A MEDICATION for adult sufferers of Crohn's disease has been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme bringing the annual cost of the drug down from $68,600 a year to $38.80 per script or $6.30 if the patient is on a concession.
More than 80,000 Australians suffer from Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition which causes severe pain and in many cases is a lifelong issue. Australia has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease in the world.
The listing of the drug Stelara will help around 2600 adults a year with the most serious type of the disease.
The drug Zydelig is also now available on the PBS to treat eligible patients with certain types of leukaemia, including relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or small lymphocytic leukaemia. It will also support patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.
Without subsidy, Zydelig would cost $60,500 a year for follicular lymphoma patients and $115,800 a year for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or small lymphocytic leukaemia patients.This medicine is a treatment for patients who would otherwise have exhausted all other options.
People suffering from acromegaly, a rare condition characterised by a consistently high level of circulating growth hormone, which can result in the enlargement of the jaw and extremities, and, over a prolonged period, may lead to patients suffering multiple health problems will benefit from the listing of the drug Somavert.
- PBS listings are published on the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits, which is available through the PBS website.
