AusBiotech–Proto Axiom alliance aims to fast-track Australia’s next wave of biotech innovators

CSL has taken another step in its push to expand its portfolio of innovative therapies, announcing a new licensing agreement with Eli Lilly that could broaden the future reach of its monoclonal antibody candidate, clazakizumab.

The program is funded by Novo Nordisk through its 'Cities for Better Health' initiative, which partners with cities worldwide to tackle chronic disease through prevention and healthier urban living.

People in New Zealand living with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia may soon gain funded access to modern targeted therapies under a new proposal from Pharmac.

Australian pharmaceutical manufacturer IDT says it is beginning to show tangible signs of recovery after a period of leadership change and financial pressure, reporting improved earnings and renewed operational momentum in the first half of the financial year 2026.

Australia’s PBS decision-making framework was built to make difficult decisions fairly, in theory. The reality is that decisions made ethically consistent within this framework can produce outcomes that are intrinsically unethical because of their intolerable human impact. At that point, where the consequence is suffering or death, they become immoral.

The PBS has come under renewed scrutiny in Washington after the U.S. pharmaceutical industry used a submission to call for Australia’s inclusion on its Priority Watch List.

The proposal, led by Advanced Pharmacy Australia, argues that medicine shortages are no longer isolated incidents but a persistent structural challenge for the health system.

As global health leaders gather in Sydney for this week’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Summit, one message is clear. The world is running out of time to address the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant infections.

Recently elected Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has confirmed that South Australian senator Anne Ruston will remain responsible for the health and aged care portfolio, signalling continuity in the Coalition’s approach to two of the country's most politically sensitive policy areas.

Concerns that US tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals could deliver a major blow to the economy appear overstated, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest assessment of Australia’s outlook, which instead points to rising and mostly unavoidable health spending as the far more significant long-term policy challenge.

“This is an important treatment option and today is a proud day for CSL Seqirus as an Australian company,” said CSL Seqirus Executive Medical Director Dr Jonathan Anderson. “We look forward to seeing decision-makers assess our application for funding so that more Australians can access NEFFY.”

The life sciences sector will come together in March 2026 for a major show of support for women’s leadership, as AusBiotech and Medicines Australia expand their partnership to deliver both the long-running Women in Life Sciences Luncheon and, for the first time, a dedicated Leadership Summit.

Remuneration for board directors in Australia’s listed healthcare and biotechnology sector increased materially in the financial year 2025, with growth driven largely by the expanding use of equity-based incentives rather than increases in base fees.

Health Minister Mark Butler has confirmed that the Albanese Government has approved new and expanded Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listings to improve access to treatments for Australians living with cystic fibrosis, chronic kidney disease, and psoriasis.

Mark Butler made this point at the recent GBMA Summit. He is currently grappling with the PBAC's recommendation to reimburse a GLP-1 therapy for weight loss. The minister essentially acknowledged that he has to find the money, which is the nature of the system. Simply arguing for more without a focus on how to achieve it is frankly akin to a beauty pageant contestant calling for world peace.

As Sussan Ley exits politics, her tenure as health minister is best remembered for driving some of the most structurally significant reforms to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in decades, reshaping pricing, governance, industry engagement, and patient access despite at times intense opposition.

The Kosi Challenge has grown into one of the country’s most inspiring community fundraising events, bringing together patients, families, corporate teams and individual supporters with a shared goal: ensuring no one faces cancer alone.

If a system requires a decade of so-called continuous improvement to address access timelines and delivers no discernible change, or at least evidence of it, that suggests either a serious, enduring problem or a limited impact of the effort.

Reflect on Susan Ley’s legacy as a former health minister, especially the 2015 PBS Access and Sustainability Package. She was treated rudely and unfairly, and that meaningful ecosystem reform has since stalled. Critique Senate Estimates, noting that departmental witnesses were evasive and overly defensive, with patients largely absent from the conversation. The discussion expands to reform and the lack of patient rights. Also note the troubling political rhetoric about medical information and regulation. Close by teasing upcoming upgrades to the BPD website.