Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has been widened to cover treatments for cystic fibrosis, blood cancer and thyroid eye disease, Health Minister Mark Butler announced on Sunday. The changes took effect the same day, November 1, according to Xinhua. The package also adjusts the listing of a cholesterol medicine so that eligible patients can collect larger supplies.
Why it matters
The PBS caps what patients pay at the pharmacy counter. Xinhua reports that eligible patients face a maximum of 25 Australian dollars per prescription, while concession card holders pay no more than 7.70 dollars. For a medicine such as Trikafta, the gap between the subsidised price and the full cost is substantial: without the subsidy, a single prescription could exceed 20,300 Australian dollars, or roughly 14,200 U.S. dollars, Xinhua reports.
That difference decides whether a treatment is reachable for many households. The government's changes extend that protection to groups that previously fell outside the listings, including young children who struggle with tablets and patients facing a rare eye condition.
A granule option for younger cystic fibrosis patients
The most closely watched change concerns Trikafta, a medicine that targets the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition. Under the expanded listing, children with cystic fibrosis aged six to 11 who weigh under 30 kilograms can receive a granule formulation, Xinhua reports.
The granules are intended for children who have trouble swallowing pills. The government expects about 3,300 Australians to benefit from the broader listing each year, according to Xinhua's account of a government statement.
Australian outlets gave the change prominent coverage. The Canberra Times carried patient testimony under the headline "'Like sand in my eye': treatment gives hope to patients," while 9Now reported that the expanded PBS entry opens access to a cystic fibrosis drug for young children. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing described the listings as helping children with cystic fibrosis alongside patients with blood cancer and thyroid disease.
Thyroid eye disease and a lymphoma option
Tepezza has been added to the scheme for people with active, moderate-to-severe thyroid eye disease. Xinhua reports that about 310 Australians are expected to benefit from the listing each year.
For blood cancer, subsidised access to Adcetris has been broadened so the drug can serve as a new first-line option for patients with advanced CD30-positive classical Hodgkin lymphoma. The government estimates roughly 370 people a year will fall within the expanded coverage, Xinhua reports.
Separately, the listing for Repatha, used to treat high cholesterol, has been amended so that eligible patients can obtain larger quantities under the government's 60-day prescription initiative, which is designed to reduce how often people need to return for repeats.
The government said it has funded 511 new and amended PBS listings since July 2022, according to Xinhua.
What to watch: how quickly the newly eligible groups begin treatment under the listings, and whether the government adds further medicines to the scheme in its next round of PBS decisions.
