Evidenced-based immunoglobulin decisions

Demand for immunoglobulin (Ig) products is growing, but global supply is limited. That's why we use evidence-based decisions to determine who gets Australia's government-funded Ig.

We manage Australia's Ig supplies following:

appropriate clinical practice
consistent criteria for authorisation
current scientific evidence
effective and ethical use of government money
relevant national safety and quality standards.

Changing our criteria

Our 'Criteria for the clinical use of intravenous immunoglobulin in Australia' sets out the eligibility for access to Ig products.

The criteria aim to provide Ig products to patients who:

are most likely to benefit from Ig therapy
have no other safe and effective alternative treatments.

It's important for us to regularly review our criteria against current reliable evidence.

Our criteria were:

first published in 2007
updated in 2012
reviewed beginning in 2014
updated to version 3 in 2018 (our current version).

Version 3 of our criteria aligns with new evidence to better manage the demand for this precious, human-derived product.

Our revised criteria help us to:

improve access for patients most likely to benefit from Ig therapy
articulate eligibility requirements, dosing controls and lengths of authorisation
provide consistent access based on justifiable factors
reflect current evidence and clinical best practice
assist hospitals to meet national safety and quality standards.