Colorectal cancer drug gets PBS listing

Fruquintinib (sold as Fruzaqla) will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the first time – an addition which saves patients $26,000 per prescription.
 
The listing is for the treatment of stage 4 or metastatic colorectal cancer for patients who have not benefited, or would not benefit from, certain other common treatments.

These patients have cancer that began in the colon or rectum which has spread to other parts of the body, most commonly the liver, lungs, abdomen or pelvis.
 
In 2025, around 850 patients accessed a comparable treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.

The listing comes at a time when 14,784 Australians were diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year, accounting for 8.7% of all new cancer cases.
 
‘Sadly, the prognosis for stage 4 colorectal cancer is not good, but we are helping more people access the medicine they need to help improve and extend their lives,’ said Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler.

‘Listing Fruzaqla on the PBS means people with this insidious disease can focus on their health, instead of trying to find tens of thousands of dollars for their treatment.’

Glycopyrronium (sold as Axhidrox) has also been listed on the PBS for patients with severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

Last year, before the listing, 11,000 patients accessed a comparable treatment for the condition – paying around $160 per prescription.
 
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bowel cancer cancer colorectal cancer Fruzaqla PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme