Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister For Health, Senator Farrell. Minister, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme provides all Australians with access to affordable, essential prescription medicines. How is the Albanese government helping Australians to access cheaper medicines, including in my home state of Tasmania?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Bilyk—two consecutive questions from Tasmanian senators about health in that great state. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is a vital lifeline to affordable medicines for millions of Australians. Labor introduced the scheme and will continue to support it.

In July 2020, we lowered the PBS safety net threshold by 25 per cent. This means pensioners and other concession card holders will pay just $5 a week, on average, for all of their yearly PBS medicines. In the first six months of 2023, 940,000 concession card holders reached that threshold, meaning that they won't pay a single cent for their PBS medicines for the rest of the year.

In fact, Australians have saved $180 million on more than $16 million of cheaper prescriptions over the period January to September 2023. In your home state of Tasmania, Senator Bilyk, $4 million has been saved on 337,000 cheaper scripts. In the ACT, $4.5 million has been saved on 400,000 cheaper scripts. In New South Wales, $56 million has been saved on five million cheaper scripts. In the Northern Territory, $1 million has been saved on 100,000 cheaper scripts. In Queensland, $35 million has been saved on $3 million worth of cheaper scripts. In Victoria, $46 million has been saved on four million cheaper scripts. In my home state of South Australia, $12 million has been saved on one million cheaper scripts. Unlike those opposite, Labor believes in affordable medicine and easing the cost-of-living pressures. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, first supplementary question?

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that answer, Minister. It's estimated that more than 480,000 Australians are afflicted with heart failure, with around 60,000 new diagnoses made every year. The Albanese government recently listed the drug Jardiance on the PBS. How will listing this medicine on the PBS impact on the lives of Australians with chronic heart failure?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bilyk for her first supplementary question. Heart failure is a progressive chronic disease where the heart muscle struggles to provide enough blood around the body. This leaves people fatigued, short of breath and at increased risk of being hospitalised and dying. Until now, treatment options have been extremely limited, but on 1 November a new medicine, Jardiance, was added to the PBS, with around 98,000 Australians expected to benefit. Together with standard care, this new treatment is expected to reduce the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure and cardiovascular death. Concession patients will pay just $7.30, and general patients $30, for this new treatment. This is all part of our government's commitment to making medicines cheaper.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, second supplementary?

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, thank you for that answer, Minister. Around 20,000 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Recently, the Albanese government listed Enhertu on the PBS. How will listing this drug on the PBS help Australian women living with breast cancer?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bilyk for her second supplementary question. Around 20,000 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Around one in five of these women are diagnosed with metastatic cancer, an aggressive form of cancer. On 1 November, the government listed a new drug, Enhertu, on the PBS to treat patients who have been diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Around 580 Australians are expected to benefit from this listing each year—Australians who, without a subsidy, might pay more than $425,000 per course for the treatment. The PBS listing means that eligible patients will pay a maximum of $30 per script or just $7.30 with a concession card. The listing of— (Time expired)