Australia Makes $200K Cancer Treatment Free for Patients

Phil Citera was at death's door in 2021, unable to walk or shower without help, when a revolutionary cancer treatment saved his life.

The Melbourne father of two had been battling multiple myeloma, a deadly blood cancer that destroyed 80 percent of one of his vertebrae. Traditional treatments failed, and he could feel "death knocking at my door."

Then he received CARVYKTI, a cutting-edge therapy that reprograms a patient's own immune cells to hunt down and destroy cancer. Almost five years later, he's cancer-free and back to playing soccer with his kids.

Now, this life-saving treatment is available to all eligible Australians at no cost. The federal and state governments announced in May 2026 they will cover the $200,000-plus price tag per patient.

CARVYKTI works by extracting a patient's T-cells, genetically modifying them to attack cancer, then infusing them back into the body. It's a one-time treatment tailored specifically to each person's cancer.

"CARVYKTI was life-changing for me and my entire family," Citera said. "I'm back working five or six days a week and doing things with my kids again."

The Ripple Effect

More than 14,000 Australians live with multiple myeloma, and Australia has one of the highest death rates from this cancer in the world. Professor Andrew Spencer from The Alfred hospital in Melbourne says this new treatment "could not have come soon enough."

The therapy is currently available at Alfred Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Victoria. It will soon expand to specialist hospitals in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, with cross-border arrangements for interstate patients.

Before his diagnosis at age 44, Citera was a high-energy sales manager working 40 to 50 hours a week. His world collapsed one night in 2018 after a work event when his back seized up with excruciating pain.

The timing was especially cruel. His wife was still recovering from her own battle with breast cancer when doctors delivered his devastating diagnosis.

After initial remission, the cancer returned in 2020. By September 2021, Citera was so sick he had conversations with his wife about what to do if he didn't survive. Then he was selected for the CARVYKTI clinical trial.

Today, he has no detectable cancer in his body and has returned to full-time work. For Citera, kicking a soccer ball with his beloved children feels like a miracle he'll be "forever grateful" for.