Man fights to get cancer drug funded

From the Fredericton (NB) Daily Gleaner:
Frank Taylor may be fighting colon cancer, but he still has enough energy to pressure the province to cover the expensive colorectal cancer medication Avastin.

New Brunswick is one of only three Canadian provinces that don't pay for the medication - Prince Edward Island and Manitoba are the others.

That's forced Taylor to borrow about $35,000 from the bank to pay for his costly treatment sessions.

He said he's been drumming up support for the cause since he was diagnosed with colon cancer months ago, and he won't stop until every New Brunswicker is given the same access to the drug as other Canadians.

"We've got to do something about this," he said.

"My sister lives in Ottawa and she could walk in (to a doctor's office) and they'd look after her. I don't feel bad about that at all, but if I lived there, or in Amherst, I wouldn't have a problem." ...more

Battle erupts over B.C. funding for eye treatment

From the Globe and Mail:
British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to pay for a relatively inexpensive drug that can help stop the progression and even reverse the effects of wet macular degeneration.

But not everybody is happy about it. A drug company that sells a similar treatment at a much higher cost said the decision could put the health of patients at risk - the latest chapter in a long-brewing battle over the two treatments.

The issue began to unfold Wednesday, when the B.C. government announced it will provide funding for Lucentis, an expensive breakthrough drug that has proven effective in fighting the progressive eye disease. At the same time, the government said it will become the first province in Canada to fund Avastin as a macular degeneration treatment.

Avastin was originally developed to treat colorectal cancer and isn't approved by Health Canada for use as an eye treatment. But significant anecdotal research indicates the drug has similar effects to Lucentis, and many ophthalmologists in Canada, the United States and Britain have been using it to treat macular degeneration. ...more

Alberta cancer patients win drug funding

From the Calgary Herald:
Tears of joy greeted the Stelmach government's announcement Thursday that it will spend an estimated $5 million a year to fund the colorectal cancer treatment Avastin--making Alberta one of the last provinces to cover the controversial drug.

With cancer patients looking on, Health Minister Ron Liepert told the legislature the province will begin funding Avastin on April 1, following an Alberta Health Services Board recommendation Thursday that the pricey drug be covered.

"At the end of the day, what we want to do is what is right,"Liepert told reporters. "The decision is the right one."

The decision follows an Alberta Cancer Board recommendation in January that government fund Avastin for the treatment of advanced colon cancer.

Avastin has been at the centre of a national debate about costly cancer drugs, but the board endorsed the therapy after reviewing studies showing it can modestly extend survival for those suffering from colon cancer.

The health minister announced the decision Thursday after Calgary-Currie Liberal MLA Dave Taylor brought patients and family members to the legislature to plead their case. ...more

Ontario to cover cost of expensive cancer treatment

From the Toronto Sun:
Ontario will spend an additional $50 million to cover three of the most expensive cancer drugs over the next three years, Health Minister David Caplan announced Wednesday.

The province is earmarking $30 million to fund Avastin for colorectal cancer and $20 million to pay for both Sprycel, used to treat leukemia, and Alimta, for lung cancer, Caplan said.

But it’s not clear whether everyone who requests the drugs will be able to get the medication.

About 3,000 patients are looking for Avastin, which costs $40,000 for one treatment, according to Cancer Care Ontario. That could add as much as $120 million to the province’s drug budget.

Many cancer patients say they’ve been forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars for drugs that were recommended by their doctors but not covered under the provincial health insurance plan. Some sought donations and organized fundraisers to help defray the huge cost of the potentially life-saving treatment. ..more

Provincial funding of cancer drug Avastin is unlikely

From the Fredericton (NB) Daily Gleaner:
Officials from New Brunswick's Department of Health say they're not ready to change their minds about adding cancer drug Avastin to the provincial medical formulary.

Avastin is mainly prescribed for colorectal cancer patients and the manufacturers of the medication say a dozen treatments given over a six-month period cost about $21,000.

After Nova Scotia recently became the fifth province in Canada to fund the costly cancer treatment, advocate Carrol Stewart thought New Brunswick might revisit its decision.

