Cutting-edge treatment for ‘Australia’s national cancer’ available through PBS from February

Key points:

• Australia has one of the world’s highest rates of melanoma, with more than 17,700 Australians estimated to have been diagnosed with the potentially devastating disease in 2022 alone

• From January 1, 2024, you may pay up to $31.60 for most Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines or $7.70 if you have a concession card

• One Australian is diagnosed with melanoma every 30 minutes, while another surrenders their life to the disease every six hours

Australians aged 12 years and over who have been diagnosed with an advanced stage of melanoma will gain affordable access to a new treatment on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from Thursday, February 1, 2024.

The drug, Opdualag [nivolumab/relatlimab], is a combination of immunotherapies that is set to be reimbursed. The new form of treatment will be available for people diagnosed with melanoma that has spread or can’t be removed by surgery.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler announced the listing on January 21, joined by global biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb’s Managing Director Owen Smith, outside of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia.

“First of all, can I say that we were elected 18 months ago on a promise, among other things, to strengthen Medicare and to make medicines cheaper and we’ve been delivering, over the course of that time, on that promise,” Minister Butler said.

“In 2022, we slashed the maximum amount that millions of pensioners and concession card holders would pay for all of their medicines needs by 25 percent.

“So, pensioners, no matter how many medicines they’re on across a given year, will only pay around $5 per week for all of those medicines needs. On January 1, last year, we delivered the biggest cut to the price of medicines in the 75-year history of the PBS, slashing the price of general scripts by almost a third.”

“In just 12 months, that measure alone has delivered $240 million in savings back into the pockets of general patients. Tens and tens of thousands of general patients who are doing it tough in this global inflation crisis.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for an urgent caucus of Labor MPs to discuss the cost-of-living crisis on Wednesday, January 24, amidst growing concerns about the pressure on household budgets.

The Consumer Price Index rose 1.2 percent in the September 2023 quarter and 5.4 percent annually, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

“We know that almost a million patients each and every year, according to the Bureau of Statistics, go without a medicine that their doctor has said is important for their health because they simply can’t afford it,” he added.

“It’s not just good for hip pockets. driving down the cost of medicines is also good for the health of Australians.”

Mick, 70, is a retired carpenter residing in Orange, New South Wales, who was diagnosed with advanced melanoma in 2022. He welcomed the imminent listing of Opdualag on the PBS, as the financial burden of medical expenses had previously added to the shock of his diagnosis.

“The PBS listing of a new treatment for advanced melanoma is important for people like me because it broadens the options available and makes treatment more affordable.”

In early 2022, Mick noticed a collection of lumps in his groin when showering. Feeling somewhat concerned, Mick visited his local GP a few days later for professional advice. He was promptly referred to an Oncologist, to undergo PET scans, a biopsy, and further tests.

Having since undergone two surgeries to remove the disease from his leg, and his abdomen, in February of 2022 and October 2023, respectively.

“A family member died from melanoma six-and-a-half years ago. Many of my siblings have also had some form of cancer. I also survived prostate cancer in 2006,” Mick said.

“Both my wife, Deb and I decided to improve our health after my retirement. We both started to eat well and to exercise more and I lost a lot of weight. Had I not shed so much weight, I may not have felt the lumps in my groin. 

“When I received the bad news, it’s all I could think about for a while.

“Financially, it’s a huge burden, especially for people like me, who live in a regional area. I have to pay for transport to and from Sydney, as well as motel and hospital costs. The costs keep piling up and just when I think I’ve got it all covered, another bill comes through. 

“Living with advanced melanoma is hard enough, let alone having to think about the financial implications of the disease.”

For information about Melanoma or where to go for support call Cancer Council via phone at 13 11 20.

Do you believe that the cost-of-living crisis has impacted older Australians as much as younger people? Let the team at Talking Aged Care know your thoughts and subscribe to the newsletter for more information, news and industry updates.

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