Treatment for advanced melanoma is set to become cheaper under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in the coming weeks.
Health Minister Mark Butler announced today that patients aged over 12 and living with recurrent or metastatic melanoma will be reimbursed for Opdualag (nivolumab, relatlimab).
The treatment is a combination of immunotherapies used in patients with advanced melanoma.
About 940 patients are set to benefit from the subsidy when the treatment is listed on the PBS at the start of next month.
"With cheaper medicines we are supporting millions of Australians with chronic, ongoing conditions so they don't have to choose between health care and paying the bills," Butler said.
"The listing of opdualag will be life-changing for Australians living with advanced-stage melanoma.
"Instead of paying over $315,000 for treatment now the maximum they will pay is PBS prices."
The founder and CEO of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (MSCAN), Tamara Dawson, has welcomed the move.
"While great progress has been made in the treatment of advanced melanoma, we need more 'tools in the toolbox'," Dawson said.
"The reimbursement of this new combination immunotherapy provides an additional treatment option for people living with advanced melanoma, allowing them improved access to medicine when they need it most."
Co-medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia, professor Georgina Long AO, said advanced melanoma treatments needed to become accessible.
"Australians are more likely to develop melanoma of the skin because of the high levels of UV radiation due to our sunny climate," said Long.
"While prevention is paramount in reducing the incidence of melanoma, those who develop advanced or metastatic melanoma should have access to all treatments that have demonstrated benefit in robust clinical trials."
Australia has the highest rates of melanoma in the world with more than 17,700 people estimated to have been diagnosed in 2022 alone, according to the Melanoma Institute.
The disease is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young Australians aged between 20 and 39 years old.
In 2022, melanoma was associated with 1281 deaths in Australia.