Stewart said she has collected almost 4,000 signatures of people who believe the province should add the drug to the provincial formulary.

She said she recently submitted the list of signatures to Health Minister Mike Murphy's office and sent copies to Premier Shawn Graham and several MLAs and MPs. ...more

Woman can now buy cancer drug at cost

From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
A Guysborough County woman will now be able to buy Avastin at cost from an Antigonish hospital, saving about $400 per dose compared to what she originally paid for the cancer drug.

She and her husband hope others will get the same benefits and that Nova Scotia will eventually pay for the pricey treatment.

Marlene George, 47, was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer a year ago and has been taking Avastin and having chemotherapy for 10 months.

Her husband Blair George said that in getting the drug at cost they’ve won a battle but not the war.

"We’re not special people here," he said Friday. "This has got to be something for everybody for the short term, and in the long term, my fight is for the government to pay for it."

The late Jim Connors, a lawyer, former Dartmouth city councillor and cancer patient, led a strong lobby urging the province to fund the colorectal cancer treatment which he could afford but others could not. ...more

High cost of living

From the Welland (Ont.) Tribune:
Kevin Bigford feels the province’s health system has let him down.

Its decision to not fund a drug that could extend his life caught the former Port Colborne resident completely by surprise when his oncologist laid out the cold facts about the cancer-fighting drug Avastin.

Because Avastin is still before the province’s committee to evaluate drugs, the Ministry of Health won’t fund it – even though four other provinces will.

“While they won’t come right out and say so, it’s about money,” Bigford said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Kitchener.

Avastin has a proven track record in extending the lives of patients with colorectal cancer, but the treatment comes with a crippling financial cost. One treatment of Avastin costs Bigford just under $3,000. He needs two treatments per month – about 20 in total.

In 2007, the Canadian Cancer Society estimated that 20,800 Canadians would be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 8,700 people would die from the disease. One in 14 men is expected to develop colorectal cancer in their lifetime. It is currently the second leading cause of death. ...more

Tories push for cancer drug funds

From the Winnipeg Sun:
A cancer drug that can help patients live longer should be fully funded and not done on a “case-by-case basis” say the provincial Tories and a national cancer group.

“Why shouldn’t everybody have equal access to this drug?” said Barry Stein, president of the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada.

“There needs to be quality of treatment for patients in Manitoba,” said Kelvin Goertzen, Tory health critic.

A spokeswoman for the province’s health minister Theresa Oswald said doctors can prescribe Avastin in Manitoba based on a patient’s need. The drug cost is covered in a limited number of cases. ...more

Drug approval strategy needed

From the Saskatoon Star Phoenix:
There should be no surprise at the fact that Premier Brad Wall has apparently decided to cover the cancer drug Avastin under the provincial drug plan.

After all, in Opposition the Saskatchewan Party went to great lengths to portray the former NDP administration as a heartless bunch of penny-pinchers for refusing to do it.

The Saskatchewan Party can hardly do otherwise than to follow through and cover Avastin now that it's in government.

Health Minister Don McMorris's confirmation that a final decision will be announced this month brings the new government full circle on the "patient-a-day" political strategy his party pursued in Opposition. ...more

Alberta covers costly cancer drug

From the Calgary Herald:
Alberta is now footing the bill for a common colon cancer treatment, leading advocates to call for provincial funding of a second drug with a steep price tag.

The provincial government has begun picking up the tab for Oxaliplatin after years of controversy because many patients paid thousands to undergo the therapy, an effective colon cancer treatment.

Alberta is expected to spend about $7 million a year to treat about 300 patients with the drug.

It's certainly a positive step for patients," said Dr. Tony Fields, a vice-president with the Alberta Cancer Board. ...more

N.S. approves funding for two more cancer drugs

From CTV News:
Nova Scotia will fund two additional cancer drugs - but Avastin is not one of them.

Health Minister Chris D'Entremont says Oxaliplatin, a drug that treats colorectal cancer, and Mab Campath, a drug that treats chronic lymphocytic leukemia have been added to the list.

