In welcome news for endometriosis sufferers, patients will soon have access to subsidies for the drug Visanne (dienogest), thanks to the Federal Government. From 1 December, the drug will be available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for Australians living with endometriosis. It is a move that will greatly improve accessibility for a drug that has previously been considered too expensive for many. The drug works to shrink and suppress the growth of abnormal tissue, while also minimising associated symptoms.
So what does this mean in terms of the bottom line? Visanne will be reduced from more than $800 per year for a course of daily tablets to $380 per year, or around $90 per year for pension and concession card holders.
The news is a coup for those living with the disease, who often feel overlooked in terms of the pain. In fact, endometriosis is often described as the ‘silent condition’ due to the fact that sufferers on average can wait for up to 7 years to receive a diagnosis, while they struggle with chronic pain. This, coupled with a lack of awareness and public education, can make women feel isolated and misunderstood.
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The move to subsidise treatment for endometriosis is a big step towards understanding, validating and acknowledging the importance of women’s health in this country.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis, a condition whereby tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the womb and into other parts of the body, often affecting the reproductive organs, bowel and bladder. The often-crippling pain affects more than 1 million Australians annually and accounts for about 40,000 hospital admissions per year.
Symptoms often include, as listed by the World Health Organisation, can include ‘life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility.’
What are specialists saying about the new endometriosis subsidy?
Professor Jason Abbott, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist from the University of NSW welcomed the new subsidy, pointing to an increase of more than 40 per cent in hospital admissions due to endometriosis in the last decade.
“Subsidised access to this medicine will be very welcome news for a large number of women living with this invisible disease,” said Professor Abbott.
“There is no cure for endometriosis, and it can last for decades. Affordable access to treatment options to help control symptoms is extremely important for a patient’s quality of life. Even after surgery, patients will require medication to help manage symptoms4 that could otherwise substantially affect their life, including reduced participation in school, work and social activities,” he said.
Health Minister Mark Butler announced Visanne’s addition to the PBS on Sunday at St Andrews Hospital in Adelaide, joined by medical experts and endometriosis advocates.
“This is a condition that impacts more than a million women — maybe one in seven women and teenage girls, and for too long too many women have been made to suffer in silence,” he said.
“It’s responsible for as many as 40,000 hospitalisations every year, and that number has increased by about 40 per cent just in the last decade — this is a condition becoming more widespread and more debilitating. It is extraordinary to me that the last listing on the PBS for a new treatment for endometriosis was 30 years ago.”
Australians will be able to access these subsidies immediately.
