Medicines to treat lung cancer, lymphoblastic and acute leukaemia, and nausea associated with chemotherapy are now available to patients on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card.
A further $390 million in mandated price reductions across 175 medicine brands will also flow through to patients.
In announcing the new PBS listings, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the cheaper medicine would benefit more than 500,000 patients, and in some cases save more than $100,000 per patient.
“Some of our most unwell Australians, many battling cancer, will receive a significant boost in the fight for their health,” he said.
The new or extending PBS listings include:
- Tecentriq® and Avastin® are extended on the PBS to include first line treatment of patients with stage IV metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Without PBS subsidy it would cost patients more than $11,400 per script (around 16 scripts per course of treatment); or more than $189,100 per course of treatment. An average of 755 patients per year (for six years) could benefit from this listing.
- Besponsa® is extended on the PBS to include patients with relapsed or refractory Philadelphia chromosome positive (B-CELL precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia). Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than $44,500 per script (around three scripts per course of treatment); or more than $122,900 per course of treatment without subsidised access through the PBS. An average of 16 patients per year (for six years) could benefit from this listing.
- Blincyto® is extended on the PBS to include patients with relapsed or refractory Philadelphia chromosome positive (B-CELL precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia). Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than more than $74,900 per script (around two scripts per course of treatment); or more than $122,900 per course of treatment. An average of 16 patients per year (for six years) could benefit from this listing.
- Apotex® is made available through the PBS for the treatment of patients with nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than $80 per script (around 1 script per course of treatment). In 2018, 7,269 patients accessed a comparable treatment for this condition.
Fifteen common medicines – sold as 175 medicine brands are now also cheaper for general (non-concessional) patients, and these include:
- Pregabalin: around 208,000 patients per year who have seizures or nerve pain will now pay $28.27 per script for 75 mg capsules, a saving of up to $5.11 per script
- Ezetimibe: around 60,000 patients per year with high cholesterol levels will now pay $33.86 per script for 10 mg tablets, a saving of up to $6.44 per script
- Ezetimibe with Simvastatin: about 245,000 patients with high cholesterol levels will now pay $37.77 per script for 10 mg tablets, a saving of up to $2.53 per script.
Every medicine was recommended to the PBS by the independent expert Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. By law the Federal Government cannot list a new medicine without a positive recommendation from the PBAC.
More new PBS listings are detailed in Australian Medicine’s Health on the Hill pages.
