News & Trends - Pharmaceuticals
The battle against bureaucracy: Senior leaders address critical issues on World Cancer Day

On World Cancer Day, February 4, the theme United by Unique serves as a stark reminder that while each cancer patient has a unique journey, they share a collective ambition – to reduce the disease burden and lead better quality lives. Senior leaders from Bristol Myers Squibb, Icon Group, AstraZeneca and QBiotics weigh in on the most pressing issues impacting patient care.
For Australian patients, accessing essential treatments remains a significant challenge, with an average wait of 442 days from Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval to reimbursement through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). For cancer medicines, this delay extends beyond 600 days, positioning Australia 13th out of 20 OECD nations – a statistic that begs the question: is bureaucratic inertia costing lives?
Owen Smith, Vice President and General Manager of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) Australia and New Zealand, emphasised the urgency of addressing the delays.
“We know Australian patients deserve faster access to medicines. In this rapidly evolving, dynamic environment, now is the time for us all to continue our focus on significant healthcare reform that will better serve Australian patients,” he stated, pointing to a system mired in red tape that continues to lag behind global benchmarks.
Heather Cahill, AstraZeneca’s Oncology Business Unit Director, stressed the urgent need for Australia to match the pace of other OECD countries like Japan, Germany or the UK. She declared, “AstraZeneca continues to advocate for earlier, faster, and fairer access to medicines on the PBS for all cancer patients.”
Mark Middleton, CEO of Icon Group, shifted the focus to the grave inequities faced by people who live in regional and remote areas.
“With 50% of our cancer centres located in outer-metro and regional communities, we have strong roots and a proven track record of bringing comprehensive care to these populations,” he explained. “There are unique challenges to operating regional centres, but we’ve invested in innovative care models and solutions to enable world-class care. This includes remote radiation therapy planning and training, global partnerships that enable first-to-market treatments, scalable survivorship programs and clinical research programs.”
As the federal election looms, the pressure is mounting for policy commitments that will drive meaningful change in cancer care.
While recent concerns from the PBAC and MSAC Chairs are threatening further delays to reforms, Smith stressed that BMS will continue to “advocate for the adoption of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Review recommendations. These recommendations aim to “streamline access to new therapies, enhance consumer engagement to reflect patient needs and perspectives, and establish pathways to expedite the assessment of therapies that address high unmet clinical needs.”
He also called for the full implementation of the Australian Cancer Plan to improve cancer care nationwide, with particular focus on equity of access, support for vulnerable populations, and investment in research and innovation.
Middleton pointed to public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a proven model for bridging care gaps. He emphasised, “Federal and State governments and private providers need to collaborate to enable more efficient and sustainable cancer centres, particularly in regional and underserved areas. This model provides a sustainable option and also supports faster adoption of advanced technologies, such as the latest cutting-edge radiation therapy, precision medicine and greater ability to deliver clinical trials.”
He also stressed the importance of continued investment in the Radiation Oncology Health Program Grants (ROHPG), being the “backbone” which enables private providers like Icon Group to introduce advanced radiation therapy services to regional communities and addressing geographical disparities in the optimal delivery of cancer care.
The inequities in cancer care are undeniable. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveals that five-year survival rates are markedly lower in regional and remote areas, underscoring the need for targeted and innovative solutions.
Middleton emphasised that solutions must be patient-centred, saying “Addressing these gaps requires investment in innovative models of care that address regional skill shortages and the ability to deliver advanced care closer to home.”
Stephen Doyle, CEO of Australian biotech QBiotics, echoed calls for health policies that elevate care standards. The company is focussed on genomics and personalised medicines, exploring AI opportunities for drug discovery and researching novel treatment modalities.
“We need faster approval and listing of new cancer medicines on the PBS, an increase in government funding and support for cancer research, and a model to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for cancer patients accessing new therapies not available via the PBS,” Doyle explained.
Cahill reiterated AstraZeneca’s efforts to push for a bridging funding to address the critical gap between TGA approval and PBS reimbursement.
“In 2024, AstraZeneca led a group of over 20 oncology experts and patient representatives calling for the Government to establish bridging funding so patients can access medicines as soon as they are deemed safe and effective to use. We hope that the Government and Opposition will commit to this fund prior to the federal election,” she stated.
Among these policy debates, ensuring that patients’ voices shape the healthcare system and health policy landscape remains critical. Since 2018, BMS Australia has convened the Shaping Healthcare Together roundtable to bring patient organisations and key stakeholders together. In 2022, the company launched the Patient & Parliament initiative at Parliament House to further highlight the importance of embedding patient voices in policy discussions.
“The implementation of recommendations from the HTA review report and Enhance HTA provide a genuine opportunity for policy reform that will enhance the role of consumers and ensure the patient voice is embedded in the Australian healthcare system,” Smith stated.
With the federal election on the horizon, the message from healthcare leaders is clear: cancer patients cannot wait. When lives are on the line, can we continue to tolerate policies that seem more tailored to bureaucratic performance than to the urgent needs of patients fighting for survival?
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