THE Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, Mark Butler, has announced the listing of Johnson & Johnson's Darzalex (daratumumab) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) as an initial treatment for multiple myeloma.
Darzalex is a first-of-its-kind targeted immunotherapy that works by attaching to a signalling molecule on the surface of a multiple myeloma cell, triggering the patient's immune system to attack.
The drug can be prescribed for people newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are not eligible for stem cell transplantation, and will be used in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone.
With more than 2,600 new diagnoses each year, Australia has one of the highest multiple myeloma incidence and death rates in the world.
Clinicians have welcomed the subsidy, which would otherwise cost $150,000 for the first year and $84,000 annually thereafter.
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