Affordable medication for women's health coming soon

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An IVF medication, contraceptive pill and an endometriosis treatment are all set to become cheaper in Australia, potentially changing the lives of thousands of women.

From 1 May, endometriosis medication Ryeqo, IVF medication Pergoveris and the Slinda contraceptive pill will all be added to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Ryeqo?

Ryeqo is a new endometriosis treatment option for people who have experienced moderate to severe pain and cannot get adequate relief from other hormonal treatments and painkillers.

About 8,500 Australian women are expected to benefit annually when it is listed on the PBS.

About one in seven Australian women suffer from endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body. It can affect fertility and cause debilitating pain.

Symptoms are variable and contribute to an average delay in diagnosis of six-and-a-half years, according to Endometriosis Australia.

Which IVF treatment is becoming cheaper?

Women with low levels of specific hormones will be able to access Pergoveris for $32 per treatment cycle from their first IVF cycle, rather than having to wait for multiple failures.

Each unsubsidised cycle costs about $3,500.

The announcement was welcomed amid Australia’s birth rate falling to a record-low 1.5 babies per woman.

“The cost of assisted reproduction remains a major barrier for many families, particularly amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis,” Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand president Petra Wale said

“Fewer financial and logistical hurdles mean more families can focus on what truly matters — having a baby.”

The contraceptive pill becoming cheaper

The new subsidies will also cut the costs of the progestogen-only contraceptive pill Slinda, which is used by about 80,000 people.

Under the PBS, the annual cost of Slinda will drop from about $320 to about $94 for general patients or $22 for concession card holders.

The absence of estrogen in the pill makes it particularly suitable for older women, smokers, women at increased risk of blood clots and those who suffer migraine attacks.

Changes will ‘improve quality of life’

The listings would improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Australian women, Health Minister Mark Butler said.

“Women have asked government to take their health care seriously, and we have listened,” he said.

“These listings could save women and their families thousands of dollars across their lifetimes.”

Mark Butler said changes to the PBS will improve the lives of many Australian women. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

He dismissed criticism about delayed action after a government advisory committee recommended in March 2024 that Ryeqo be added to the subsidy scheme.

“They’ve all been dealt with expeditiously,” Mr Butler told Nine’s Weekend Today program.

“Over the nine years of (the coalition) government, not a single new pill, not a single endometriosis treatment, not a single menopause treatment (was added).”

The Opposition said it was not good enough to leave women waiting for more than a year for “potentially life-changing medications”.

“Prioritising women’s health remains a top priority of the coalition, as we remain strongly committed to our longstanding policy of listing all PBAC-recommended medicines on the PBS, and in a timely manner,” opposition health spokeswoman Senator Anne Ruston said.