MOGA Oncology Drugs Working Group Update
12 May 2025
The MOGA Oncology Drugs Working Group continues to be actively engaged in activities aimed at enhancing access to oncology medicines of high clinical value for Australian individuals with cancer.
Advocacy and Engagement with PBAC and Department of Health
The group maintains a proactive role in reviewing PBAC agenda. Dr Anupriya Agarwal and Dr Lucy Corke currently lead the development of submissions provided to the PBAC, highlighting medicines that are of high priority for PBS listing. The feedback from the PBAC is that these are the most useful submissions provided by a professional organisation.
The group also recently provided the PBAC and Department of Health with a list of older cancer medicines that are considered standard of care but not PBS listed (e.g. mitomycin for anal squamous cell carcinoma). MOGA is hopeful this significant body of work will result in the PBS listing of most of these older medicines reducing inequity of access to them.
At the request of PBAC chair Dr Robyn Ward, the group is also currently reviewing the entire list of PBS listed cancer medicines and offering a list of clinically meaningful and evidence-based changes to listings to again improve access to high value cancer medicines (e.g. removing the requirement for trifluridine/tipiracil to be prescribed as a “sole” medicine allowing it to be used in combination with bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancers).
The group will also continue to work with the Health Technology Assessment Review Implementation Advisory Group to ensure reforms are aimed at improving outcomes that matter to patients.
Addressing Drug Shortages
MOGA is actively collaborating with the TGA Shortages Section to develop better policy regarding national drug shortages to ensure patients can access key cancer medicines when they need to. Dr Jennifer Soon recently contributed suggestions to the review of minimum stockholding requirements in Australia aimed at attempting to avoid the shortages in vital drugs like the recent problems with carboplatin and capecitabine. The group will also work with the TGA to develop an essential oncology drugs list to the TGA.
Bridging Funding Coalition
Members of the Oncology Drugs Working Group and other MOGA members continue to be active in the work of the Bridging Funding Coalition. This is a collaborative initiative comprising patient advocacy groups, clinicians, researchers, and pharmaceutical industry representatives. Its primary goal is to expedite patient access to new, high-value medicines by introducing a temporary funding mechanism that bridges the gap between a medicine's approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and its subsidization through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). You can find out more about the group’s work here: https://www.bridgingfundingaustralia.com.au/
Other news
MOGA would like to congratulate Oncology Drugs Working Group member Dr Sam Stevens for being successful in his application to become one of the Common Sense Oncology Fellows! Sam is the first Australian to hold the role and will be spending 12 months in Kingston, Canada at the University of Queens with Dr Chris Booth and Dr Bishal Gyawali. Sam is taking his young family on the adventure.
Dr Deme Karikios
MOGA Oncology Drugs Working Group