60-Day prescribing for asthma: what healthcare professionals need to know

Medicines have become cheaper for people with asthma

New changes introduced by the Australian Government will significantly reduce the cost of asthma medicines from 1 January 2026. The PBS maximum co-payment will drop from $31.60 to $25. Combined with 60-day prescribing, this will bring the cost of preventers in line with an over-the-counter reliever inhaler for the first time. These reforms greatly reduce the impact cost has had on the ability of people with asthma to use their inhaled preventers as prescribed.  

With 69% of people with asthma (aged 50 and under) not using their preventer as prescribed, we know that you’ll work with your patients to help them get the most from these new changes, towards better preventer use and better asthma outcomes. 

How will the $25 maximum copayment and 60-day prescribing impact the management of your patients with asthma?

As a healthcare professional, you may already be familiar with the 60-day prescribing initiative that came online for asthma medicines from September last year. This policy change was introduced by the Federal Department of Health to make medicines cheaper for Australians, through prescription and dispensing of most of the currently available asthma preventer medicines as 60-day (or 2 inhalers) quantities, to be dispensed for the price of 1 inhaler. 

From January 1, the government has added a further saving into the system for consumers, reducing the maximum copayment for all PBS listed medicines to $25. Combined with the 60-day prescribing policy, Asthma Australia recognises that for people who achieve ‘stable’ asthma through effective preventer use, the cost of preventer inhalers will compete with that of relievers.    

This is an important opportunity to reinforce the benefit of regular preventer use among your patients in order that achieving ‘stability’ with their condition will qualify them for, effectively, half price medicines.   

Prescribers retain full clinical discretion over what quantity of medicine is prescribed for their patients, in accordance with PBS requirements, based on their assessment of a patient’s condition at that time.  

What do you need to do to ensure your patients access the $25 maximum co-payment?

As a prescriber, there is nothing new to do. From January 1, 2026, your patient’s pharmacist will dispense their prescription at this maximum co-payment amount.  

What do you need to do to provide a 60-day prescription for asthma medicines?

As with all PBS-listed medicines, you must be satisfied that your patient meets the eligibility requirements for the subsidy. The PBS restriction for items with increased 60-day quantities includes an additional clinical criterion: “The condition must be stable for the doctor to consider the listed maximum quantity of this medicine suitable for this patient.“  

Will patients need a new prescription to obtain a 60-day supply?

Yes, patients will need a new prescription to access a 60-day supply of their asthma medicine. Where it is clinically appropriate and in consultation with the patient, you can issue a new prescription with the appropriate maximum quantity—up to 60 days’ supply with 5 repeats, providing up to 12 months of medication. Pharmacists will then be able to supply the increased quantity as specified on the new prescription, which remains valid for a maximum of 12 months. This doesn’t mean that you can’t plan a review of their condition sooner than the 12 month mark.   

What medicines are included and how were they chosen?

The $25 maximum co-payment applies to all PBS listed medicines.  

The list of medicines eligible for 60-day prescribing was recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) for patients with stable ongoing health conditions.  

 Criteria for inclusion included the following:  

• Medicines must have been PBS-listed for five or more years.  

• Medicines must not require regular monitoring or frequent dose titration.  

• Medicines must not pose a significant risk if stockpiled.  

For a detailed list of the medicines available for 60-day prescribing and to view the PBAC outcome statement, please visit the Cheaper Medicines website.  

Why did Asthma Australia support these policy changes?

Asthma preventer inhaler medicines are some of the most expensive medicines on the PBS and over the past decade Asthma Australia has participated in research which repeatedly highlighted the impact of cost on the access and adherence to best practice preventer prescriptions among consumers.  

Corollary to this, repeated analysis of PBS data reveals that preventer inhaler underuse is critical among people with asthma in Australia, with data suggesting that amongst people aged 50 and under using a preventer, only a third (31%)  are using their preventer at a rate consistent with therapeutic use.  

The 60-day prescribing entitlement has the potential to remove or reduce one of the significant obstacles that contribute to low preventer inhaler use and therefore impact on the high preventable burden caused by asthma in Australia.  

For more information

The Department of Health has produced an information kit to help you explain these changes to your patients. It covers various topics related to the PBS and provides answers to commonly asked questions about 60-day prescribing and dispensing. 60 days dispensing FAQs.  

Further reading

For more details on 60-day prescriptions, visit the Cheaper Medicines website.  

To access a searchable list of medicines available for 60-day prescriptions, visit PBS medicines and current item codes.  

For a full list of medicines recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee as suitable for increased dispensing quantities visit the PBS website: Increased Dispensing Quantities – List of Medicines   

Resources for patients are available on the Cheaper Medicines website.  

We have developed a set of resources that you can share with your patients and are easily accessible here. 

Contact information

If you have any questions or require further information, please email the Department at [email protected].  

Last updated: 19/12/2025