Omico, the not-for-profit genomics pioneer, has formally proposed a ‘first of its kind,’ transformative model that transitions groundbreaking ‘state of the art’ cancer treatments into affordable, routine clinical care for Australians diagnosed with rare and challenging cancers.
The Precision Oncology Health System Incubator (PrO-HSI) sets out a strategic investment pathway with multi-sector funding using established policy and infrastructure frameworks, to integrate advanced therapies into contemporary cancer care without overwhelming public resources amid a diminishing taxpayer base and aging population.
“The model of care we want to establish has to be there in perpetuity. Ensuring high-need cancer communities have affordable, prompt access to innovative treatments—with us now and continuing to arrive—is a critical equity and innovation challenge that must be addressed,” states Professor David Thomas, Chief Science and Strategy Officer at Omico, and Director, Centre of Molecular Oncology, UNSW.
He also notes, “The issue of inequitable access and outcomes for rare cancer patients cannot be solved by focusing solely on ‘bridge’ funding for high-cost drugs without new approaches that address evidence gaps for rare cancers.”
“We’ve worked hard and consulted extensively to build a collaborative and transparent approach that works effectively within the HTA framework, addresses the need for affordability and sustainability, and focuses on the most critical unmet needs. It will extend the lives of those with the toughest cancers – people who must not be left behind,” he states.
Collaboration and Shared Funding
PrO-HSI centres around a shared funding model between the public and private sectors fostering collaboration between healthcare stakeholders and helping to unify Australia’s health ecosystems.
It incorporates an innovative data-driven approach that supports transparency and value-based resource allocation. Core elements include:-
- A shared 50:50 investment by Government and industry partners into the cost of genomic screening for 5000 rare cancer patients per year and data collection within the program.
- A pay-for-performance model to provide immediate access to tumour-agnostic treatments for ~750 patients per year, with government reimbursement limited to the 40% of patients expected to respond to treatment.
- ~1760 patients per year are expected to be matched to clinical trials, boosting R & D investment in Australia and providing access to advanced therapies funded by industry.
The estimated investment for implementation over 4 years is AUD 220 million, reflecting shared funding by the government and industry.
Rare cancers, including cancers of unknown primary origin (CUP), makeup 15% of all cancer diagnoses each year.1 Due to challenges in diagnosis and treatment, patients with rare cancers are more likely to die compared to those with more common cancers, representing 1 in 5 cancer-related deaths.1
“PrO-HSI represents a collaborative and truly smart and fair approach to integrating the latest cancer technologies into accessible treatment and care for patients. It leverages the essential, nationwide infrastructure established by Omico over the last 8 years,while continuing to forge a pathway for Australians to benefit from science and innovation today and into the future,” adds Ian Black, CEO Omico.
Components That Make It Workable
Core elements factored into PrO-HSI making it practical, manageable a,nd sustainable include:-
- Delivers on HTA and Senate Inquiry Recommendations: PrO-HSI addresses 24 out of 50 recommendations in the Health Technology Assessment Methods Review, and 18 of 41 recommendations from the 2024 Senate Inquiry into rare cancers.
- Leverages and strengthens existing frameworks: PrO-HSI builds on what already exists – policy and legislative frameworks and a proven healthcare delivery infrastructure effectively created through initiatives like PrOSPeCT*.
- A contained structure: It de-risks government investment in healthcare innovation. The approach caps government spending at AUD 30 million per year and utilises fixed funding with data-driven options for timely implementation, modification, or withdrawal, alongside a program-level evaluation for cost-effectiveness.
- A data-driven approach: The collection of comprehensive real-world data is central to the process, together with the development of a health economic model using evidence that reduces uncertainty and evaluates the value of precision oncology for patients with high unmet needs.
“Important steps have already been made to forge this critical care model and establish advanced healthcare solutions into routine healthcare delivery. Omico is positioned through initiatives like PrOSPeCT to implement PrO-HSI in a highly effective and thorough way,” states Prof. Thomas.
“We have demonstrated that harnessing health innovation not only improves patient care but also generates significant gains in our innovative scientific and research economy. Since inception PrOSPeCT has supported 70+ local company-sponsored clinical trials resulting in 1,300 new jobs and AUD 176M in direct foreign investment,” he notes.
“By addressing the unmet needs of rare cancers, PrO-HSI sets the stage for healthcare innovation that will benefit everyone. Paradoxically, solving the unique challenges of rare cancers will lead to better outcomes for all Australians with cancers,” concludes Professor Thomas.
