PBS should fund drug to treat breast cancer, endometriosis and gender dysphoria, experts recommend

Triptorelin, already listed for prostate cancer, should have unrestricted use, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The federal government should fund treatment for thousands of women with breast cancer or endometriosis, and children with gender dysphoria, according to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme’s advisory committee. The committee met urgently in July in response to AstraZeneca’s announcement it would remove Zoladex from the market, risking leaving more than 7,500 women with breast cancer without an alternative treatment. It recommended making the drug triptorelin – PBS listed since 2006 for prostate cancer – unrestricted, funding it for all uses. The government has historically implemented committee recommendations. Both drugs block the release of oestrogen and testosterone, which can be a necessary part of treatment, or fertility preservation, for some forms of cancer and are considered essential medicines by the World Health Organization. They can also be used to treat endometriosis and to block puberty, for either precocious puberty or gender