AstraZeneca has announced steps to maintain patient access to a low-dose ZOLADEX (goserelin) implant following its pending removal from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The impacted medicine ZOLADEX is a monthly 3.6mg implant used in certain hormone-dependent cancers and other conditions where hormone suppression is indicated. AstraZeneca said its announcement aims to ensure that eligible patients who lack alternative treatment pathways will receive the therapy at no cost through the company’s access arrangement beginning 1 November 2026.
“We understand that maintaining continuity of care is essential,” an AstraZeneca spokesperson said. The company added that it “remain[s] committed to supporting access to the ZOLADEX (goserelin) monthly (3.6mg) implant as a treatment option for eligible patients without alternative treatment pathways. For these patients, AstraZeneca is providing free access to the ZOLADEX (3.6mg) monthly implant in Australia from 1 November 2026.”
The company said that there is no planned time limit on the free access program and that it is working to expand the PBS listing of the higher 10.8mg ZOLADEX implant. It said there are no foreseeable implications for the higher dose of the withdrawal of the 3.6mg implant.
“The decision to discontinue the ZOLADEX monthly (3.6mg) implant from Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) reflects the way the PBS currently works, which means that the price offered is too low, making it unsustainable to supply the medicine on the PBS,” the AstraZeneca spokesperson said.
ZOLADEX is off-patent, but no generics have been listed on the PBS. While it remains in the single-brand F1 formulary, its reimbursement price has been significantly impacted since 2016 by statutory price reductions.
