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

Thank you to the member for Dobell for bringing forward this important debate. I have mentioned before about Bennelong being the capital of innovation. We have some of the most cutting edge companies in the world. We've invented things that make your life better, from wi-fi to the Granny Smith apple. One of the biggest drivers of this innovation is the pharmaceutical companies. Most of them are based in Macquarie Park in Bennelong, so many that it is commonly referred to as 'Pill Hill'. From these, over a dozen companies, come many of the drugs that are listed annually and are saving lives daily, thanks to the PBS. The PBAC considers and recommends medicines for listing on the PBS three times a year, and critically this government has a policy to list all positive recommendations on the PBS.

From October 2013 to 1 September 2019, 2,185 new or amended items have been listed on the PBS. In 2012-13, the average was 321 days from PBAC recommendation to approval. But, last year, this was down to an average of 189 days. Obviously we can still get these numbers down further, but I think it's important to recognise the efforts that have already been made in this area and government's efforts to make this better for companies and, more importantly, for their patients.

Just this weekend Minister Hunt announced that patients can gain access to Symdeko and Orkambi immediately, with the manufacturer agreeing to the government's request to provide early access until the medicine is listed on the PBS on 1 December. This is expected to provide new or improved treatment options for over 1,400 patients. People might otherwise have to pay up to $250,000 a year for Symdeko or Orkambi. These two are amongst the 32 new and amended listings made by the government per month, approximately one per day. This is at an overall cost of around $10.6 billion.

Amongst these dozens of listings are a number of local 'Pill Hill' contributions. These include Apotex, which received a listing for flucloxacillin for treatment of serious staphylococcal infection and osteomyelitis. In 2018, more than 525,000 patients accessed a previously available brand of antibiotic for this condition and may now benefit from this new listing. And memorably, back on 1 June 2018, the government committed to $241.3 million for Spinraza, made by a local company Biogen. This is a life changing medicine that treats the devastating illness of spinal muscular atrophy. Without subsidy, patients would pay more than $367,000 per year.

Additionally, since October 2013, the government has approved more than 100 new and amended listings for cancer on the PBS at an expected cost of more than $6.6 billion over the forward estimates. Local contributions to the cancer space include some really exciting innovations. MSD's Keytruda is an immunotherapy that could change the game for cancer treatment. It has already been listed for patients with local or advanced metastatic urothelial cancer, saving 430 patients over $91,000 per course of treatment, and many more will benefit as its listings grow. A newcomer to Bennelong, Merck, has had Bavencio listed, at a cost of over $81 million, for the treatment of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and highly aggressive type of skin cancer. This will save 160 patients close to $150,000 a year. In 2019 under the PBS patients will pay a maximum of $40.30 per script, with concessional patients, including pensioners, paying just $6.50.

The Australian government is continuing to meet its commitment to invest in new medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The government will list all medicines that are recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The industry has seen some tough legislative times in recent years, but thanks to an agreement signed by Medicines Australia and the dedication of our current excellent health minister, the future is looking bright for patients who need to access cutting-edge medicines. (Time expired)

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