Remicade, Avandia, Actos, EpiPen join Australia's PBS; Gleevec's listing widened

Starting November 1, Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme includesthe following new listings:

- Centocor's Remicade (infliximab) for rheumatoid arthritis. The cost will be about A$20,000 ($14,014) per patient per year and some 1,700 patients are expected to benefit;

- GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia (rosiglitazone) and Takeda's Actos (pioglitazone) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, enabling many patients to continue taking tablets to manage their condition instead of having to switch to insulin injections. The annual PBS cost is about A$1,200 per patient and some 50,000 patients are expected to benefit each year;