First new PBS-listed option in more than 20 years starts on 1 August 2026
Australians with Grade 2 IDH-mutant glioma gained access to a new brain cancer treatment on 1 August 2026, when VORANIGO joined the PBS as the first new subsidised option for this brain cancer in more than 20 years.
Servier Australia announced the change in Adelaide on 2 August 2026 after the federal government confirmed the PBS listing for VORANIGO, also known as vorasidenib.
The listing covers adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older with a susceptible IDH1 or IDH2 mutation who have not previously received systemic anticancer therapy or radiotherapy and who meet PBS eligibility criteria.
Grade 2 IDH-mutant astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma are rare and incurable brain cancers most commonly diagnosed in adults aged 20 to 45.
IDH-mutant glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumour in adults under 50, and the briefing cited an estimated 3,230 Australians affected.
Jim Whittle on treatment access
Eligible patients include people with residual or recurrent disease after surgery who do not need immediate chemotherapy or radiotherapy, provided the tumour carries a susceptible IDH1 or IDH2 mutation.
The disease is slow growing but chronic and incurable, and it can limit a person’s ability to work, drive and maintain independence.
Associate Professor Jim Whittle, a medical oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and co-director of research strategy at The Brain Cancer Centre at WEHI, said care decisions for IDH-mutant glioma often span many years.
Whittle described PBS access to vorasidenib as a targeted option that gives clinicians another choice when they plan treatment with patients.
Meanwhile, the PBS decision followed years of advocacy by patients, clinicians, researchers and brain tumour groups seeking better access to newer therapies.
Craig Cardinal, chair of the Australian Brain Tumour Collaborative, linked the subsidy to that long campaign by Australia’s advocacy, research and clinical organisations to improve outcomes for people affected by brain tumours.
Regular liver function tests are required before and during treatment because raised liver enzymes are a key safety risk. Common side effects also include fatigue, headache, diarrhoea, nausea, and muscle aches or stiffness.
