AbbVie, Pfizer and Bayer therapies to be considered at upcoming PBAC intracycle meeting

Pharma News: Therapies from AbbVie, Pfizer and Bayer are due to be considered at the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) Intracycle Meeting Agenda in May.

AbbVie’s combination therapy Vyalev (foscarbidopa/foslevodopa), the first-and-only subcutaneous 24-hour infusion for advanced Parkinson’s Disease, was TGA approved in March and is now being considered for a positive PBAC recommendation in this patient cohort.

As Parkinson’s progresses, oral treatment options may no longer control symptoms appropriately. While Abbvie’s Duopa (carbidopa/levodopa) comes in a gel form and is administered orally with a pump through a stomach tube, Vyalev is given subcutaneously via a pump. Before starting Duopa, surgery is required to place the tube in the patient’s intestine, and some doctors may view the process as cumbersome.

In a randomised phase 3 trial, Vyalev significantly increased patients’ “on” time without dyskinesia (involuntary movements) compared with Duopa at week 12. The increase in “on” time was 2.72 hours for Vyalev versus 0.96 hours for the control arm.

Bayer is seeking a positive PBAC recommendation for Eylea (aflibercept) in diabetic macular oedema (DMO) and subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

Last month, data from Bayer’s PHOTON trial showed that a high-dose formulation of intravitreal Eylea (8 mg) in comparison to the lower dose (2mg) demonstrated non-inferior best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) gains and similar safety profile with extended dosing intervals and could decrease treatment burden in patients with DMO.

In Australia, no respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines are currently funded under the National Immunisation Program (NIP). Pfizer’s resubmission for Abrysvo is being considered for NIP listing in prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in infants from birth through to 6 months. This follows the recent funding among NSW, QLD and WA state governments of Sanofi’s RSV vaccine for infants, Beyfortus (nirsevimab).

RSV currently stands as the leading cause of hospitalisations for children under five across the nation, with an average of 12,000 hospitalisations among infants each year.

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