Australian Patient Support – MDS Newsletter
8 Aug. 2013We are in regular touch with our colleagues from the Leukaemia Foundation in Australia.
They published a great newsletter recently – dedicated to MDS – and told us:
“We have a story on a lady who has been lobbying the Australian Government to get lenalidomide funded on a Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) similar to your NICE which may be of interest.”
http://www.leukaemia.org.au/web/aboutdiseases/related_newsletters.php
Australia has a system not too dissimilar to our NICE – and often struggles with the same restrictions.
The issue mentioned in one of the articles about the cost of lenalidomide is being looked at in the UK at the moment, as we are hoping to have a Patient Access Scheme put in place for this drug – the same as for Myeloma.
We are encouraging all parties involved in setting up this scheme to cooperate and find a solution to make this drug accessible in the future to all transfusion dependent del 5q patients who need it.
Currently, lenalidomide is available through the Cancer Drug Fund – until June 2014, when the Value Based Pricing will start being used.
We will post further news as soon as possible.
