Posted by Michael Wonder on 28 Oct 2018
Potent drugs to treat lung cancer and high cholesterol added to PBS
28 October 2018 - Australians with advanced lung cancer and a genetic high-cholesterol condition will have cheaper access to potent medical treatments after the government announced the listing of two drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
The subsidising of Keytruda, from November 1, will bring down the cost of an individual script from $11,300 – or $188,000 for an entire year of treatment – to a maximum of $39.50 for approximately 850 people who are diagnosed with advanced lung cancer every year.
The immunotherapy drug will be available to patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, the most common kind of lung cancer, and allow them to avoid chemotherapy. Keytruda is already listed on the PBS for classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and advanced melanoma.
