1 September 2015 - From today, patients with melanoma have access to breakthrough medicine Keytruda on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The Commonwealth Government will invest $57 million to list the breakthrough melanoma drug to improve quality of life for 1,100 Australian patients and make the $150,000 per year treatment affordable.

Patients will now pay $6.10 if they are concessional patients or $37.70 for general patients

The listing follows passage of the Government’s PBS reform package through the Senate recently and delivers on our promise to list new medicines as quickly as possible.

It complements $1.3 billion from the 2015/16 Budget for other melanoma medicines as well as drugs to treat breast cancer, blindness and shingles.

For more details, go to: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2015-ley109.htm