PBS listings for Australians suffering from liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease and myopia

Pharma News: Australians suffering from liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease and myopia have new treatment options, with amended PBS listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) coming into effect.

From 1 November 2020, the listing of Roche’s Tecentriq and Avastin (atezolizumab and bevacizumab) on the PBS will be expanded for use in combination to treat patients with advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Australia will be the first country in the world to have this combination treatment publically funded for this type of liver cancer.

Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common form of liver cancer, which often occurs in people with other chronic liver diseases. It also has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancer types.

More than 500 patients per year could benefit from PBS listing of this treatment, which would otherwise cost more than $170,000 per course.

As at 1 October 2020, PBS listings are now helping Australians living with eye conditions and Parkinson’s disease:

• Bayer’s Eylea (aflibercept) will be expanding the listing for the treatment of subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation due to pathologic myopia. This condition is associated with unwanted growth of new blood cells in the eye that impact vision through a type of extremely acute near-sightedness. Approximately 500 patients could benefit and without PBS subsidy, patients could pay more than $5,000 per year of treatment.

• Pfizer’s Apomine Solution for Infusion and Apomine Intermittent (apomorphine) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease will be extended, to include access to maintenance treatment through community pharmacy in addition to hospitals. Without PBS subsidy, patients could pay more than $7,500 per script for this medication.

Also from 1 October, treatments for high cholesterol and almost 20 other widely used medicines will be cheaper as a result of price disclosure policy.

Under the Government’s price disclosure policy, 18 medicines sold as 224 brands listed on the PBS will be up to $6.02 cheaper for general (non-concessional) patients as at 1 October 2020.

Two medicines for high cholesterol, ezetimibe (e.g. MSD’s Zient and other generic forms) and rosuvastatin (e.g. AstraZeneca’s Crestor and other generic forms), are among the medicines which will be cheaper.