HEALTH Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday the funding for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listing of a therapy for sufferers of seizures associated with a rare genetic disease.
Affinitor (everolimus) from Novartis helps patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); they are afflicted with benign tumours impacting the nervous system and frequently experience as many as 50 seizures a day.
Also newly PBS-listed is Otsuka Australia Pharmaceuticals' Jinarc (tolvaptan) which is now being reimbursed for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) which is estimated to affect about 10,000 Australian patients.
Jinarc blocks the activity of the naturally occurring hormone vasopressin, which is elevated in ADPKD patients and contributes to the growth of cysts on the kidneys.
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