Perjeta to be listed on the PBS from 1 July 2026

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) welcomes the announcement that Perjeta (pertuzumab) will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 July 2026 for eligible Australians with HER2-positive high-risk early breast cancer.

For the approximately 2,500 Australians diagnosed each year who may benefit from this treatment – including many members of the BCNA community – the listing will finally remove a significant financial barrier to access.

This is welcome news for many members of our community.

However, it also highlights a broader issue that continues to affect access to breast cancer medicines in Australia.

Clinical evidence supporting pertuzumab in early breast cancer has been available since 2010–2011, with adjuvant trial results available from 2017. The medicine received regulatory approval overseas in 2013 and was approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration in 2018. Yet Australians have waited until 2026 for subsidised access through the PBS.

During that time, some women and families have paid many thousands – and in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars to access treatment privately. Others simply went without.

BCNA Director of Policy, Advocacy and Support Services, Vicki Durston, said today's announcement is an important milestone, but it should also prompt broader conversations about how Australians access new cancer medicines.

“We welcome this announcement, but we cannot ignore how long Australian women have waited,” said BCNA Director of Policy, Advocacy and Support Services, Vicki Durston.

“Perjeta was approved by the TGA in 2018. It was recommended by PBAC in March 2025. Yet women have had to wait a further 433 days for PBS funding to be confirmed.

 "This reflects a broader issue we're seeing across breast cancer medicines. Whether it's Perjeta, tucatinib or Zoladex, women are being caught between government processes, commercial decisions and pricing negotiations. Patients should not be the ones carrying the cost of delay."

“Pricing negotiations are part of maintaining a sustainable PBS, but when recommended medicines remain out of reach for months or years, the system is not working for patients.

“Some women paid thousands of dollars. Some paid tens of thousands. Others missed out entirely. That is not equitable access.

“Government and pharmaceutical companies both have a role to play. The PBS must remain strong and sustainable, but we also need a better way to ensure Australians can access recommended cancer medicines in a timely way.”

BCNA acknowledges the patients, clinicians, researchers and advocates who continued to push for equitable access throughout this lengthy process. We also acknowledge the women for whom this announcement comes too late.

Today’s listing is good news for future patients. But it also reinforces the urgent need for a more timely, transparent and patient-centred medicines access system in Australia.