New medicines available through PBS
The cost of 50 new and amended medicines and technologies to treat cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and a range of other debilitating diseases will now be subsidised by the government.
The cost of 50 new and amended medicines and technologies to treat cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and a range of other debilitating diseases will now be subsidised by the government.
Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Peter Dutton, claims about 230,000 people will now be able to receive new and improved medicines they may otherwise not have been able to afford.
The new listings include a ground-breaking treatment for melanoma (skin cancer). Dabrafenib, sold as Rafinlar®, which is the first melanoma medicine that targets a genetic mutation that is present in about half of all melanoma cases.
A new medicine to treat pancreatic cancer has also been approved. Sunitinib (Sutent®) will provide an important treatment option for about 50 patients with this life threatening condition. Sunitinib increases the survival rates of patients who cannot undergo surgery.
Denosumab (Prolia®), which is available through the PBS, for the treatment of osteoporosis in women, will also be extended to allow the medicine to be used to treat osteoporosis in men, which may benefit about 5,700 patients.
Minister Dutton said price changes for a number of PBS medicines have also been approved, but patients will still only have to pay $5.90 or no more than $36.10 per prescription to be treated with PBS listed medicines.
All PBS listings and price changes are subject to final arrangements being met by the suppliers of the medicine.
A full list of all of the approved medicines and price changes is available through the PBS website.
