Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister of Health. Will the minister outline to the House how a stronger economy enables the government to make available life-changing medicines for cystic fibrosis on the PBS that, without this subsidy, would be unaffordable?

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

I want to thank the member for Bass, who, even before she came to this place, was passionate about support for patients with cystic fibrosis. During the course of the campaign, she and the Prime Minister met with 12-year-old Luke Emery in northern Tasmania, a young boy with cystic fibrosis who's a beneficiary of Orkambi. Orkambi is a medicine that we, along with the Prime Minister, were able to list last year. That medicine would otherwise cost approximately a quarter of a million dollars and be beyond the reach of virtually every patient. Luke has his future before him because of that medicine.

I know that the member for Bass, along with many others, has been an unstinting advocate for further and better action for cystic fibrosis and other issues. We know that it's very important that we can afford to do these things. Previously, in 2011, as was well discussed during the course of the last parliament, a previous government stopped listing new medicines, including for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, when at the time they said they had run out of funding, or 'due to fiscal circumstances' they were unable to list further medicines until such time as fiscal circumstances permitted. Fortunately, the fiscal circumstances are strong. I want to thank and acknowledge the work of the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the finance minister and, above all else, the Australian people who have been able to do this to allow these medicines to be listed.

In that context, I am delighted that yesterday we were able to announce Kalydeco, which is a new medicine for cystic fibrosis for beautiful young children between 12 and 24 months of age. These beautiful children would otherwise not have had access to a medicine that would cost $300,000 per year. Because of the capacity to have the PBS on a strong, clear footing these medicines are now available. From 1 August Kalydeco will be available. Yesterday I met young children such as Anna and Scarlett. Scarlett is a five-year-old, as bright as a button, from Tasmania. With Scarlett what we saw is something very special. This young girl had been through the situation of early access to Kalydeco. Her health is better, her lungs are better and her life is before her, and that is what this government is about.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about Symdeko? You're not going to list Symdeko?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon will cease interjecting.

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

We do the things we do to strengthen the economy so we can afford these medicines and we afford these medicines so as we never do what happened under a previous government, where they stopped listing medicines for COPD and asthma. That's the difference between what we do and what happened on his watch.