Department of Health

Highly Specialised Therapies Program

Key messages

  • Highly specialised therapies are new, high-cost treatments (costing more than $200,000 per patient) delivered only at selected public hospitals.
  • These therapies are formally assessed and recommended for public funding by the Commonwealth Government's Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and are jointly funded by Commonwealth and State and Territory health departments.
  • After approval by the Commonwealth, State and Territory health departments determine which public hospitals provide highly specialised therapies.

The 2020–25 National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA)External Link is committed to improving health outcomes for Australians by:

  • providing better coordinated and joined-up care in the community.
  • ensuring the future sustainability of Australia’s health system.

It explains how the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments contribute funding for public hospital services.

Schedule C of the NHRA provides information about how all governments will support delivery of new life-saving high-cost therapies. Highly specialised therapies funded under the NHRA support national access to treatment for patients with rare conditions who often have few options remaining.

As of 1 May 2024, currently funded highly specialised therapies are:

  • The CAR-T cell therapy, Kymriah®, for treating:
    • relapsing/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in those aged 25 and under (delivered at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) and The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac) and Alfred Health) and;
    • relapsing/refractory adult diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (delivered at Peter Mac and Alfred Health).
  • The CAR-T cell therapy, Yescarta®, for treating relapsing/refractory adult diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (delivered at Peter Mac and Alfred Health).
  • The CAR-T cell therapy, Tecartus®, for treating;
    • relapsing/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (delivered at Peter Mac and Alfred Health), and;
    • relapsing/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (delivered at Peter Mac and Alfred Health)
  • The gene therapy, Luxturna®, for treating inherited retinal dystrophies (delivered at Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital).
  • The immunotherapy, Qarziba®, for treating high-risk neuroblastoma (delivered at the RCH and Monash Children’s Hospital).

A national FrameworkExternal Link for the assessment, funding and implementation of highly specialised therapies and services was developed in collaboration with the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and other relevant stakeholders.

This framework provides guidance concerning assessment and nationally consistent commissioning of approved highly specialised therapies in selected public hospitals across Australia.

The department will seek expert clinical advice through the Victorian Health Technology Advisory Group and clinicians as required when considering decisions on highly specialised therapies.

Reviewed 10 May 2024

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Contact details

Health Technology Program

50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
healthtech@health.vic.gov.au
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