About NPS RADAR About NPS RADAR

What is NPS RADAR?

NPS RADAR gives health professionals evidence-based information to help you:

• assess how a new drug might (or might not) fit with your current treatment
  
• understand how the drug compares with existing therapies
  
• understand why a drug has a particular PBS listing — if a drug is a Restricted Benefit or requires an Authority, we describe the evidence for benefit and harm behind these restrictions.
  
• be aware of key issues when prescribing new drugs
  
• assess recent published clinical research that may strongly influence the choice and use of medicines, through our commentaries on what that research means. Download our checklist of questions to ask about new drugs to help you assess new drugs in comparison to existing therapies
  
• refer to our glossary of evidence-based medicine terms and health economic terms used in NPS RADAR
  
• find out more about cost-effectiveness as used by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

Information when you need it

NPS RADAR is published three times per year, in line with major updates to the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits — so it’s available around the time when new medicines can be prescribed or dispensed. Plus, our free NPS RADAR e-alerts keep subscribers up to date in between printed editions.

• Subscribe to your free NPS RADAR email alert or simply visit the NPS RADAR section of this website.
  
• Look for NPS RADAR in your prescribing software.

Criteria for selecting new drugs and research

Focusing on new PBS listings and changes, the New Drugs Working Group uses the following criteria when selecting which drugs will be covered by NPS RADAR.

Independent and expert reviews

Each edition of NPS RADAR is independently reviewed by the New Drugs Working Group. The Group comprises experts in clinical medicine, academics, consumers, pharmaceutical industry representatives, independent drug information providers, and government.

Each NPS RADAR review is independently reviewed by a clinical expert in a relevant specialty.

Comment is also sought from the pharmaceutical company Sponsor who made the submission for PBS listing, and Sponsors are invited to provide information that supported their PBS submission.

Declarations of interest are sought from all reviewers and NPS makes independent editorial decisions on all information provided in NPS RADAR.

NPS RADAR is produced by NPS as part of its commitment to Quality Use of Medicines.