Australians with osteoporosis, a type of skin lymphoma, spinal muscular atrophy and type 2 diabetes will have access to new and expanded medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Romosozumab (Evenity) is being expanded to include use as a first-line treatment of severe osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a chronic disease which makes your bones more likely to break. Many people don’t know that they have osteoporosis until they break or fracture a bone.
Wider PBS eligibility criteria means patients with severe osteoporosis won’t need to wait until incurring a second fracture, before getting access to Evenity.
Evenity works by both building new bone and decreasing breakdown of existing bone.
Over 9,000 patients per year are expected to benefit from this listing. Without subsidy, patients may pay around $4,800 per course of treatment.
Chlormethine (Ledaga) will be listed for the first time to treat a type of skin lymphoma called mycosis fungoides-type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Mycosis fungoides-type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare condition where cells of the body’s immune system becomes cancerous and affects the skin, causing red patches, plaques and tumours. This slow-growing disease usually affects older adults, and men more often than women.
Ledaga is an anti-cancer medicine applied as a topical gel. It binds to the DNA of cancer cells, stopping them from multiplying and growing.
Around 150 patients are expected to benefit from this listing each year. Without subsidy, they might pay around $38,000 per course of treatment.
Risdiplam (Evrysdi) is being expanded for the treatment of the rare inherited condition, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The listing will now include treatment of infants under the age of 3 who are genetically diagnosed with SMA and have a SMN2 gene copy of 3, but who are not yet showing symptoms.
The families of the infants that will benefit from this listing might otherwise pay around $115,000 per year of treatment without the PBS subsidy.
The combination medicine dapagliflozin with sitagliptin (Sidapvia) will also be listed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes affects the body’s ability to use insulin, resulting in high blood sugar. If left unmanaged, it can lead to serious complications such as heart disease and kidney failure.
In 2023, around 39,400 patients accessed a comparable treatment through the PBS. Without subsidy, they might pay around $900 per year of treatment.
PBS listing of these medicines means eligible patients will pay a maximum of $31.60 per script, or just $7.70 with a concession card.
Since July 2022, the Australian Government has approved extra funding for 264 new and amended listings on the PBS.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“Adding these medicines to the PBS will provide doctors with more options to care for their patients and ensure Australians can access the latest treatments.
“Making medicines cheaper for Australians is a key part of the government’s wider commitment to strengthening Medicare.
“Listing these medicines on the PBS will benefit Australians now and into the future.”
