To:   The Honourable Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Aged Care

As readers of the medical journal Australian Prescriber, we are writing regarding your decision to review the future funding of NPS MedicineWise. As NPS MedicineWise is the current publisher of Australian Prescriber, any change in the funding arrangements will have an impact on the journal. We urge you to support the ongoing publication of Australian Prescriber, preferably through continued funding of NPS MedicineWise.

We greatly value the open access to high-quality information about medicines that Australian Prescriber provides.

We also appreciate that the content of Australian Prescriber is determined by an independent Editorial Executive Committee of clinicians. The information in Australian Prescriber is therefore trustworthy and relevant to Australian practice. Independence from the pharmaceutical industry reduces the risks of conflicts of interest. 

As Australian Prescriber is available to students, a generation of health professionals has grown up with the journal. We hope this important contribution to undergraduate and postgraduate education can be sustained. 

With NPS MedicineWise, Australian Prescriber has made a long-standing contribution to the quality use of medicines in Australia. We therefore ask that the review of the funding of NPS MedicineWise ensures the ongoing publication of the journal to assist us in our work to improve the health of all Australians.

Yours sincerely