Laurie Gleeson is one of the estimated 22,000 men living with advanced prostate cancer in Australia. Like many men with an advanced disease, Laurie was left with limited treatment options after his surgery and other treatment failed to stop his prostate cancer. Laurie turned to Zytiga as his only option to extend his life. For many men, the cost of Zytiga is prohibitive but Laurie was fortunate being able to self-fund the $3500-a-month treatment which has resulted in his cancer being slowed considerably.
Laurie recently shared his story to help support the listing of abiraterone on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
You can read more about Laurie’s story here.
For men whose cancer is resistant to androgen deprivation therapy and who have failed chemotherapy, life expectancy is shortened. Abiraterone offers these men and their families improved quality of life, particularly in the later stages of the disease.
There are very few reimbursed treatment options for men with advanced prostate cancer. Abiraterone is the first of a new class of therapies that target the androgen receptor signalling pathway, the major driver of prostate cancer growth. These therapies offer the hope of improved survival and quality of life for men with prostate cancer. In the absence of listing, the cost of some $3,000 per month ($36,000 per annum) would be prohibitive to many of these, usually retired, men and their families.
PCFA is committed to reducing the impact of prostate cancer on the Australian community and ensuring men diagnosed with prostate cancer have the best available treatment options available to them throughout their prostate cancer journey.