The decision is based on recommendations by the province's Cancer Systemic Therapy Policy Committee, which includes oncologists, pharmacists and cancer survivors.

The committee feels Oxaliplatin can treat colorectal patients after surgery and prevent the disease from progressing. ...more

Petition urges Nova Scotia to fund Avastin

From CBC News:
Presented with a 2,200-signature petition Wednesday, Health Minister Chris d'Entremont said "public opinion" would be a factor in his final decision whether to cover a costly cancer drug.

The petition calls on the province to pay for Avastin, a drug used to treat colorectal cancer.

"I was very happy to be able to hand it to him personally and he seemed very open to receiving it," said Denyse Hockley, who launched the petition last month in support of a woman battling the disease. ...more

Association of Avastin (bevacizumab) with tracheo-esophageal fistula

From Health Canada:
Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, in consultation with Health Canada, has informed Canadian healthcare professionals of important new safety information concerning AVASTIN (bevacizumab).

Avastin is used in combination with a specific type of chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer of the bowel and rectum which has spread to other sites. Please note the following new safety information for the use of AVASTIN:
For Health Care Professionals
For the Public

Patients in life and death struggle pay for cancer drugs

From the Thunder Bay (Ont.) Chronicle Journal:
Three Northwestern Ontario patients with an incurable form of colon cancer have paid $35,000 each for a drug in a bid to extend their lives.

The drug, Avastin, was administered through the regional cancer program.

Two of the patients died after just five months.

The patients were from Thunder Bay, Kenora and Fort Frances, said Michael Power, vice-president of regional cancer services and diagnostics.

Power said cancer specialists at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre would be willing to administer Avastin if the patients order and pay for the drug, or have it paid for by private insurance plans. ...more

Colon cancer drug Avastin linked to esophagus problem

From CBC News:
An advisory has been issued after the colorectal cancer drug Avastin was linked to the development of a rare, potentially fatal problem with the esophagus.

Health Canada approved the use of Avastin or bevacizumab, in combination with other drugs, to extend the lives of people with colorectal cancer that has spread to other sites.

In an advisory Tuesday, the department said use of Avastin and other cancer treatments has been linked with the development of tracheo-esophageal fistulas — abnormal connections between the esophagus (the tube from the throat to stomach) and the trachea (the windpipe), which normally remain separate. ...more

Patients buy cancer drugs at new clinic

From the Ottawa Citizen:
A private clinic has opened in Ottawa, giving patients who can pay for them, cancer drugs not covered in Ontario.

The clinic, one of about 10 similar operations that have opened across Ontario since last fall, is part of a growing chain operated by Bayshore Home Health and "sponsored" by the pharmaceutical company Roche Canada.

Some of the federally approved drugs, administered intravenously, are already covered under health plans in other provinces. ...more

Cancer drug Avastin battleground in debate over fairness versus costs

I suspect that someone is eventually going to take this type of inequality to court as a Charter of Rights challenge. I'd suspect that the court would rule it's a breach of Charter rights, and would that result in a chaotic aftermath in the health care system.

While a ruling like that would appear to be a victory for patients, I think it would financially break the provincial systems, and that would bring in more of a private element into the system. Ironically, this would the opposite result that the plantiff would be looking for.

From the Canadian Press:
Two middle-aged women living on opposite sides of the country, both battling the spread of colorectal cancer, believe a medicine called Avastin separates their fates.

Ruth Tremblay of Vancouver says she's now "cancer free" because the drug is part of her treatment.

Halifax resident Judee Young wonders if her life will be cut short because her provincial government has declared the same medicine, at roughly $35,000 a year, too expensive to provide.

Young, 47, the married mother of an eight-year-old, calls the contrasts "crazy."

"It's a question of whether my health is not as important as someone else's health. I've been a taxpayer for 25 years and the time comes I need help from my government, and I can't get it."

Tremblay, 48, married and living on a yacht with four step children, said she always thought there was an equality of health care in Canada.

"What I've discovered is it's divided down by province on who gets what." ...more