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Hospital Circular 02/2001

Date Issued: 15 January 2001

Publication: 2/2001

Distribution: Public Hospitals

Subject: Highly Specialised Drugs Program

Purpose: To advise hospitals of recent changes to the Highly Specialised Drugs Program

We have had recent advice from the Commonwealth on a number of changes concerning drugs on the Highly Specialised Drugs Program. Details of the changes are set out below.

1. Change to Octreotide & Octrotide Acetate Claim Forms

Octreotide and Octreotide Acetate are now on separate claim forms. New claim forms are available from the website or by faxing a request to 9616 7764.

Effective: 1 January 2001

2. Add Brand

Clozapine (Clopine)

6101D Tablet 25mg, 100 $72.00
6102E Tablet 100mg, 100 $270.00

Effective: 1 February 2001

3. Add Packs

Disodium Pamidronate (Aredia)

6290C Injection set containing 4 vials powder for IV infusion 15mg and 4 ampoules solvent 5mL, 1 $252.86
6279L Injection set containing 2 vials powder for IV infusion 30mg and 2 ampoules solvent 10mL, 1 $252.86
6223M Injection set containing 1 vial powder for IV infusion 90mg and 1 ampoule solvent 10mL, 1 $379.29

Treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy refractory to anti-neoplastic therapy.

Effective: 1 February 2001

4. Price Decrease

Disodium Pamidronate (Aredia)

6223M Injection set containing 1 vial powder for IV infusion 90mg and 1 ampoule solvent 10mL, 1 $379.29

Apomorphine hydrochloride (Apomine)

6104G Injection 10mg in 1 mL, 5 $27.72

Desferrioxamine mesylate (Desferal - NV)(BL)

6113R Powder for injection 500mg vial, 10 $99.00

Effective: 1 February 2001

5. Patient Eligibility

Change clause 3.1 from:

"Australian Resident" means a person who resides in Australia and who is:

  1. an Australian citizen;

  2. a person who is, within the meaning of the Migration Act 1958, the holder of a valid permanent entry permit;

    • a person who has been granted, or who is included in, a return endorsement or a resident return visa in force under the Migration Act 1958;

  3. a New Zealand citizen who is lawfully present in Australia;

  4. a person (not being a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) who is lawfully present in Australia and whose continued presence in Australia is not subject to any limitation as to time imposed by law; or

  5. a person (not being a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d) who:

    1. is, within the meaning of the Migration Act 1958, the holder of a valid temporary entry permit; and

    2. has applied for an entry permit that is not intended to operate as a temporary entry permit under the Migration Act 1958; and who, in the opinion of the Secretary, is a person with respect to whom it is more likely than not that:

    3. territorial asylum in Australia may be granted;

    4. another person, being the person's spouse, parent or child , is an Australian citizen or the holder of an entry permit that is not intended to operate as a temporary entry permit under the Migration Act 1958;

    5. a determination may be made that the person has the status of a refugee within the meaning of the Convention relating to the status of refugees that was done at Geneva on 28 July 1951 or of the protocol relating to the Status of Refugees that was done at New York on 31 January 1967;

    6. there is in force an authorisation to work in Australia and the person is not a prescribed non?citizen within the meaning of section 11ZD of the Migration Act 1958; or

    7. strong compassionate or humanitarian grounds for the grant of an entry permit may be found to exist;

The following definitions/sections have been amended or inserted into the interpretation section of the HIA, from 1 January 2001. Amend clause 3.1 patient eligibility to:

"Australian resident means a person resides in Australia and who is:

  1. an Australian citizen; or

  2. a person who is, within the meaning of the Migration Act 1958, the holders of a permanent visa; or

    • a person who has been granted, or who is included in, a return endorsement or a resident return visa in force under the Migration Act 1958; or

  3. a New Zealand citizen who is lawfully present in Australia; or

  4. a person (note being a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b), (ba) or (c)) who is lawfully present in Australia and whose continued presence in Australia is not subject to any limitation as to time imposed by law; or

  5. a person who:

    1. is, within the meaning of the Migration Act 1958, the holder of a temporary visa; and

      • is not covered by regulations made under subsection 6A; and

    2. has applied for a permanent visa under the Act and the application has not been withdrawn or otherwise finally determined; and

    3. has not, both:

      1. on or after the commencement of this paragraph, made an application for a protection visa under that Act (whether or not the person has applied for any other visa), other than an application that has been withdrawn or otherwise finally determined; and

      2. whether before or after the commencement of this paragraph, made an application for a parent visa under that Act (whether or not the person has applied for any other visa and whether or not the application for the parent visa has been withdrawn or otherwise finally determined); and

    4. has not, whether before or after the commencement of this paragraph, made an application for a parent visa under that Act (whether or not the person has applied for any other visa), other than a application that has been withdrawn or otherwise finally determined; and

    5. respect of whom either:

      1. another person, being the person's spouse, parent or child, is an Australian citizen or the holder of a permanent visa under that Act; or

      2. an authority to work in Australia is in force.

Migration Regulations means regulations made under the Migration Act 1958.

Parent visa: a person has applied for a parent visa if:

  1. the person has applied for a permanent visa included in a class of visas under the Migration Regulations, being a class that has the word "parent" in its title; or

  2. before 1 November 1999 the person applied for a Change in Circumstance (Residence) (Class AG) visa , a Family (Residence) (Class AO) visa or a General (Residence) (Class AS) visa under the Migration Regulations and:

    1. the person was nominated for the grant of that visa by a child of the person, being a child who was at least 18 years old when the application was made; or

    2. the person was included in an application made by a person covered by subparagraph (i).

protection visa means a permanent or temporary visa included in a class of visas under the Migration Regulations, being a class that has the word "protection" in its title.

6A Certain prescribed persons in Australia to be treated as eligible persons etc

  1. The regulations may provide that a person who:

    1. holds a prescribed kind of temporary visa; or

    2. holds a prescribed kind of temporary visa and is a member of a class of persons prescribed for the purposes of this section;

    is, subject to the regulations, to be treated as an eligible person for the purposes of this Act while he or she is in Australia.

  2. Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the regulations may provide for all or any of the following:

    1. the periods within which a person is to be treated as an eligible person;

    2. the circumstances in which a person is to be treated as an eligible person;

    3. the professional services in relation to which the person is to be treated as an eligible person;

    4. the professional services in relation to which the person is not to be treated as an eligible person."

Effective: 1 February 2001

The relevant changes will be made to the Commonwealth/State Highly Specialised Drugs Program Guidelines website within the next week.

JOHN PEOPLES
Acting Director
Acute Health

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