Venclexta PBS listed as first line therapy for CLL patients unfit for chemotherapy

• VENCLEXTA plus obinutuzumab is a combination, fixed duration therapy for previously untreated patients with CLL who are unfit for chemotherapy
• VENCLEXTA was developed out of the Australian discovery that a protein called BCL-2 helps CLL cells survive. Blocking this protein helps to kill and reduce the number of these cancer cells(1)
• Over 1,800 people are predicted to be diagnosed with CLL in Australia this year making it the most common type of leukaemia diagnosed in Australia

Monday 30 November 2020, Sydney – AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) Australia has welcomed the Government’s announcement that Venclexta® (venetoclax) in combination with obinutuzumab will be available to eligible Australians with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) as a first line therapy via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from the 1st December 2020. This PBS listing will allow CLL patients who cannot be treated with standard chemotherapy-based treatments to have affordable access to this first line combination treatment.

Venclexta in combination with obinutuzumab is a targeted, 12-month duration treatment that is to be reimbursed for patients with previously untreated CLL, who are unfit for conventional chemotherapy. (1,5)

Venclexta works by blocking a protein in the body (BCL-2) that helps these cancer cells survive. Blocking this protein helps to kill and reduce the number of cancer cells. It is an oral tablet that can be taken daily in combination with intravenous obinutuzumab.(1)