People with advanced bowel cancer and their families to benefit from the PBS listing of Avastin

From today, Australians with advanced bowel cancer will have the opportunity to benefit from a treatment that can, in combination with chemotherapy, improve their quality of life and give them more time to spend with loved ones.

Bowel Cancer Australia has welcomed the listing of Avastin (a cancer drug which works to reduce, and potentially stop, the growth of new blood vessels to a tumor) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The PBS listing is set to benefit around 1,710 additional people every year.

Julien Wiggins, CEO of Bowel Cancer Australia said "We are very pleased that the PBS has approved Avastin. People with advanced bowel cancer and their families will no longer be faced with the decision of whether to place themselves or their families in debt to fund treatment, or to decline treatment."

Our charity receives requests from families, friends and communities regarding fundraising events in support of the cost of a patient’s treatment.

At $55, 000 per annum, however, the cost remained prohibitive for many. Through the listing, new sufferers will pay around $33 for each treatment.

Mr Wiggins added that "prolonging quality life enables people with advanced bowel cancer to normalise their lives in many ways. They can return to work, continue to support their family, and spend precious time with loved ones at a point in their lives when every day counts. The listing of Avastin offers renewed hope to Australians with advanced bowel cancer and their families."

Improving the lives of patients with bowel cancer through recognition of the value of prolonged, quality life is one of the aims of the Bowel Caner 2012 Challenge presented to Government on 7 May 2009.

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About Bowel Cancer Australia

Bowel Cancer Australia is a charity working to reduce the impact of bowel cancer in our society through awareness, education, support and medical research. Through our work we aim to help save lives from this common cancer, Australia’s second biggest cancer killer. Bowel cancer affects men and women equally, of any age. 80 people die every week from the disease, and 1 in 12 of us will receive a bowel cancer diagnosis during our lifetime.

Charity initiatives such as Bowel Cancer Awareness Week, the ‘It’s Crunch Time’ and ‘Love my Family’ campaigns, and the Health in the Workplace Program raise awareness among general practitioners, pharmacists, and the community about the critical importance of early detection and intervention in the successful treatment of bowel cancer.

Visit http://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org for more information.

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