Lung Foundation Australia advocates for affordable access to new and proven medications for people living with a lung disease, and strongly encourages the patient community to have their voice heard in the process.
At the November 2018 Pharmaceuticals Benefits Advisory Committee’s (PBAC) meeting three lung cancer medications are being considered for reimbursement including:
- KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in combination with platinum chemotherapy and pemetrexed, for the treatment of EGFR wildtype, ALK translocation negative non-squamus non-small cell lung cancer.
- TAGRISSO (osimertinib) for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic EGFR, T790 mutation positive non-small cell lung cancer who have progressed on or after prior treatment with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor
- IMFINZI (durvalumab) for the treatment of patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer
As part of the PBAC process, patients, carers, community members and health professionals are encouraged to make submissions in support of the listing. The consumer voice is very important in this decision-making process and we hope you will help advocate for affordable access to lung cancer medications. It is not difficult to make a submission and you will not be expected to know the details of any particular medicines. What the PBAC are interested in is how lung cancer is affecting you, your family and loved ones.
The Outcomes of the PBAC meeting will be available on the PBS website six weeks after each PBAC meeting. For more information, please contact enquiries@lungfoundation.com.au or 1800 654 301.