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Members: Quality submissions to PBAC on Apalutamide (Erleada®) required.


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The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) is considering a request from the vendor, Janssen, that the drug Apalutamide (Erlyand® in Australia, Erleada® in USA) be put on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for men who need it.

 

We have always been careful that submissions to the PBAC from members are high quality and address the points the PBAC wishes.

 

However, another disease has recently flooded the PBAC with thousands of low quality submissions (because of a social media campaign), greatly increasing the workload. So the PBAC is now especially sensitive to lower quality submissions.

 

To ensure your submission will interest the PBAC:

 

1. Tell clearly why you, or someone you care about, has an interest:

  • you are currently non-metastatic, castrate resistant.
  • you have been non-metastatic, castrate resistant in the past, but missed out on the benefits of Apalutamide, OR
  • you may be non-metastatic, castrate resistant in the future.

 

2. The PBAC asks that your submission address:

  • How does this condition/disease affect quality of life?
  • What would you most like to see from this treatment? Improved side effects? Slowing disease progression? More mobility? Other benefits?
  • If you have used or prescribed this new medicine, what was your experience of the beneficial effects?
  • If you have used or prescribed this new medicine, what side effects or toxicities did you experience or observe?
  • If you haven't used the new medicine yet, what are your expectations of it?
  • If you use other currently available therapies or medicines you use to manage your condition (or for prescribers, for your patient’s condition), what are the benefits and/ or the challenges?

 

3. For your understanding (not for the submission):

  • There is currently no other approved treatment for men who are castrate resistant, but have no metastases visible on a standard bone scan or CT scan.
  • In the trial of Apalutamide (Erlyand® in Australia, Erleada® in USA), half the men on the drug still had no sign of metastases at 40.5 months. In contrast, half the men on the placebo (dummy tablets) reached this point after 16.2 months. Thats a bit over 2 years longer before moving to the next stage.
  • A castrate resistant man whose metastases are smaller than would be found on a standard bone scan or CT scan may, I imagine, (and I am not a doctor) still qualify for this drug even if tiny metastases had been found by more sensitive scans like the PSMA Gallium-68 CT/PET scan.

 

4. Submissions may be made here:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/pbac_online_submission_form

 

5. Closing date for consumer comments is:

Wednesday 3 October 2018.

 

 

 

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