Families priced out of eczema treatment, calls grow for PBS to fund Dupixent injection

Jade Hlucshniow was about to sell her house to pay for treatment for her daughter, whose debilitating skin condition had stolen much of her childhood.

Ruby, aged seven, suffered from eczema so painful it claimed the lives of her family.

“The nights were the worst. For the rest of my life, I will never forget her screams – she was screaming, begging us to help her – and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness as we stood there, unable to take away her pain.”

Jade said that before Ruby had access to the right treatment, life was a living ‘nightmare’.

She missed school, also stopped eating properly and became too self-conscious to go out in public.

“She was so worried about people staring at her,” Jade said.

When the family heard about Dupixent, a treatment Jade describes as a “miracle injection,” the hope came with a brutal price tag: about $1,600 a month.

“We had to think through everything – what we could cut our expenses, how we could make more money, what we could sell – just to try to make this treatment an option,” he explains.

“I can honestly say that if we had sold our house, we would have gone to such lengths.”

Ruby was given compassionate access to the drug a year and a half ago and has become “a different child,” according to her mother.

“I can’t put into words the overwhelming relief we felt in that moment… for the first time in so long we could finally breathe again.”

Now families who cannot afford the same treatment want the federal government to take immediate action by subsidizing Dupixent through the PBS for children under 12.

The drug is already available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for Australians aged 12 and over, but younger children are excluded without special access.

Managing director Melanie Funk is calling for better access to treatment, saying the current lack of funding is leaving thousands of families suffering needlessly.

“Families of young Australian children with severe eczema are at breaking point and cannot afford a life-changing drug,” she said.

If listed on the PBS, the cost would be reduced from $1600 to approximately $25 per month.

Eczema affects around three million Australians, including one in three children aged six or under.

Dr. Li-Chuen Wong, from the Australasian College of Dermatologists, said severe cases can be disabling for young children and cause relentless itching, skin infections and sleep disruption.

“In the worst cases, children are in constant discomfort and cannot function normally, and the impact on families is profound,” she said.

That was the stark reality for the Hlucshniow family – a stark contrast to Ruby’s life today, where she can finally enjoy the same experiences as other seven-year-olds.

“She plays sports, participates in all school activities and no longer has to be on the sidelines. She goes to birthday parties – something she used to avoid – and has become such a social butterfly. It’s been incredible to watch.”

“These may seem like small things, but to Ruby they mean everything,” Jade said.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee will consider an updated proposal at its July 2026 meeting.

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