Respiratory physicians are hopeful there might be some relaxation of the current requirement to wait six months before transferring patients with severe asthma from one biologic to another.
The PBAC, which met with key stakeholders including industry representatives in December 2018, have recently made public the meeting outcome statement.
It says the six-month treatment break was originally based on the omalizumab restriction and then subsequently applied to switching between other biologics.
“The treatment interval applies regardless of the reason for switching, including if the switch is due to adverse events, partial or non-responsiveness or patient/clinician choice,” the statement said.
The TSANZ and the Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma have both proposed a shorter interval would be more appropriate.
Professor Peter Wark, from the Centre and the University of Newcastle, told the limbic he felt the six months was relatively arbitrary.
“We’re very much hoping that the PBAC will consider, based on the submissions that are currently in place, a relaxation of that six month rule to allow transfers of patients from one biologic to another particularly in the setting of adverse events but also just in terms of changing from one class to another.”