30 March 2026 - Top Stories

Keytruda PBS expansion adds three cancer indications.

Australia is seeing AI become a routine part of care delivery. Patient-side AI agents are linked to about a 5% bump in consultation bookings, and clinicians must upskill to meet patients who arrive with AI-informed expectations. Real‑world tools like AI-assisted summaries are moving into practice; success will hinge on training and data access to avoid creating a two-tier system where only some clinics realise the benefits.

New Zealand's Illumina onshore sequencing pilot will process more than 6,000 samples over two years, diagnosing rare inherited conditions and guiding cancer care locally instead of abroad. The plan reduces reliance on offshore labs and introduces new tests and workflows. For Australia, the lesson is stark: to scale genomics domestically, funding and clear governance for a national service are essential, or the advantage will drift offshore again.

Pembrolizumab, marketed as Keytruda, will gain three new cancer indications on the PBS from 1 April, bringing total listings to 21. Hospitals must update their formularies and adjust budgets to accommodate the higher spend and broader patient access. The expansion places greater pressure on oncology procurement and overall health budgets while improving patient outcomes.

The PBS-led rollout of GLP-1 obesity drugs will be cautious and tightly managed, with the PBAC recommending a start focused on those with BMI over 35 and cardiovascular disease. This approach constrains access for lower‑income groups for now and forces health systems to weigh real‑world evidence before broader funding.

An MRFF grant of $2.6 million funds a two‑year program to curb low‑value knee OA care by equipping GPs and physiotherapists with practical tools to cut unnecessary imaging, referrals and arthroscopy, with outcomes tracked and a staged rollout planned for 2027.