If you're going to pay for reforms, are these the changes you want to pay for?

Australians living with rare and less common cancers are facing significantly greater gaps in care and support than those diagnosed with more common cancers, according to new national survey findings released to mark World Cancer Day.

The association has called on the Federal Government to use the 2026–27 Budget to reverse Australia’s growing lag in access to innovative medicines, warning that patients are increasingly missing out on treatments already available overseas.

AusBiotech and Medicines Australia have established a joint Advanced Therapies Advisory Group to help shape the future of cell and gene therapies in Australia.

JAFA is now seeking a new CEO to build on Angela McKay's achievements, lead the organisation into its next phase, and advance its strategic priorities.

Without whole-of-government action, warned AusBiotech Chief Executive Officer Rebekah Cassidy, Australia may continue to lose ground to countries that have already identified life sciences as a cornerstone of economic growth and national resilience.

The appointment comes at a critical time for the national peak body, it said, which represents more than seven million Australians living with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions.

According to Sandoz Australia and New Zealand General Manager Clint Holland, improving access requires more than adding medicines to the PBS.

Australian company PYC Therapeutics has announced a capital raising of up to $653 million, a scale of funding rarely seen on the Australian Securities Exchange and one that places the Perth-founded biotech among a small group of local life sciences firms able to attract global capital at this magnitude.

The committee emphasised that appropriate use, stakeholder engagement, and a post-listing review after three years would be critical to the sustainability of this new broad-listing model.

The Government has announced an additional $25 billion for public hospitals over five years, representing close to two PBSs, while NDIS spending continues to rise by $1 billion every few months. Can anyone seriously still argue that there is no new money available to invest in medicines? 

"Today, more than 95 per cent of Australians living with cystic fibrosis now have access to a CFTR modulator,” said Elisha Whitfield, Senior Country Manager of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Australia and New Zealand.

Pfizer is urging the Albanese Government to use the 2026–27 Budget to reverse what it describes as chronic underinvestment in the PBS, warning that Australia is falling behind comparable countries on access to innovative medicines and vaccines and squandering large productivity gains in the process.

Better Access Australia’s 2026‑27 pre‑Budget submission argues that Australia’s social services system, while built on solid foundations, has become unfair, inefficient and increasingly out of step with community needs.

It may simply be an isolated case. However, there is an understandable interest in ensuring that the distinction between genuinely impactful listings and administratively modest changes is maintained, particularly given the care the Albanese Government has previously taken to avoid overstating PBS activity.

Amgen Australia and New Zealand is entering a new chapter of leadership, as long-serving Managing Director Gabi Mittas prepares to relocate to the company’s global headquarters in the United States after three years at the helm.

New long-term clinical data presented by Eisai add to growing evidence that LEQEMBI (lecanemab) may continue to slow disease progression in certain adults with early Alzheimer’s disease when treatment is maintained over several years.

According to the spokesperson, agency heads have met periodically since that time to discuss common opportunities and challenges in assessing medicines and health technologies, with the most recent meeting held in September 2025.

One of the more dispiriting aspects of reporting on weight-loss therapies has not been disagreement or scepticism, both of which are essential, but the tone of moral judgement that often attaches itself to the subject.

After four years at the helm of AstraZeneca Australia and New Zealand, Ben McDonald will transition to a global leadership role within the company, marking the next chapter in a career spanning nearly two decades with the organisation.