribing extend to all prescriptions, including private prescriptions.
