Zoladex to stay on PBS until May 2027
24 Sep 2026
The 3.6 mg goserelin implant will now remain available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) until 1 May 2027. Prescriptions issued by 30 April 2027 will also be able to be dispensed until 1 May 2028.
The monthly implant had been due to leave the PBS on 1 November 2026. The earlier decision had raised concerns among patients and GPs about ongoing access to treatment.
AstraZeneca Australia and New Zealand Country President Dr Marie Guillet said the company recognised the concerns raised following the original announcement.
The company said Zoladex has been used clinically in Australia for decades but has become more expensive to manufacture due to rising costs.
The 3.6 mg implant was first listed on the PBS in 1991. PBS figures show it was dispensed 92,191 times in the 12 months to the end of May 2026.
The extension follows the recent PBS listing of triptorelin 3.75 mg, sold as Diphereline, which will provide another treatment option from 1 October 2026.
AstraZeneca said its previously announced Zoladex continuity program will therefore not proceed.
There is also an update to the three-monthly Zoladex implant. The 10.8 mg formulation, already listed on the PBS for prostate cancer, is now registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the management of specific hormone-related breast cancers.
However, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) is still considering AstraZeneca's application for PBS coverage of this breast cancer indication.
AstraZeneca said it is also considering another application to secure long-term PBS access for the monthly 3.6 mg Zoladex implant.
Zoladex to stay on PBS until May 2027
Source: AstraZeneca Australia, 23 September 2026.