Slow-burning blockbuster tops PBS

It took longer than expected, but MSD's monoclonal antibody Keytruda has finally made it to the top of the quarterly PBS reimbursements table.

Keytruda was the top-selling drug globally in 2023, but was held out of first place in Australia by Vertex's cystic fibrosis treatment Trikafta. Despite huge sales in 2023, Trikafta reached an even greater peak in reimbursements in January this year, which saw it cling to the top spot in the first quarter.

Pharma in Focus analysed the on-patent brands that earned the most in pre-rebate reimbursements from the R/PBS in the second quarter of this year to find which drugs were the top earners in the second quarter of 2024.