Collaborating with Consumers: Resources for understanding medicines governance in public hospitals

7 October 2025

The Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups (CATAG, www.catag.org.au) launched the Collaborating with Consumers project in 2023 to support shared decision-making between health professionals and consumers on medicines governance.

As part of this work, CATAG identified a strategic opportunity to strengthen consumer understanding of medicines access within Australia by developing a resource that maps a medicine’s journey, from scientific discovery through to approval and availability. This resource supports CATAG’s broader mission to promote national consistency, transparency, and quality use of medicines across the healthcare system. It fills a recognised gap in consumer-facing information and reinforces the importance of shared decision-making, health literacy, and evidence-informed practice.

CATAG is pleased to launch the project’s final resource: Making a medicine: Testing to treatment

This guide provides a clear overview of:

• Discovery: How researchers test potential new medicines.

• Clinical trials: The phases of testing to check safety and effectiveness in humans.

• TGA approval: How medicines are approved for use in Australia.

• Medicines access: How medicines are obtained via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, private prescriptions, or hospital formularies.

While designed with consumers in mind, the resource is written to support a broad audience, including healthcare professionals, researchers, and students, by offering a clear and accessible explanation of how new medicines are developed and delivered in Australia.

The document is available to download as a four-page A4 PDF and can also be printed as a double-sided A4 sheet. You can access it here: https://catag.org.au/resource/consumer-making-a-medicine/