Australian pharmacy losses predicted to total $1.2bn over four years under Labor prescription reforms

Labor changes allowing patients to buy two months’ worth of medicine for the price of a one-month prescription will cost pharmacies thousands of dollars, modelling says. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Pharmacies could lose more than $150,000 each annually over the coming years under Labor reforms that reduce the cost of many prescription medicines, the government’s analysis shows.

The government says allowing people to buy two months’ worth of medicine for the price of a one-month prescription will save patients up to $180 a year for each medicine.