3 May 2016 - This budget measure will make new and amended medicines available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Life Saving Drugs Programme (LSDP).

New and amended listings on the PBS will benefit patients by subsidising or extending existing listing arrangements for medicines. This includes the listing of a combination of breakthrough medicines to treat hepatitis C from 1 March 2016.

The approval of nitisinone (Orfadin) on the LSDP will benefit eligible patients by allowing access to an expensive medicine for a rare disease.

New and amended PBS listings are expected to cost $45.2 million from 2015–16 to 2019–20 and new listings on the LSDP are expected to cost $12.3 million from 2015–16 to 2019–20.

For more details, go to: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/budget2016-factsheet24.htm