At least a quarter of a million people will get access to medicines they otherwise could not afford, with new additions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Drugs to treat a range of life-threatening conditions have been made cheaper by the federal government subsidy, Federal Health Minister Peter Dutton announcing around 50 entries for new and amended medicines and procedures.

Among the drugs to become cheaper; Dabrafenib,the first melanoma medicine to target a genetic mutation present in about half of all melanoma cases, will be sold as Rafinlar.

Sunitinib (Sutent), for pancreatic cancer, increases survival rates of patients who cannot undergo surgery, and is now part of the PBS.

Around 5,700 men will benefit from the expanded inclusion of Denosumab (Prolia), previously available only as a treatment of osteoporosis in women.

There is always concern from some more financially-minded sources over the cost of including more products on the federal government-subsidised list. Amendments have included a change to the pricing schemes of some PBS medicines.

“I'm confident we've got the balance right,” Mr Dutton said in regard to the price changes.

“There will always be more to do and there are other drugs that are being judged and assessed right now, but these drugs will make a big difference in people's lives.

“I think it's a great process we've got and it's one of the important institutions in our health system in this country.

“We do it much better than many other countries and I hope we can continue to make that investment a very wise investment, for the future health needs of Australians.”

Details of the new and amended PBS listings are available here.