The Liberal National Government is improving the lives of patients with breast cancer and a rare skin cancer by subsidising innovative medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), saving patients up to $150,000 a year.
\nIn this year\u2019s Budget our Government will invest $81.5 million to list the medicine Bavencio\u00ae (avelumab) on the PBS for the first time for the treatment of metastatic merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and highly aggressive type of skin cancer.
\nThe incidence of Merkel cell carcinoma is rising in Australia and has become the second most common cause of skin-cancer death after melanoma.
\nThose with a high level of sun exposure who are over the age of 75 are most at risk.
\nThis is a new immunotherapy medicine designed to help the body\u2019s immune system attack and destroy cancer cells.
\nIt has the potential to save and prolong the lives of around 160 patients a year who expected to benefit from this listing.
\nWithout PBS subsidy patients would pay approximately $150,000 per year for this treatment.
\nFrom May 1 this year it will be reduced to the PBS price of $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card.
\nAustralian patients with breast cancer will benefit from an Australian Government decision to list Ibrance\u00ae(palbociclib) for the first time, on the PBS.
\nIbrance\u00ae will be listed on the PBS for the treatment of hormone receptor positive locally advanced inoperable or metastatic breast cancer.
\nHormone receptor positive tumours are the most common form of breast cancer and account for most deaths from the disease.
\nBy inhibiting two proteins which drive the growth of tumour cells, Ibrance\u00ae \u2014 used in combination with other medicines \u2014 will slow the progression of breast cancers in some patients.
\nWithout PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than $55,000 a year for this treatment.
\nAround 3,000 patients a year are expected to benefit from this listing.
\nThese patients will now be able to access this medicine for just $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card from May 1, 2019.
\nThese treatments improve lives. They reduce the burden of expensive medicines, saving patients and families money.
\nEvery medicine was recommended to be added 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
\nUnlike Labor, we are subsidising all drugs recommended by the independent medical experts.
\nSince 2013, our Government more than 2,000 new or amended items on the PBS.
\nThis represents an average of around 30 listings per month\u2014or one each day\u2014 at an overall cost of around $10.6 billion.
\nOur commitment to the PBS is rock solid. Together with Medicare, it is a foundation of our world-class health care system.
\nOur plan for a strong economy continues to deliver record funding for essential health services that saves lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Liberal National Government is improving the lives of patients with breast cancer and a rare skin cancer by subsidising innovative medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), saving patients up to $150,000 a year. In this year\u2019s Budget our Government will invest $81.5 million to list the medicine Bavencio\u00ae (avelumab) on the PBS for … Continue reading “Breast cancer and rare skin cancer medicines on the PBS”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aussie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}