Companies hit PBAC with big ask

BMS and MSD are seeking to have their checkpoint inhibitors automatically listed on the PBS for certain cancers at the point of TGA registration.

A proposal to fast-track access to three top-selling drugs will be considered at the PBAC Intracycle meeting on 6 December. It would be the first such agreement in immunotherapy and if successful would mark a seismic shift in the way treatments are reimbursed in Australia.

Turbocharging the process from TGA approval straight to PBS listing for future indications - effectively leap-frogging the PBAC - is expected to slash the waiting time for access to the drugs by an average of 15 months.