From today the Morrison Government will make available new medicines available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) saving patients and their family’s up to $150,000 a year.
By keeping our economy strong the Morrison Government is listing all new medicines on the PBS following the advice of the medical experts.
These listings on the PBS change and improve lives. They reduce the burden of expensive medicines, saving patients and families money.
New medicines from 1 May 2019 include:
- Bavencio® for metastatic merkel cell carcinoma (rare skin cancer), which would normally cost $150,000 per year for a course of treatment without subsidy
- Besponsa® for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (blood cancer), which would normally cost $120,500 per course of treatment without subsidy
- Ibrance® for advanced and metastatic breast cancer, which would normally cost $55,000 per year for a course of treatment without subsidy
- Vimpat® for the treatment of intractable partial epileptic seizures for children aged four to 15 years, which would normally cost $4,700 per year without subsidy
- Xeljanz® for the treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis, which would normally cost $16,500 per year without subsidy
Patients will now be able to access these medicines for just $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card.
All were recommended by the independent medical experts at the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
Since 2013, the Morrison Government has listed over 2,000 new or amended items on the PBS. This represents an average of around 31 listings per month – or one each day – at an overall cost of around $10.6 billion.
We are listing all medicines on the PBS unlike the former Labor Government.
In 2011 when the current leader of the opposition Bill Shorten was Assistant Treasurer Labor took the unprecedented step of stopping the listing of new medicines on the PBS.
Labor’s 2011-12 Budget stated “given the current fiscal environment the listing of some medicines would be deferred until fiscal circumstances permit”. This included medicines for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, endometriosis chronic pain and IVF amongst others.
Our commitment to ensuring that Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, remains rock solid.