Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Subutex market exit, Psychology assistant role dropped, Huntington’s gene therapy data miss
- 01
Subutex to leave Australian market and PBS next year
Indivior plans to discontinue Subutex in Australia and remove it from the PBS by the end of next year. The sublingual buprenorphine treatment is listed in 0.4 mg, 2 mg and 8 mg doses, with the smallest dose used by some patients completing treatment and the medicine also used when switching from methadone to buprenorphine. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing confirmed the company had notified the TGA, but the PBAC has yet to consider a delisting request and the department may negotiate with the sponsor if delisting could create an unmet clinical need. RACGP addiction medicine chair Dr Hester Wilson said the withdrawal could affect vulnerable patients and called for PBS-listed alternatives, including generic sublingual buprenorphine, while Suboxone and other buprenorphine treatments such as Buvidal remain available.
via RACGP newsGP
- 02
Psychology assistant role dropped from current training reforms
The Psychology Board of Australia will recommend removing the proposed psychology assistant role from its current reform package after consultation found limited support and unresolved questions about competencies and regulation. It will continue pursuing a five-year accredited pathway to general registration, reducing study from six years and changing the qualification from AQF level 9 to level 8 if enacted. Fewer than half of the 2500 consultation submissions supported the proposed model, but the board said the benefits of reform outweighed the disadvantages. Stakeholders raised concerns about role ambiguity, scope creep, title confusion, employment implications and public safety for psychology assistants. The board said the assistant proposal had been decoupled from the current reforms rather than necessarily abandoned permanently.
- 03
AMT-130 four-year data miss significance on Huntington’s measure
Four-year data for high-dose AMT-130 showed a numerical 44% slowing of Huntington’s disease progression versus an updated external control, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. The analysis involved 12 participants and used a scale assessing cognition, motor skills and daily living, while a separate daily-activity score showed a 61% slowing that UniQure called a favourable treatment difference. Three-year data from 15 high-dose recipients showed stronger results, with progression slowing by 80% and 67% on the respective measures. UniQure said missing information in 53% of the 48-month external reference data may have understated the treatment effect, while an after-the-fact analysis produced estimates of 54% and 68%. UniQure shares fell 40%, erasing about $1 billion in market value, after the update on the one-time gene therapy supporting its application for potential approval.
via BioPharma Dive
- 04
Dutch media fined over unlawful promotion of GLP-1 medicines
Dutch regulators fined several major news organisations thousands of euros for what they said was unlawful promotion of GLP-1 medicines. The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate imposed penalties on newspapers, magazines and television broadcasters for coverage of weight loss and diabetes drugs published between 2023 and 2025. One media group received combined fines of €132,000, while another faced penalties totalling almost €100,000. Sanctioned coverage included an article describing broader health benefits from drugs such as Ozempic and another headlined “Popular weight loss drug turns out to be a medicine with many talents.”
via BMJ
- 05
Burnham proposes pension-funded national care service for England
England would establish a national care service free at the point of use under plans set out by Andy Burnham at Labour’s annual conference. Burnham said the government would fund the policy by changing the pension triple lock after the next election to release money. The service would provide person-centred, high-quality care starting in the home, with no care charges paid from people’s basic state pension. He described social care reform as essential to prevent the failing system from breaking the NHS and compared the proposal’s significance with the creation of the NHS.
via BMJ
- 06
FDA nominee backs Trump plan to split MMR vaccine
US FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton declined to diverge from President Donald Trump’s plan to split the MMR vaccine into separate injections during a Senate confirmation hearing on 24 September. Questioned about vaccine safety, mifepristone and flavoured vapes, she said the president “asks questions and wants the best outcomes for the American people”. Overton is currently deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy and is certified in public health and general preventive medicine. Her confirmation requires approval from the 21-member bipartisan Senate Health, Education, Labour, and Pensions Committee; the source gives limited detail on her positions beyond the MMR proposal.
via BMJ
MDDR is a news digest for medical professionals. It is not medical advice and should not be relied on for clinical decision-making.