AUSTRALIANS with advanced melanoma and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) will have access from this month to new and updated medicines under the PBS.
The nation has the highest melanoma rates in the world with one person dying from melanoma every six hours.
The combination medicine Opdualag (nivolumab with relatlimab) will list to treat patients with advanced-stage melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body and cannot be removed by surgery.
According to the govt, around 940 patients each year are expected to benefit from this listing.
Without the PBS subsidy, they could pay around $315,000 per course of treatment.
Kimmtrak (tebentafusp) will also be listed for the first time to treat a certain type of advanced melanoma of the middle layer of the eye (uvea) that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery.
Uveal melanoma is a rare cancer, with around 150 Australians diagnosed per year.
Around 35 patients are expected to benefit each year from this new PBS listing, in which without the PBS subsidy, they could pay a huge cost of around $790,000 per course of treatment.
Tysabri (natalizumab) is currently available through the PBS for patients with relapsing-remitting MS, and from the start of this month these patients now have access to a new subcutaneous form of the drug, or given as an injection under the skin.
It is hoped this reduces administration time and expands the settings for the treatment.
About 85% of sufferers are diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, making it the most common form of the disease.
MS affects the brain and spinal cord and is often diagnosed in young adults between 20 to 40 years old.
The body's immune system reacts against its own myelin which protects and insulates nerve fibres.
In relapsing-remitting MS, sufferers have attacks called relapses, which can cause blurred vision, weakness in the legs or arms, or loss of control of bowel or bladder function.
Without a PBS subsidy, patients may pay around $16,400 per year for treatment with Tysabri.
Since Jul 2022, the current Federal Govt has approved 165 new and amended listings on the PBS. JG
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