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PBS additions for cancer and epilepsy
Tens of thousands of patients each year are set to benefit from several first-time additions, including Zyamis and Tecentriq SC.
The previous costs of these five new PBS listings range in the hundreds of thousands.
The Federal Government has announced the introduction of several new medications and treatments on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), saving patients hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
More than 10,000 Australians living with epilepsy can now access midazolam (sold as Zyamis) through a solution delivered via pre-filled syringes for the emergency treatment of potentially life-threatening seizures.
It is used to treat a form of epilepsy known as generalised convulsive status epilepticus, with seizures lasting more than five minutes which can cause long-term brain damage if not treated quickly.
Without the subsidy, each prescription would cost $270.
Atezolizumab (sold as Tecentriq SC) is also now listed in a new subcutaneous form which allows for it to be delivered as an injection.
More than 2700 Australians with lung and liver cancer will now have affordable access to Tecentriq SC injection via the PBS, with this new treatment approach potentially saving patients hours of hospital time.
The medicine costs $120,000 per year without a PBS listing.
Selumetinib (sold as Koselugo) has been listed for the first time to treat children more than two years old with symptomatic, inoperable benign nerve tumours with neurofibromatosis type 1, a rare genetic disorder affecting about one in 3000 Australians.
The Government says this change will benefit around 170 children, whose families would pay around $146,000 per year of treatment without subsidies.
Another medication listed on the PBS for the first time is patisiran (sold as Onpattro), used to treat hereditary transthyretin-mediated (ATTR) amyloidosis.
The listing is expected to benefit 55 patients a year, who would otherwise pay around $647,500 per year of treatment.
Larotrectinib (sold as Vitrakvi) has been expanded to include treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer or soft tissue sarcoma solid tumours that have a specific gene fusion known as neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase.
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