Cheaper cancer and chronic conditions medicines now on PBS

Australians living with cancer and chronic conditions will now have access to life-changing medicine thanks to a new listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

New and expanded medicines listed through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) are now available at an affordable price for patients living with serious medical conditions.

Daratumumab (Darzalex®) will be expanded for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a rare and complex blood cancer that originates in plasma cells.

Darzalex helps the immune system by attacking a protein on myeloma cells. This acts like a signal, helping the body’s defences recognise and attack the cancer while also strengthening the immune response.

Almost 1200 Australians are expected to benefit from this listing each year. Without the PBS subsidy, they may pay more than $440,000 for a course of treatment.

Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris®) in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine and dacarbazine, will be listed for the first time to treat patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma – a rare and aggressive blood cancer.

This combination treatment targets cancer cells, helping to reduce damage to healthy tissue, improve survival outcomes, and lower the risk of relapse.

Around 240 Australians are expected to benefit from this listing each year. Without the PBS subsidy, they may pay more than $113,000 for a course of treatment.

Brexpiprazole (Rexulti®) will be expanded for the treatment of schizophrenia, a mental health condition that affects thinking, emotions and behaviour.

Rexulti helps manage symptoms by acting on pathways in the brain involved in mood, thinking, and perception.

Around 85 Australians are expected to benefit from this listing each year. Without the PBS subsidy, they may pay more than $130 for a course of treatment.

Durvalumab in combination with Tremelimumab (Imfinzi® Imjudo®) will be listed for the first time for the treatment of advanced liver cancer, including unresectable Stage B Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer and Stage C hepatocellular carcinoma. It will be available to people who have not received prior treatment or who are unable to take a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

This immunotherapy combination helps the immune system target cancer cells, improving survival and slowing disease progression.

In 2024, around 900 patients accessed a comparable treatment through the PBS. Without PBS subsidy, they may pay more than $154,000 per course of treatment.

Iptacopan (Fabhalta®) will be listed for the first time for the treatment of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, a rare blood disorder where red blood cells are destroyed by the immune system, leading to anaemia, fatigue and the risk of blood clots.

Fabhalta works by targeting a different part of the complement pathway to help reduce red blood cell destruction and improve haemoglobin levels.

In 2024, around 22 patients accessed a comparable treatment through the PBS. Without PBS subsidy, they may pay more than $506,000 per year of treatment.

Palovarotene (Sohonos®) will be expanded to allow treatment of both ongoing symptoms and flare-ups in people with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, which is a rare and severely disabling genetic condition that causes bone to form in muscles, tendons and other soft tissues.

Sohonos blocks a pathway in the body that leads to extra bone growth, which may reduce flare-ups and preserve mobility.

Around 10 patients are expected to benefit from this listing each year. Without the PBS subsidy, they may pay more than $400,000 for a course of treatment.

Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:

“Access to affordable, effective medicines can change lives and that’s exactly what these new PBS listings deliver.

“These treatments will improve and extend the lives of thousands of Australians.

“This demonstrate the Albanese Government is turning its promise to deliver cheaper medicines into reality.”