Janssen and BMS secure PBS listings in oncology

Pharma News: From 1 May, another round of medicines will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

It is estimated over 18,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in Australia in 2021. One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer by the age of 85. From next month, Australians with prostate cancer will have access to Janssen’s Erlyand (apalutamide), which will be listed on the PBS for the first time for the treatment of people with non-metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC).

Without PBS subsidy, patients might pay more than $40,000 per year of treatment for Erleada, a competitor to Xtandi from Pfizer and Astellas.

Erlyand’s green light follows the phase 3 Titan trial, which showed Erlyand plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) cut the risk of death over placebo plus ADT by 33%. After nearly two years, 84% of patients on Erlyand-ADT were still alive, compared with 78% of the placebo-ADT group.

Earlier this year Janssen also presented real-world data in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) demonstrating that the majority of patients achieved over 90% decline in PSA by six months after initiation of Erlyand.

BMS’ Empliciti (elotuzumab) will also be listed on the PBS for the first time for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma for use in combination with medicines lenalidomide and dexamethasone.

Representing Australia’s third most common blood cancer after lymphoma and leukaemia, approximately 18,000 Australians are living with multiple myeloma at any given time.

Without PBS subsidy, an average of 230 patients each year might pay more than $145,000 per course of treatment,