First subcutaneous immunotherapy for lung and liver cancers added to PBS
Subcutaneous atezolizumab takes just seven minutes to administer, compared with 30-60-minute-long infusion required for the IV formulation.
Thousands of Australians with advanced lung and liver cancer can now access subsidised subcutaneous immunotherapy that cuts treatment time to seven minutes.
On 1 August, Roche’s subcutaneous formulation of atezolizumab (Tecentriq SC) became the first such programmed death-ligand 1 immunotherapy on the PBS.
While the IV formulation has been PBS-subsidised already, administration takes 30-60 minutes, often at a dedicated infusion clinic.
In contrast, subcutaneous thigh injection can take just seven minutes, at three-weekly intervals.
