Contraceptive pill Slinda recommended for PBS listing

Patients could soon have cheaper access to another oral contraceptive pill, after it was recommended for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
 
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has backed the listing of drospirenone 4mg tablets (sold as Slinda) under an unrestricted benefit following its meeting in November last year.
 
Making its decision, the PBAC said it noted several comments from healthcare professionals and individuals about the benefits of the medication and the importance of ‘having a range of contraceptive options available on the PBS so that cost is not a barrier’.
 
It said it had received feedback that drospirenone offers advantages compared to other hormonal contraceptives currently PBS-listed.
 
This includes, the PBAC noted, having a longer pill-free window compared to other progestogen-only pills, and ‘providing an additional option for patients who cannot use estrogen-containing contraceptives’.
 
It said the claim that drospirenone has ‘superior efficacy’ compared to progestogen-only pills containing levonorgestrel was considered and was ‘plausible’.
 
‘Although the magnitude of superior efficacy is uncertain,’ it stated.
 
Following these findings, the PBAC recommended the listing of drospirenone on the PBS and stated that it should be sold at a price consistent with other newer oral contraceptive pills.
 
It follows last year’s oral contraceptives stakeholder meeting which aimed to ‘increase understanding of what evidence is available that may demonstrate that newer oral contraceptives offer additional benefits compared to older generation oral contraceptives’.
 
At the meeting, clinicians highlighted the importance of offering a range of contraceptive options to help individuals find the most appropriate contraceptive for them at various points in their life.
 
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birth control contraception drospirenone PBS reproductive health women’s health