Breast cancer prevention drug subsidised

A preventative drug that reduces the risk of breast cancer will be subsidised by the federal government.

More Australian women will be able to afford a preventative medicine that could reduce the risk of developing breast cancer thanks to government subsidies.

Tamoxifen is the first preventive treatment for breast cancer to be listed on the federal government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The treatment will benefit an estimated 9000 women with moderate to high risk of developing breast cancer, and help patients on concessions save more than $200 a year.