Tumour-starving drug, Avastin – which works to prevent cancer growth, ended its Australian patent in mid-2020 and will be replaced on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) by a biosimilar drug as of 1 June 2021.
This new drug is comparable to Avastin for patients in terms of functionality and price. We recommend speaking with your healthcare professional with any questions or concerns.
Roche Pharmaceuticals – Avastin’s manufacturer – released the following statement:
PBS changes for Avastin
On Friday 16th April, 2021 the Department of Health (DOH) notified Roche Products Pty Limited (Roche Australia) that a biosimilar brand of bevacizumab will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1st June 2021.
As a result of the local price reduction, Roche will be removing Avastin® (bevacizumab) from the PBS. Biosimilar bevacizumab will be reimbursed for all of its currently approved indications.
Our decision to withdraw Avastin bears no correlation to the safety or efficacy of this product, which has been available for Australian patients for over 15 years.
The removal of Avastin is the result of local price reductions that make the availability of Avastin unsustainable in the market. Price reductions are a part of the normal lifecycle of innovator medicines which allow the PBS to continue to invest in new and innovative therapeutics.
We are proud of the impact Avastin has had on Australian patients and are extremely grateful to the clinical and patient communities who helped make this possible. -END-.
In 2019, our Foundation successfully lead the brain cancer community to advocate for the drug, Avastin to be listed onto the PBS.
Thank you to our entire community for your tireless advocacy involved in the initial campaign to progress Avastin onto the PBS.
