Cost of life-saving heart disease drugs slashed, saving patients thousands

Life-saving medicines that tackle Australia's biggest killer are about to be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The move will take the cost of some scripts for heart disease from thousands of dollars to just $42.

Terry Griffin, 42, suddenly developed symptoms of heart failure earlier this year.

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"I only got these symptoms while I was running. About six minutes into every run I'd get a tightness in my chest," he said.

The Adelaide man saw his GP and underwent a double bypass just two weeks later.

"If I hadn't listened to those symptoms I wouldn't be here now. There's no two ways around that," he said.

Terry's cardiologist recommended he take Repatha.

It's an expensive medicine that helps people living with heart disease lower their 'bad cholesterol', reducing the risk of another heart attack or stroke.

But he said his family had to "tighten their purse strings" to pay for it.

However from December 1, it will be listed on the PBS for the first time.

And the price of Repatha, a medicine to treat high cholesterol, will drop, from almost $4000 a year to $42.50 per prescription.

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Concession cardholders will pay just $6.80.

Cardiologist Associate Professor Peter Psaltis said the cholesterol drug was essential.

"For people with heart disease we need to get that level down as low as possible," he said.

"We've known for a long time one of the key factors that causes heart attacks and strokes is high cholesterol level."

Heart disease causes a quarter of all deaths every year.

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While thousands of Australians will benefit from these cheaper medicines, there's now a push to pick up heart conditions before they become a problem.

A review is under way to make a heart health check up with a GP permanently covered by Medicare.

The potentially life-saving measure is due to end next June.

Health Minister Mark Butler is keen it continues.

"I've said I'm very supportive of it but obviously this review is important. We'll talk more about it once the review evidence is in," he said.