Drug Concept Codes

13 July 2018

AMT and non-AMT Concepts

Drug concepts in the PBS XML are aligned with the Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT).

Only the MP, MPP and TPP concepts are used in the PBS XML generally.The MPUU and TPUU concepts are used for infusible listings.

Where possible, the drug concepts used in the PBS XML are mapped to the corresponding AMT concept.

If it is not possible to map a PBS drug concept to an AMT concept then the concept is known as a "non-AMT concept".

Identifying AMT Concepts: V3.0 PBS XML

The PBS XML v3.0 supplies an identifier for each drug concept used, using the <code> element. A valid Snomed-CT code is always included. For example:

      <mp>

         <preferred-term rdf:resource="http://pbs.gov.au/clinical">abacavir</preferred-term>

         <code rdf:resource="http://snomed.info/sct/900062011000036108">21664011000036103</code>         …

      </mp>

The rdf:resource attribute of the <code> element identifies the origin of the code. The value of this attribute will be one of the following:

It is also possible to use the namespace embedded in the code itself, see below.

Identifying AMT Concepts: V2.12 PBS XML

The PBS XML v2.12 always supplies an identifier for each drug concept used, using the pbs:code element. This code is always a valid Snomed-CT code, as indicated by the scheme attribute with value "urn:snomed-org/sct". For example:

      <pbs:mp>

         <dbk:title>abacavir</dbk:title>

         <pbs:code scheme="urn:snomed-org/sct">21664011000036103</pbs:code>

         …

      </pbs:mp>

The Snomed-CT code format includes a namespace that allows the origin of the code to be determined. This allows AMT identifiers to be distinguished from non-AMT identifiers. The namespace code is 7 digits long and is located before the last three digits of the code.

The namespace for AMT concepts, created by ADHA, is either 1000036 or 1000168. For example, 21664011000036103.

The namespace for non-AMT concepts, created by DoHA, is 1000144. For example, 57291000144108.