Roche phoned me on 4th August to update me on the Pegasys for MPN issue. I am delighted to announce that Roche made a PBAC submission in late July, requesting UNRESTRICTED ACCESS of Pegasys on the PBS. This means that if approved, Pegasys will be available for prescription for any indictation, including MPN.

I was told Roche used my submission and added their own work on economic modeling, (which included close discussions with Professor Andrew Wilson, Chair of the PBAC) to prepare their PBAC submission. Interestingly, after Roche’s discussions with Prof. Wilson, they have made their submission directly to the PBAC, bypassing the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)! My Roche contact told me this has only ever occured once before, for Rituximab, an oncology/haematology and rhuematoid arthritis drug.

Roche again thanked me for the work I did in my PBAC submission which included references to the scientific literature showing evidence of efficacy for IFN in MPN. I was told that Roche has also obtained feedback from haematologists around Australia on this issue too.

The PBAC have scheduled an out-of-session meeting (not their usual quarterly meeting) in late August, to consider Roche’s Pegasys submission. At this stage, (assuming the PBAC approve it) Roche do not know what the timeline is likely to be before Pegasys is listed on the PBS.

I have been invited to Canberra to attend the CanForum with Rare Cancers Australia on 9 August. I am looking forward to meeting with the Roche employees who prepared Roche’s Pegasys submission and also look forward to speaking with Professor Wilson.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Roche’s PBAC submission is approved in favour of listing Pegasys for MPN on the PBS so those of you who wish to use this medication to treat your MPN can do so soon, cost effectively. I have been in contact with the Leukaemia Foundation on this too, and they plan to send out information to MPN patients and via the LF Facebook page soon, confirming these developments.

Warm wishes to all…Nathalie