Every year, 20,000 Australians receive a melanoma diagnosis. The heartbreakingly high rates of this deadly disease have led to the addition of Opdualag, a cutting-edge treatment for recurrent melanoma, to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This move is expected to benefit about 940 patients annually, as it will make the treatment available at a government-subsidised price.
Without the subsidy, the same patients could pay about $315,000 per course of treatment. Health Minister Mark Butler says this new listing will expand options for those with skin cancer and will provide much-needed hope for those battling melanoma.
This news is particularly welcome for melanoma patient Felicity Lloyd, who understands the tremendous financial burden that comes with her medical condition. Diagnosed with advanced melanoma in 2017, after thinking she had beaten cancer four years earlier, Lloyd knows the importance of affordable access to treatment.
She emphasizes that overcoming cancer often requires multiple, costly treatments and therefore, she welcomes the new addition to the PBS. She says, “It took multiple treatments for me to achieve no evidence of disease. Treatment and access to treatment is improving all the time.”
Melanoma Institute Australia co-medical director Georgina Long stresses the importance of prevention, acknowledging that while immunotherapy is changing treatment approaches, there is more work to be done. The addition of Opdualag to the PBS is a step in the right direction, providing more affordable access to life-saving treatment for those battling recurrent melanoma.