World First: Australia Adds Immunotherapy Drug to PBS

Immunotherapy Drug added to PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) to give more Australians access to potentially life-saving treatments. 

It has been announced that Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has recommended to expand the current PBS listing for pembrolizumab immunotherapy to allow neoadjuvant (before surgery) treatment of resectable stage IIIB, stage IIIC or stage IIID malignant melanoma treatment.

This is the first authority in the world to approve and fund neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in resectable stage IIIB-D melanoma. This request was instigated by Professors Richard Scolyer and Georgina Long on behalf of Melanoma Institute of Australia, and is the first time academics have changed a listing for immunotherapy.

So what does this mean for patients undergoing Melanoma treatment? In clinical trials, neoadjuvant immunotherapy has shown to significantly reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence, which means improved survival rates.

This advance is also expected to benefit other cancer patients.

Medical Oncologist and Director of Tasman Healthcare, Dr Andrew Hill, says he’s optimistic about the change and the impact this will have on future care. “We are very excited to hear there has been a positive recommendation by the PBAC with regard to neo adjuvant use of Pembrolizumab immunotherapy in node positive melanoma on the back of the S1801* trial,” said Dr Hill.

“The data from trials that have moved into the neo-adjuvant setting have been very encouraging, not only in melanoma but other malignancies such as lung and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. We would expect this trend to continue and change practice.”

Sources:

*https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2211437

https://melanoma.org.au/news/major-advance-for-neoadjuvant-treatment-of-melanoma/

https://thelimbic.com/oncology/pbac-backs-world-first-funding-for-neoadjuvant-therapy-in-melanoma