$190,000 combination therapy for blood cancer listed on the PBS
The 15-month therapy represents a new approach in treating blood and bone marrow cancers, says Professor Con Tam.
A new combination therapy to treat both chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma is now available on the PBS.
Fifteen months of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) plus venetoclax tablets — an all-oral, fixed-duration combination therapy — until now, had cost patients around $190,000.
Imbruvica is designed to reduce tumour growth and increase the body’s sensitivity to venetoclax, which breaks down the protective processes of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) cells, leading to cancer cell destruction.
Almost 2000 cases of CLL and SLL are diagnosed each year in Australia.
