In 2015, the rules for Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme subsidy of testosterone were changed to discourage unnecessary and potentially dangerous use of this powerful hormone by men who don’t really need it.
Prof David Handelsman, from the ANZAC Research Institute in Sydney, has looked at how these changes in the rules have influenced prescribing and use of testosterone since the changes took effect.
The research indicates that the PBS rule changes have curbed increasing use of testosterone, and certainly reduced the number of PBS prescriptions to men beginning potentially unnecessary testosterone treatment, but are men who don't fit the revised criteria still using testosterone?