New PBS listings for April 2008
Cancer patients, and stoke patients will benefit from some of the changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) introduced 1 April 2008.
The listing of fentanyl lozenges (Actiq ) on the Palliative Care Schedule will assist those palliative care cancer patients who cannot tolerate further increases in their morphine dose due to side effects.
Around 8,000 patients are expected to use this treatment in the next five years, at a cost of around $5.5 million to the PBS.
The restriction for Dysport (clostridium botulinum) has been extended to include the treatment of severe upper limb spasticity in adults following stroke.
Dysport is injected into the affected joints to improve joint mobility in conjunction with physiotherapy.
The extension to this listing is expected to benefit about 10,000 patients at a cost of around $21 million over the next five years.
