Fifty New Items onto PBS

Health Minister Peter Dutton yesterday announced the addition of 50 new and amended medicines and technologies to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, with the Pharmacy Guild saying the move reflects the sustainability of the PBS. Dutton said the new listings include Rafinlar (dabrafenib) for the treatment of melanoma, along with a new Medicare item for the genetic testing required to determine eligibility for Rafinlar. Also new is Sutent (sunitinib) for pancreatic cancer, while Prolia (denosumab) for the treatment of osteoporosis has had its indication extended to cover men.

Conditions covered by the new listings include cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and "a range of other debilitating diseases. About 230,000 people will now be able to receive new and improved medicines they may otherwise not have been able to afford," Dutton said. Pharmacy Guild executive director David Quilty said the price disclosure arrangements applied over the last five years have contained PBS spending, "allowing new medicines to be added without causing any blowout in expenditure."

"Community pharmacy has made a significant contribution to the management of PBS costs, and will continue to do so, while recognising the importance of ensuring that pharmacies are sufficiently remunerated to enable them to dispense these medicines safely and securely," Quilty said.

New listings include;

• Afinitor
• Atozet
• Aubagio
• Botox for migraine
• Budenofalk
• Coralan
• Flutiform
• Forxiga
• Invokana
• Nesina
• Nicotinell
• Protos
• Sevikar
• Stromectol
• Symbicort Rapihaler
• Tafinlar
• Tecfidera
• Xifaxan

Click here to see the full list of new and amended PBS listings.

Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Tuesday 29 October 2013