The Treasurer announced in his budget speech that Emgality will be listed on the PBS on June 1, 2021!
Emgality is one of the new CGRP antagonist medications that are dramatically changing the lives of people with migraine. These are the first-ever medications specifically developed to prevent migraine attack.
By June 1 it will be 692 days since the PBAC recommended Emgality listed on the PBS, so we are very grateful that this listing has been achieved. We know many in the migraine community are very relieved and happy. It has been a long fight!
If you are currently on the Ember program, you will need to go and see your neurologist to get access to Emgality on the PBS. Make sure you make your appointment in June and not May as your neuro can't prescribe it for you using the PBS codes until 1 June.
The conditions for subsidised access are similar to OnabotulinumtoxinA.
- You must have Chronic Migraine (15 headache days, 8 of which are migraine days) for at least three months.
- You must have failed three older medications like propanolol, topiramate and amitryptiline
- You must be managed for medication overuse headache
- You must be under the care of a neurologist
- Your neurologist must initiate treatment (your GP can do continuing scripts)
You cannot get both Emgality and OnabotulinumtoxinA on the PBS. If you are having success with both, then you should stay getting OnabotulinumtoxinA through the PBS and Emgality through the Ember program.
The Ember program, which is the discount voucher program offered by Lilly which makes the medication available at about half price ($263 a month instead of roughly $530) will continue to be available for those who do not qualify under the PBS restrictions.
Lilly has applied to the PBAC to get Emgality listed for episodic patients as well, but that application was rejected. Migraine Australia will continue to advocate for the restrictions to be eased. We will also keep campaigning for Ajovy, Aimovig, and all the new migraine medications to be listed on the PBS.
We will have a Facebook Live and do an email update later in the month when we have confirmed a few more details. Join our email list to make sure you don't miss any updates.