Australia adds new breast and lung cancer drugs to PBS funding

Breast and Lung Cancer patients in Australia will have affordable access to life-changing medicines that normally cost up to A$80,000 ($61,162) for treatment from today, Minister for Health Sussan Ley has announced.

As a result of their official listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) today, Ms Ley said that from July 1 2015, patients will now pay just A$6.10 (concessional) or A$37.70 (general) for breakthrough lung cancer medicine crizotinib, marketed as Xalkori by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and breast cancer treatments Perjeta (pertuzumab, Herceptin (trastuzumab) and Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine or T-DM1) from Roche (ROG: SIX).

Ms Ley said taxpayers would invest over a quarter-of-a-billion dollars in listing the new drugs and was another example of the Abbott government delivering on its promise to list new medicines as quickly as possible. “Access to new medicines is crucial if we’re to help Australians beat life-threatening diseases such as cancer, as well as overcome chronic and degenerative conditions that can rob them of their independence,” Ms Ley said, adding: “One in every six dollars out of the A$10 billion taxpayers invest in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme every year is now spent on cancer treatments.”

Ms Ley said Perjeta, Herceptin and Kadcylawere used to treat HER2-positive metastic breast cancer and would benefit 590 patients per year. Kadcyla provides an additional line of therapy where the disease has progressed despite previous treatment, while the combination of Perjetaand Herceptin would provide a more effective treatment option for this cancer than Herceptin alone.

Ms Ley said Xalkori was used to treat anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer and would benefit approximately 154 patients with the rare life-threatening disease. The drug will be listed through a Managed Entry Scheme that will speed up access for patients with the highest need for treatment.

“There are very few effective therapeutic options available for patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and this will be the first treatment available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that specifically targets patients with ALK gene rearrangement,” Ms Ley said.