About 20,000 Australians suffering type 2 diabetes will be able to swap twice daily injections for a weekly treatment, and save around $1,600 per year under a new medicine to be placed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley announced the new diabetes treatment Exanatide will be subsidised under the PBS from September 1, along with an extra $70 million investment in the scheme for a cervical cancer drug and a treatment for a rare growth disease.
“This is easier, it’s cheaper and most importantly for people with type 2 diabetes, up to 20,000 who can benefit from this treatment, it will avoid long term complications,” Ms Ley said.
“Unfortunately Australia has a very high rate of diabetic amputations, all of which are avoidable.
“This is part of our government’s commitment to listing medicines without fear or favour on the PBS, once advised by our expert committees.”
Diabetes Australia gives tick of approval
The national peak body for diabetes has welcomed the listing.
“What it means is for a lot of people living with type 2 diabetes they have several injections a day and this will actually reduce that to once a week,” the association’s Renza Scibilia said.
“It’s an absolutely huge improvement to quality of life, to ease of treatment as well, and we know that means people are more likely to be using the treatment as it is prescribed by their healthcare professional.”
Women not responding to cervical cancer treatment will have access to the drug Avastin, which will cost the Government $60 million to list on the PBS.
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Top Comments
A change in nutrition has also shown to reverse diabetes, not requiring any medication. Have doctors undertaken this education?
Yes some patients can reverse diabetes if diagnosed early enough. However if the pancreatic beta cells are damaged enough reversal is often impossible which is why type 2 is a progressive disease. Although mostly liked to lifestyle choices, genetics also plays a very large role in type 2 diabetes. As a qualified dietitian I can tell you only a small number of people can reverse the impacts of diabetes in full with lifestyle changes.
"Twice daily injections" means insulin and is a very advanced stage if the disease when the pancreas is exhausted and WAY beyond any stage of dietary intervention. So yes, (I) doctors know this stuff.
I agree that we are talking about people here with more advanced diabetes but you are not 100% correct. Exenatide is a GLP1 Agonist (not an insulin) that is injected twice daily. This new product is a once weekly formulation of the same drug. I'm just clarifying as often people assume all injected diabetes medicines are insulin, which is not always the case :)
What, you think there are only 20,000 Type 2 diabetics in Australia and they can all magically reverse their condition with diet control? I think you need to do some education on the progression of this disease.
Your comment is kinda like telling late stage MS sufferers they can counteract the effects with an exercise program, or wondering whether doctors have considered providing sudoku puzzles to patients with advanced dementia.
This medication is amazing for many people with Type 2 Diabetes. Yes it is a weekly injection but it provides outstanding glucose control and significant weight reduction for patients also.