Australian government adds Pfizer's Xalkori to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

The Australian Health Minister Sussan Ley has announced that crizotinib, marketed as Xalkori by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), is now listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme.

The current government has more than doubled the number of new and amended drug listings on the PBS to 667. Ms Ley said: “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. This A$60 million ($46 million) investment will deliver affordable access to patients who would otherwise pay up to A$80,000 per treatment to beat this rare and life-threatening form of lung cancer.”

She said that Xalkori would be used to treat anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer and would benefit approximately 154 patients with the rare disease. It is being introduced via a Managed Entry Scheme as a way to provide early access to new breakthrough drugs to patients with a high clinical need. It would also allow the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to monitor its progress and collect data about the ongoing benefits of the medicine.