MEDIA RELEASE
Minister for Health and Ageing
Tony Abbott MHR
19 December 2005 ABB171/05
New PBS drug for cardiovascular diseases
The Commonwealth Government has decided to subsidise a new drug through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to help people with heart disease.
Vytorin® will be available through the PBS from 1 February 2006 for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease, one of the government’s national health priorities, affected 3.7 million Australians (about 18 per cent of the population) in 2003 and caused more than 38 per cent of all deaths.
Rising blood cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Diabetes is another major risk factor as it magnifies the effect of elevated cholesterol. Drug therapy can assist patients to reduce their cholesterol levels.
Vytorin® is a combination of two drugs (ezetimibe and simvastatin), both of which are already available through the PBS. Vytorin® will be listed for the management of high cholesterol levels in patients with coronary heart disease and/or diabetes when cholesterol levels are not adequately controlled with a statin (the usual treatment for high cholesterol).
Access to this drug under the PBS will depend on compliance with sound lifestyle management. The combination tablet will be more convenient and less expensive for patients. It is expected that over 136,000 people will be treated with Vytorin® in the first full financial year of listing and more than 300,000 by 2009-10.
The annual cost to the PBS will be approximately $1,689 per patient for Vytorin®. The listing of Vytorin® is expected to add about $100 million to PBS expenditure between 2005-06 and 2008-09.
Media contact: Kate Miranda, Office of Tony Abbott, 0417 425 227
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