In accordance with Australian regulations, Pharmacy Online can only dispense prescription medicine on receipt of the original prescription written by an Australian registered medical practitioner. There are no exceptions to this, we are bound by Australian Law.

All prescriptions must be mailed in to us before we can dispense your medication.

Due to our professional obligations and interests in providing you with the best possible health outcomes, you may provide us with some medical history about yourself. This will ensure there is lessened risk of any potential drug interaction or adverse reaction to your medication.

Australia's health system provides that individuals may pay different prices for their prescriptions. This will be dependent on their entitlements. Each prescription listed on our site may display up to 4 different prices. The price you will pay will depend on your entitlements. The different price categories are: Private, PBS, Concession and Safety Net.

1. Private
   Prescriptions not subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will only be available at the Private price. Additionally, patients without a medicare card or who are not eligible under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements will be required to pay the Private price. Receipts are always issued to enable you to claim a rebate through your Private Health Fund (if applicable).
2. PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme)
   These prices are set by the Government and cannot be discounted. They are only available to customers with a current Medicare card or if you qualify under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. Prescription Record Form stickers will be supplied which will count towards your Safety Net entitlement. Some items, which are subsidised under the PBS to treat special conditions require an Authority prescription (these items are denoted by *Auth). If you do not qualify for an Authority prescription your doctor may still write a Private script, in which case you will have to pay the Private price.
3. Concession
   (Available for Pensioner, Health Care, Veterans' Affairs and Safety Net concession card holders). These card holders will pay $4.70 for most prescriptions. There may be government surcharges applied to certain original brand products, however we can substitute a generic equivalent if you wish and you will pay $4.70. Advise us on your order form if you would like generic substitutes. Please provide a photocopy of your entitlement card and medicare card when you send in your prescription.
4. Safety Net
   If you are a Concession card holder and your spending on PBS medication has reached a certain level (see Safety Net Information) during a calendar year, you will be eligible for a Safety Net card. When qualified you will not pay for PBS prescriptions for the rest of the year (unless you require an original brand attracting a surcharge). Postage is free for all Safety Net card holders where your order includes a prescription.

Repeats can be left with us

Please indicate when ordering if you would like us to hold your repeat prescriptions. This will save you time in future, as you will only need to call or email us when you require your repeat to be filled. By holding all your scripts with us we can keep your Safety Net entitlement up to date so you will never pay more than you need to.

Generic Brands

There are often different brands of the same prescription medicine and some may be more expensive than others, even though there is no difference in the active ingredient. Less expensive brands have identical therapeutic qualities - the same amount of active ingredient - but may be different in size, shape, colour and name. We are interested in saving you money so please advise us on your order form if you would like us to substitute for the cheaper brand.

Schedule 8 Prescriptions

Regulations state that we cannot dispense prescriptions for Schedule 8 items (Narcotics, etc) written by doctors registered outside NSW, Australia.

Refrigerated Items - 'Ref'

Items marked with *Ref need refrigeration and cannot be sent by mail. They are available for personal shoppers only.

Government Authority Prescription Required - 'Auth'

Items marked with *Auth require a government authority prescription. If you are not entitled to a government authority you will pay the private price.

Safety Net Information

If you or your family need a lot of medicines in a calendar year, there is a PBS Safety Net to help protect you financially. If you reach the Safety Net threshold you can apply for a Safety Net Card and your PBS medicines will be cheaper or free for the rest of the calendar year.

A family can include:

• a spouse or de facto spouse;
• children under 16 in your care; and
• full-time dependent students under 25

By holding all your prescriptions with us, we will notify you once you are eligible for a Safety Net Card. As pharmacies are not linked, if you use different pharmacies you will need to keep your own record of your PBS prescription expenditure on a Prescription Record Form (PRF). We always provide PRF stickers with all PBS prescriptions dispensed.

Safety Net Thresholds

General Patients: When you have a record of spending $960.10 on PBS medicines for yourself and you family in a calendar year, you are entitled to a Safety Net Concession Card. This entitles you to further PBS medicines for only $4.70* for each item for the rest of the calendar year.

Concession card holders: When you and your family have a record of spending $253.80 (52 prescriptions) on PBS medicines in a calendar year, you are entitled to a Safety Net Entitlement Card. This entitles you to further PBS medicines free* for the rest of the calendar year.

* These figures are adjusted annually, in line with the CPI, and do not cover surcharges on some alternative brands.

The above information was sourced from the HIC and more information about the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is available at www.hic.gov.au.

Safety Net 20 Day Rule

To keep the PBS affordable for everyone, PBS prescriptions should not be filled earlier than you need them. There are arrangements to allow a repeat PBS prescription to be dispensed early if you need to continue your treatment.

From 1 January 2006, a new Safety Net rule means that an early repeat supply of some PBS medicines will fall outside the Safet Net. The effect is that:

• the cost will not count towards your PBS Safety Net tally
• if you have already reached the Safety Net, you will be charged your usual PBS contribution - not the reduced Safety Net amount.

Although early resupplies of some medicines won't be eligible for the Safety Net, the most you will pay is your usual PBS rate.

Always ask your pharmacist if you need an early resupply of your medicine. It is important to keep taking your medicines.

The new Safety Net rule applies to only certain PBS medicines for long-term treatment and only when a repeat supply is obtained within 20 days. It does not apply to any medicines for acute conditions or short-term use (eg antibiotics).

PBS prescriptions should provide you with enough medicine for the dosage prescribed by your doctor. If you run out of medicine because you are taking an increased dose or more than the prescribed dose, you should discuss this with your doctor.

The Government does not allow your pharmacist to supply you with additional PBS medicines simply because you want to obtain them at the lower Safety Net price. Wastage could occur if your doctor changed the medicine, or the medicine passed its expiry date.

The new Safety Net rule encourages responsible use of the PBS and safe use of medicines.

Prescription Ordering Process

Please refer to How To Order to order all products. Please remember to mail in your original script once you have submitted your order. We will not process any orders without the prescription. Mail your prescription to: Pharmacy Online, 99 Spring St, BONDI JUNCTION NSW 2022