Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Health. Will the minister update the House on how the government's plan to keep Australia's economy strong is guaranteeing affordable access to life-changing medicines Australians depend upon without having to increase taxes? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches to the supply of treatments recommended by medical experts?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Goldstein, who has been a great advocate for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and, in particular, for better access to new cancer treatments such as immunotherapy. On that front, I was very privileged recently to meet with Peter Suffolk. Peter Suffolk was a gentleman who had been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. It had spread to other parts of his body and he was given six months to live. It was six years ago, however, that he was given six months to live. He was one of the first Australians to receive Keytruda, one of the new immunotherapies, through a trial program.

I met him on the day we listed Keytruda, only two months after it had been recommended by the PBAC for inclusion on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This medicine for non-small cell lung cancer will mean that 850 patients will save up to $188,000 a year and that they have the prospect of a long life. It is a profoundly important thing—something of immense value—that you can only do if you've got a strong economy which actually allows you to deliver these essential services. This is the human face of a strong economy. This is the human face of medical research. It's the human face of all the different things that we do. What Peter said to me that day is that the fact that every Australian who has this condition and qualifies will now have access under the PBS is an absolute gift. He gave thanks that day for what we were able to do.

I'm asked whether or not there are any alternatives. We know from history, sadly, that it has not always been the case that new medicines are listed when the medical experts recommend them. We know that in the 2011 budget the then government deferred the listing of new medicines until fiscal circumstances would permit. That's what happens when you can't run the economy and you can't run a budget. I was doing a little bit of research and I discovered that, following that decision, 60 groups put out a statement saying:

Vital lifesaving medicines are being shelved by the Federal Government—just to keep the Budget in surplus.

They were right about the first, but the surplus was never delivered. They went on to say:

Who were these groups? They were Cancer Voices, the Lung Foundation, the Breast Cancer Network of Australia, MS Australia, Alzheimer's Australia and another 55 groups that I plan to explore in the coming days. So it was the patients who were denied access to medicines by a government and a party that couldn't manage the economy— (Time expired)