Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Brockman, for that important question. The PBS is a service that Australians can rely on. It brings into reach medicines that otherwise would be unaffordable for so many Australians.

Since coming to government in 2013, we have subsidised close to $10 billion worth of new medicines. We've added over 1,900 new and amended listings to the PBS, which equates to almost one medicine added to the PBS every single day. Because we brought the budget back under control and more Australians off the welfare side of the ledger onto the tax-paying side of the ledger—the best figures in 25 years—we can afford to put more into medicines on the PBS.

In the budget this year we are investing another $2.4 billion in new medicines. Our new $2.4 billion investment builds on other recent investments, including another $250 million to make four life-saving cancer medicines available to thousands of Australian patients. These are drugs that will make a profound difference to our fellow Australians who face the daily battle against cancer. It will support a thousand patients with a type of head and neck cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, who will benefit with the listing of Opdivo. Mr David Littlewood from Queensland said of this drug:

Immunotherapy was my last chance to tackle terminal cancer …

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I was fortunate enough to be given that opportunity … as otherwise there was no chance.

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It is a life-saving therapy. I would just be another number if it weren't for it …

Two hundred and twenty patients suffering from subtypes of lymphoma cancer will benefit from the listing of Imbruvica, saving patients $134,000. More than 1,500 patients who are currently receiving chemotherapy for cancer treatment will benefit from Neulasta. One thousand, one hundred and twenty-five patients will benefit from not having to pay $18,000 a year with the listing of— (Time expired).