Monash University launched the nationwide SUPPORT-Meds program on July 1, 2026, to support the deprescribing of high-risk medicines across Australia. The initiative is funded by a $5 million Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) grant from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

SUPPORT-Meds will initially target benzodiazepines and Z-drugs used for sleep in older people, as well as opioids prescribed for persistent non-cancer pain. The program provides practical, evidence-based resources adapted from tools originally developed in Canada.

Dr. Emily Reeve, an Associate Professor at the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, leads the program. "We know unnecessary medicine use is prevalent across Australia, and the risks of long-term use outweigh the benefits to the individual," Reeve said. "That's why we're equipping health professionals working in primary care with the practical skills, communication strategies and resources they need to safely deprescribe certain medicines."

"Using sleeping pills long-term, for example, may only buy a person less than half an hour of extra sleep when first used," Reeve said. "With long-term use, this benefit vanishes, but significant risks such as falls and fractures remain." She added, "Australia historically led the way in deprescribing, in fact the term 'deprescribing' actually first appeared in literature from Australian authors. Now, we are translating a decade of global research into localized action."

Professor Parker Magin, an experienced GP and member of the initiative's Advisory Group, said, "As GPs, we're trained to prescribe, but knowing when and how to safely stop or reduce a medication is just as important." He noted the program gives clinicians the confidence and tools to start deprescribing plans. Dr. Janney Wale, a consumer representative and Advisory Group member, said, "Most of us don't realize how much unnecessary medication can affect our quality of life. Side effects, costs and the risks of serious harm build up over time." Wale added that deprescribing is about managing medicines rather than removing them to ensure every medicine serves a purpose.

Future expansion of SUPPORT-Meds will include deprescribing proton pump inhibitors, antipsychotics for changed behaviors in people living with dementia, NSAIDs, and gabapentinoids for pain. Resources include consumer information on benefits and harms, a communication tool, a deprescribing algorithm, and an online tapering calculator. Free accredited education will be offered through online self-paced learning and face-to-face sessions delivered by a nationwide network of knowledge brokers.

Monash University collaborates with Ageing Australia, the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, the New South Wales Therapeutic Advisory Group, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Partner organizations include the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, Advanced Pharmacy Australia, and the Australasian Sleep Association.