10,000 Australians with advanced cancer just got a $5 medicine

From September 1, Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidizes KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) — an immunotherapy that teaches the body to fight cancer — for more than 10,000 newly eligible Australians over the next four years, including people with rare cancers that had almost no treatment options. The price: A$7.70 (about $5) per infusion for concession patients, A$25 (about $16) for others. Around 80 women with chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer get immediate funded access, skipping the usual 466-day wait.