Cheaper IVF and endometriosis treatments on PBS pledged by Labor
Endometriosis Australia medical director Anusch Yazdani said the listing of Ryeqo would increase its uptake among women, especially those facing financial hardship or living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
“One of the biggest barriers to accessing Ryeqo has been the cost,” he said. “It’s also taken orally, so it’s easier to take than some of the existing treatments on the PBS, and has a better side-effect profile.”
Women undergoing IVF will also get earlier – and more affordable – access to a form of treatment from the start of their IVF journeys. From April 1, women with low levels of specific reproductive hormones will have access through the PBS to a combination of treatments, known as Pergoveris, which was previously funded only in later IVF cycles.
They will also be able to get double the maximum number of Pergoveris pens per script – four instead of two – expected to benefit more than 6000 women. Without the PBS listing, four Pergoveris pens, the amount required by many to complete a cycle, would cost more than $3500. With the PBS subsidy, it will only cost up to $31.60.
An Adelaide-based medical director and fertility specialist at Repromed Fertility Clinic, Juliette Koch, said she saw the challenges faced by women on a daily basis, and the additional listings would help more women use the treatments that worked for them.
“These treatments, from contraceptives to fertility treatments, are used by thousands of women across various phases of their lives, for 20 or 30 years, but come with different side-effect profiles for different people,” she said. “So it’s important to have more affordable options. I think these changes will have a really significant impact.”
