venetoclax now listed on Australian PBS

[HannahHugo]

New anti-cancer drug, venetoclax which has the power to ‘melt away’ advanced forms of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) was granted approval by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in January 2017.

The drug will be marketed as VenclextaTM and is approved for Australians with relapsed or refractory CLL with 17p deletion, a mutation that makes the disease resistant to standard treatment, as well as for people with relapsed or refractory CLL who do not have any other treatment options available.

It has now been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme meaning this powerful molecule is now available at a heavily subsidised price.

[Elliot43]

Good news indeed. For those in dire need.

Sheila in Fremantle

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

Here's the Australian Leukaemia Foundation's release regarding this great news for Australians with CLL, including mention of how the foundation funded early research from 2010 on, that led to Venetoclax's development: leukaemia.org.au/media-cent...

"The Leukaemia Foundation funded early work on the precursor to ABT-199. This research, undertaken by Dr Kylie Mason, Professor Andrew Roberts and collaborators at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Melbourne) through the Leukaemia Foundation’s National Research Program Grants-in-Aid 2010 and 2012, assisted in the development of venetoclax."