John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would genuinely like to thank the members opposite for raising this matter of public importance. Of course health is one of the most important matters for the public, which is why I'm so proud to speak to our record today. I'm sure you've heard of my boast that I represent Australia's capital of innovation. A huge portion of this innovation comes from the pharmaceutical industry, much of which is based in Macquarie Park, or Pill Hill, as it's known. These include, but are not limited to, companies like Novartis, with Kisquali, their treatment which will help thousands of people with breast cancer; Jansen with Imbruvica, which will benefit hundreds of people with a subtype of lymphoma; Amgen's drug Neulasta, which helps the body cope with the debilitating effects of chemotherapy; Biogen with Spinraza, a life-changing medicine for those with spinal muscular atrophy; and MSD's treatment Keytruda, which is a game-changer in the way it uses the body's own immune system to fight cancers.

It is all well and good to have companies designing, creating and providing these drugs, but they don't cure one condition or help one person if they can't be accessed by patients who depend on them. That, I am pleased to say, is where this government comes in. Since coming into government the coalition has listed over 1,870 medicines, which equates to an average of one new medicine a day, on the PBS, worth approximately $9.3 billion. In this budget, $2.4 billion has been invested in new medicines, including $1 billion set aside for the provision of future medicines. These medicines will assist people suffering from conditions such as breast cancer, spinal muscular atrophy, heart disease, epilepsy and severe asthma. Some of these cost many thousands of dollars but are now available for $6.40 concessional or $39.50 for general patients per script.

Just this month the government announced it will invest $250 million to make life-changing medicines available to thousands of Australian patients. These include: 1,000 patients with a type of head and neck cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, who would otherwise pay almost $50,000 a year for Opdivo, will now have affordable access; 1,125 patients with rare types of leukaemia cancer, myeloproliferative neoplasms, who would otherwise pay more than $18,000 a year, will now benefit from the listing of Pegasys. The listing of Kisquali will save over 3,000 patients with breast cancer from having to pay $71,000 per year; 220 patients with subtype lymphoma cancer, relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, will benefit from the listing of Imbruvica as patients would otherwise pay $134,000 a year for this treatment; 1,500 patients who are receiving chemotherapy for cancer will benefit from Neulasta, which will help the body to make neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, saving patients over $4,500 per course of treatment; and there is $241.3 million for Spinraza, a life-changing medicine which treats the devastating illness spinal muscular atrophy, and, without the subsidy, patients would pay more than $367,850 per year.

This record investment in drugs and medicines is only possible because of the arrangements made by this minister with Medicines Australia. These agreements brought certainty to the market, which has brought the industry and government together to help all Australians access more medicines. The PBS needs a responsible government that can afford to pay for these medicines. The Turnbull government will continue to deliver on our promise to list medicines recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee without fear or favour.

In contrast, the last Labor government reversed the policy of the coalition to list all medicines approved by the independent PBAC. On 25 January 2011, the then Minister for Health and Ageing, Ms Nicola Roxon, announced the unprecedented deferral of the listing of seven medicines under the PBS. If it weren't for this government, millions of Australians would be without the medicines that are improving their quality of life and sometimes keeping them alive. Our record on medical listings is a source of great pride to us all. I congratulate the minister. (Time expired)

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