Nestlé Health Science has informed ASCIA that only the updated recipe of Alfamino® amino acid formula for infants will be available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 August 2024. Since 1 September 2023, both the newer and older recipe Alfamino® products have been available on the PBS.

The recipe of Alfamino® was updated in 2023 with the addition of two Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) 2’-FL and LNnT, which are structurally identical to those HMOs found in breastmilk.  From 1 August 2024, the older formulation of Alfamino® infant formula will be deleted, which means that prescribers should only use the item codes (listed below) for the updated Alfamino® product.

PBS item codes for Alfamino®400g with HMOs

The updated Alfamino® recipe (with HMOs) introduced in 2023 will continue to be available on the PBS, using the item codes below:
13615N - Amino acid synthetic formula supplemented with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and medium chain triglycerides with 2-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-neotetraose powder for oral liquid, Alfamino 400 g
13627F - Amino acid synthetic formula supplemented with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and medium chain triglycerides with 2-fucosyllactose and lacto-N-neotetraose powder for oral liquid, Alfamino 400 g

The older formulation of Alfamino® infant formula will be deleted from the PBS on 1 August 2024. There will be a supply only period, which will enable dispensing the product for existing prescriptions but no new prescriptions can be written for the below item numbers as of 1 August 2024.

Further information is available here: 

Health professionals can also contact Nestlé Health Science for further information.

This news item was issued on 15 July 2024 by Jill Smith, CEO of ASCIA, the peak professional body for clinical immunology and allergy in Australia and New Zealand.