This report summarises the second annual Horizon Scanning Forum, hosted by Medicines Australia. It explores four key therapeutic areas – novel vaccines for infectious diseases, novel antimicrobials, cell and gene therapies, and digital health – where innovation is rapidly outpacing Australia's regulatory and reimbursement systems. 

The report argues that horizon scanning plays a vital role in helping to prepare Australia’s regulatory and reimbursement systems and concludes that the growing demand on the healthcare system from an ageing population with increasingly complex health conditions necessitates action.

The report advocates for urgent reform to the funding of medicines, vaccines, biotherapeutics and digital health, including co-designing a national horizon scanning process and adopting recommendations from the recent Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Review. It argues that these measures are essential to prepare Australia's healthcare system for future advancements, ensuring timely patient access to life-saving and life-improving treatments.

Key points

1. Disruptive therapeutic advances present amazing opportunities for patients – but we must prepare the system now.  
2. A co-designed horizon scanning process, with input from all stakeholders, will help to identify unmet needs and enable system readiness to support timely access to new therapies.
3. The HTA Review has provided some good options to take horizon scanning forward in partnership.