Section 19A in practice: Assessing the provision of overseas‐registered medicines to mitigate the impact of medicine shortages in Australia

The S19A pathway is an important regulatory mechanism to mitigate medicine shortages and maintain patient access to essential treatments. Despite substantial uptake for many medicines, delays and inconsistent recovery highlight opportunities to improve its effectiveness. Policy refinement should focus on reducing time to patient access and addressing implementation barriers to ensure continuity of care during supply disruptions.