Analysis of cemiplimab for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, June 2025
Page last updated: 2 December 2025
Drug utilisation sub-committee (DUSC)
June 2025
Abstract
Purpose
To review the utilisation of cemiplimab Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listed for metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (mCSCC or laCSCC) for patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation, as requested by DUSC at its February 2025 meeting.
Date of listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Cemiplimab was first listed on the PBS for mCSCC, laCSCC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on 1 November 2022.
Data Source / methodology
Data extracted from the PBS claims database maintained by the Department of Health and Aged Care and processed by Services Australia were used for the analyses. Data were extracted for prescriptions supplied from 1 November 2022 (the PBS listing date for cemiplimab) up to the end of March 2025 for cemiplimab.
Key Findings
- There were 1,535 patients treated with cemiplimab for CSCC in the first year of listing, and 1,930 in the second year. These figures were different than predicted at the time of PBS listing.
- The number of cemiplimab prescriptions supplied under the CSCC item code has been steadily increasing since PBS listing. There were 12,819 prescriptions supplied in the first year of listing and 15,633 in the second year.
- The mean ages for patients at initiation were 76 for males and 78 for females, in line with the epidemiology of the condition.
- The median length of treatment for cemiplimab was 8.9 months (38.6 weeks) excluding breaks in supply indicating that the duration of treatment was overestimated at the time of listing.
