Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) announce new treatments and price cuts for over 1000 medications

The PBS, Australia’s national program responsible for providing subsidised prescriptions, has announced the addition of several new medicines, including a drug used to treat a subtype of Hodgkin Lymphoma, according to Australian media outlets Channel 9and Herald Sun. The drug known as Brentuximab vedotin(sold as Adcetris) will now cost $38 per prescription, a significant decrease compared to its prior pricing of approximately $16,000 per course of treatment.

According to reports, cobimetinib a treatment used for advanced melanoma that cannot be surgically removed and has a certain type of abnormal gene, was also added to the scheme.

You can find out more about cobimetinib on our information page, which is available viaeveryone.orgfor those living outside the US, EU or Australia, and can be acquired when a doctor’s prescription is provided.

In addition, over 1100 PBS-listed medicines are reported to drop in price which include treatments for high cholesterol, breast cancer, mental illnesses, eczema, psoriasis and Parkinson’s disease. The price cuts will take effect from 1 April 2017.

PBS are yet to publish a press release, but as soon as they do, we’ll post an update! In the meantime, a list of the confirmed 1 April 2017 prices can be found on the PBS’s Price Disclosure (SPD) web page.