Zoladex 3 monthly available but not PBS covered for women
I wanted to share something I recently learned as it might help ease the burden of regular monthly injections.
I recently learned that the goserelin injections many of us have monthly are actually available in a 3 monthly dose (10.8mg). I was a really hopeful thinking this could significantly reduce the stress, time and cost that comes with needing to have an injection every 4 weeks.
However, my Med Onc informed me that in Australia, the PBS doesn't subsidise the 3 monthly dose for women, although it does for men (prostate cancer). The reasoning given that there's `insufficient evidence of reliable suppression of serum oestradiol' in women.
What doesn't make sense is that there is evidence suggesting otherwise. Recent research indicates that the 3 monthly dose is non-inferior to the monthly dose for pre-menopausal women with breast cancer in terms of ovarian suppression.
For me, the monthly injections come with a real burden:
- financially - GP visits and medication add up every month
- time wise - frequent GP appointments and pharmacy trips take time out of the week.
- physically and emotionally - injection itself is painful, it's a large slow release implant into the abdominal subcutaneous tissue.
The main alternative - surgical removal of the ovaries is obviously much more invasive and comes with it's own risks and long term consequences.
Given that the 3 monthly option is already in use, clinically tested and could ease the burden for many of us, I would really like to see equal PBS access for women.
I'm curious, has anyone else looked into this and how to go about taking action?
