Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has bowed to pressure from doctors and consumer health groups after listing 13 new drugs on the national subsidised medicine scheme.

 

Ms Roxon has said that the 13 drugs, including a life-saving bowel cancer drug to be marketed as Erbitux, will be listed for subsidy by September 1.

 

Ms Roxon also estimated that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listings will pay for treatment of a 400,000 people at a cost of $200 million.

 

The drugs announced on the new PBS listing include treatment for bowel cancer, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and schizophrenia.

 

A complete listing of the new drugs are as follows:

 

  • Cetuximab (Erbitux): For treatment of late stages of bowel cancer.
  • Fingolimod (Gilenya): Multiple sclerosis.
  • Fluconazole (Diflucan): Fungal infections.
  • Imatinib (Glivec): Gastrointestinal tumour.
  • Pegfilgrastim (Neulasta): Hodgkin disease.
  • Tobramycin (Tobi): Cystic fibrosis.
  • Dalteparin Sodium (Fragmin): Blood clots.
  • Eltrombopag (Revolade): Bone marrow disorder.
  • Ferrous fumarate (Ferro Tab): Anaemia.
  • Flupenthixol (Fluanxol) and zuclopenthixol (Clopixol): Psychosis.
  • Risperidone (Risperdal Consta): Bipolar disorder.
  • Dutasteride with tamsulosin hydrochloride (Duodart): Prostate.

 

The Australian Financial Review reported that the listing of Erbitux would subsidise treament for 2700 patients, saving each an average of $1500 a week.

 

The decision by the Federal Government to delay the listing until September has drawn criticism from the Federal Opposition who claim the delay will cost lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars for sufferers of illnesses that could be treated by the drugs.