Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Fielding, move the second reading amendment standing in our names:

At the end of the motion, add: but the Senate calls on the Government:

(a)

to request advice from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee on any new evidence on whether or not two medicines, rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, should be included in the existing statins therapeutic group;

(b)

to examine whether there are any barriers to generic medicines entering the market through the inappropriate use of intellectual property rights over product information, building on work currently underway, and to table a report by 30 June 2011 on these barriers and appropriate mechanisms to address them; and

(c)

to convene a discussion every six months until 1 July 2014, with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the National Pharmaceutical Services Association, the Generic Medicines Industry Association, and Medicines Australia on the impact of the reforms in this Bill and any unintended consequences or relevant issues and to table a report on this discussion every six months.

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.