Latest Australian PBS Listings include medicines for children

Ten new medicines to treat a range of illnesses from rare forms of cancer to skin conditions will be listed on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from April 1, Health Minister Peter Dutton announced, noting that that improved access to these medicines would benefit many Australians and particularly families with sick children.

Patients with type 2 diabetes will benefit from expanded access to several newer diabetes medicines, known as 'gliptins'.“These medicines will have expanded access on the PBS allowing patients that require treatment with multiple medicines for diabetes to access innovative new treatments earlier,” Mr Dutton said.

Treatment for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

A drug to treat arthritis in children – tocilzumab (sold as Actemra by Roche) – will be listed considerably lowering the cost to families whose children rely on the treatment for juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Another medicine, tobramycin (sold as Tobi Podhaler) has also been approved for listing on the PBS in powder form for the treatment of a bacterial lung infection (pseudomonas aeruginosa) that commonly affects cystic fibrosis patients.

“It means patients will have subsidized access to the powder form of the medicine, which can be used with a transportable inhaler device,” said Mr Dutton, adding: “The listing of the powder form of tobramycin on the PBS will help reduce the treatment burden for patients – many of them children - who already have a time consuming and complex treatment regime.”

Other new and amended listings approved for the PBS include:

Price changes for a number of PBS medicines also take effect on April 1. “Prices will reduce for 121 drugs including major price cuts to several cancer treatments and medicines for gastric reflux, depression and high cholesterol,” Mr Dutton said.

Common medicines which will be cheaper to consumers from April include: rabeprazole for gastric reflux, up to A$8.78 cheaper per script, saving consumers around $7 million ($6.3 million) a year; and simvastatin for high cholesterol, up to A$5.18 cheaper per script, saving patients around A$2.6 million a year. All PBS listings are subject to final arrangements being met by the suppliers of the medicine.

The listings will be published in the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits, which is updated monthly and accessible through the PBS website.