Analysis of medicines for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer: including a 24 month predicted versus actual analysis of palbociclib, February 2022
Page last updated: 2 September 2022
Drug utilisation sub-committee (DUSC)
February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
To review the utilisation of medicines for locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer (BC) treatments including a predicted versus actual analysis of palbociclib in the first 24 months of R/PBS listing.
Date of listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Palbociclib was first listed on the PBS on 1 May 2019.
Data Source / methodology
Data extracted from the PBS data maintained by Department of Health, processed by Services Australia was used for the analyses.
Key Findings
- The utilisation of palbociclib has been xxxxxxx than predicted. The number of patients supplied palbociclib was 1,540 in Year 1 and 2,261 in Year 2. Of all BC listings, palbociclib had the highest PBS expenditure by 2021 Q3 based on the published list price.
- As at 2021 Q3, there were around 93,000 patients supplied a PBS listing for BC.
- The number of initiating patients on BC listings has remained relatively stable at around 7,500 patients per quarter since 2019 Q3.
- Letrozole, anastrozole and tamoxifen had the highest utilisation to treat hormone receptor positive BC, the most common subtype of breast cancers. Government expenditure on hormone modulating BC treatments, including letrozole, anastrozole, tamoxifen, exemestane and fulvestrant, has significantly reduced over time due to several price reductions have been applied to these listings
