Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am talking about the commitment to managing the finances of our health system so that we can list drugs on the PBS. One of the patients who have benefited from this is Alexandra from Townsville. At 31 years of age, she was diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer. At the time, the best treatment available was chemo and radiotherapy, and she had to fly to Melbourne for the treatment. As the mother of a two-year-old son, this had a huge impact on her life.

When her cancer recurred, a new treatment option was available: Crizotinib, a new drug listed on the PBS on 1 July 2015. Alexandra started on it in October 2015. Her scans have been clear since. This is what she says—

Opposition members interjecting —

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