A new antibody treatment for severe asthma in children will soon become significantly more affordable for Australian families following its inclusion on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The medication, Dupixent, is administered via fortnightly injections and works by targeting the source of inflammation linked to asthma. It has already delivered transformative results for children like 10-year-old Jak Fishburn from Sydney’s south-west.
Before accessing Dupixent through early compassionate access in March, Jak’s severe asthma limited his ability to participate in school sports. Since starting treatment, however, his condition has improved dramatically. “I could run, I could play more sport,” Jak said, while his mother Sarah added, “It’s just changed our lives completely… within the first month, he didn’t wheeze at all.”
Within two months, Jak no longer needed his preventer medication, and after three months, he had stopped using Ventolin altogether. “We treat him as if he doesn’t have asthma,” Sarah said.
Previously, Dupixent cost around $1,600 per month. With its PBS listing, effective from Monday, the price will drop to $31.60, or $7.70 for concession card holders.
Experts say broader access to the treatment, available to children aged six to eleven, could also ease hospital pressures. Each year, around 13,500 children under 15 are admitted to Australian hospitals due to asthma. “Having another tool available to help prevent those hospitalisations is a really good thing,” said Asthma Australia paediatric adviser Associate Professor Shivanthan Shanthikumar.
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