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Cancer and inflammatory disease medicines receive $56 million boost


Amanda Lyons


29/07/2019 4:38:35 PM

Four new medicines will be listed through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, helping patients fight aggressive cancers and inflammatory conditions.

Expanded PBS listings.
Four new medicines will be listed on the PBS, to assist patients with cancers and inflammatory conditons.

The newly listed medicines, each of which currently cost tens of thousands of dollars over a year, will be listed from 1 August for $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card.
 
Each were recommended for addition by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, and it is expected these listings will benefit around 2600 patients per year.
 
The medicines to be listed include:
 

  • Bevacizumab (brand-name Avastin) – helps treat refractory glioblastoma, brain tumours resistant to previous treatments.
  • Dasatinib (brand name Sprycel) – to be extended on the PBS to include newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a cancer of white blood cells in the bone marrow.
  • Tocilizumab (Brand name Actemra) – for the treatment of giant cell arteritis, an inflammatory disease that affects the large blood vessels of the scalp, neck and arms.
  • Lanreotide (Brand names Somatuline and Autogel) – for non-functional gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (GEP-NETs). The listing for this drug is being extended to include access through community pharmacy in addition to hospitals, to improve patient access.



cancer Inflammatory disease PBAC PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme


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