Other Health

The minister focused on NDIS reform at this week's National Press Club address, suggesting that it is taking up a lot of his time. Implementing the HTA Review will be one side of a two-sided coin. While it might frustrate some, it represents a unique opportunity to secure positive outcomes from an inevitable negotiation.

Pharmaceutical companies manage a delicate balance between an instinctive want to ensure patients can access their medicines via the PBS and commercial realities in a system defined by its power asymmetry.

This October, two flagship AusBiotech events will take place during Australia's biggest week in biotech, connecting innovators with investors and industry leaders.

“Assessment timeframes for most categories of medicine are now similar to the timeframes required in Australia. We often use compare ourselves to Australia, and in this area we have caught up,” said Associate Health Minister David Seymour.  

Draft guidance from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has proposed a significant shake-up of diabetes treatment, including earlier access to weight loss therapies and broader access to continuous glucose monitoring.

The HTA Review's final report recommended that consideration be given to allowing the PBAC to conditionalise its recommendations. Why? An analysis reveals the committee is already explicitly conditionalising its recommendations, making them effectively provisional.

Based on the analysis of its November 2013 meeting, there were no real references to conditions in the economic or pricing sections of the PBAC's Public Summary Documents. At the November 2024 meeting, there were 160.

LTR Pharma said that the publication provides independent validation of SPONTAN's differentiated profile, showing peak plasma concentrations in approximately 10 minutes versus 45 minutes for conventional oral tablets.

Neurizon Therapeutics (ASX:NUZ) has reported positive topline results from the Open-Label Extension study of its lead candidate NUZ-001 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is the primary form of motor neurone disease.

Invion (ASX:IVX) has announced that the US FDA has granted orphan drug designation to INV043 for the treatment of anal cancer.

According to the department's spokesperson, "The HTA Implementation Advisory Group is considering the use of AI as part of its advice to government and how it can be leveraged to support Health Technology Assessments in the future."

CSL reported strong profit growth for the past year, but has launched several strategic initiatives, including separating its vaccine business into a standalone company and reducing the number of plasma collection centres in the US.