Cost to be slashed for lifesaving heart medication
Pat Darrigan was healthy and fit, but a few years ago started feeling like something was wrong. I first noticed an issue walking home from the railway station up a hill I noticed running out of breath. He was diagnosed with the rare heart disease transthyretin amyloidosis. The disease causes an abnormal protein to build up in the heart, causing the heart muscles to thicken and stop working properly. Left untreated, it leads to heart failure, with patients on average given just three to five years to live. It came as quite a shock. It begged the question, why me? The disease effects more than 1000 Australians. But treatment, a drug called tafamitis, costs $120,000 each year, extremely difficult for family members to watch the steady deterioration of their dear 1 knowing there’s a treatment available but which is too costly. Coming federal budget means the drug will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and cost just a fraction of the price. This medicine costs $122,000 for a course of treatment, which is obviously well beyond the means of most Australian families. Now it’s listed on the PBS. Patients will pay no more than a $30 script. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s really amazing for me to be able to tell them that, look, it’s now available. It just shows you that positive things do occur. And you just have to be you have to have the faith in that. While the drug isn’t a cure, it does slow down the disease, meaning people like Pat can be around for years to come. Amanda Kopp, 9 News.