Specialised Therapeutics' Abraxane to be reimbursed via Australian PBS

Australian biopharma company Specialised Therapeutics is to have its Abraxane (nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine, reimbursed via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer from November 1. Specialised Therapeutics is marketing the drug in Australia under license from US biotech firm Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG).

Abraxane was approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration in March 2014 as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. The approval and the PBS reimbursement were based on the Phase III trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2013, which showed that Abraxane plus gemcitabine significantly improved overall survival, progression-free survival and response rates against gemcitabine alone.

Carlo Montagner, chief executive of Specialised Therapeutics, said: "The inclusion of Abraxane on the PBS for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer is a landmark achievement and provides an important new treatment option for patients with this aggressive disease. Until now, Abraxane has been widely available and PBS reimbursed for patients with metastatic breast cancer, but not for those with metastatic pancreatic cancer, who have been shown to also gain substantial clinical benefit. Abraxane will now be reimbursed and broadly accessible for Australian patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer and offers a new standard of care for treatment of this disease."