PBS listing expands access to topical tacrolimus for eczema
Tacrolimus will be available from 1 October for patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.
The eczema treatment tacrolimus will be listed on the PBS, benefitting an estimated 143,000 patients annually, the Federal Government has announced.
Topical tacrolimus 0.1%, sold under the brand name aZematop, will be listed from 1 October for patients aged 16 and over with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.
Without PBS subsidy, patients could pay more than $54 a script, the government said.
Topical calcineurin inhibitors, including tacrolimus, are reserved for failure to achieve disease control or a contraindication to topical corticosteroids — the existing first-line treatment for flare and maintenance of eczema.
