The Canadian Cancer Society has called on Ontario to fund take-home cancer drugs the way cancer-treating medications are administered through IV in hospitals.
While talking to a legislative committee hearing pre-budget submissions recently, Hillary Buchan-Terrell, the society’s Ontario advocacy manager, said: “Ontario is one of the only provinces, other than Atlantic Canada, that does not cover oral cancer medication.
“The cost-of-living crisis is at the forefront for most Ontarians. They should not have to worry about choosing to pay their mortgage or their cancer treatment.”
The demand is not new as the Cancer Society has been requesting oral medication coverage for over a decade. Buchan-Terrell said there was hope in the 2022 budget, as it promised an advisory table to explore improving access to the drugs, but no progress has been made to date.
When asked about that commitment, a spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones pointed back to the two-year-old budget promise.
In a statement, Hannah Jensen wrote: “Ontario will continue to work with key stakeholders, subject matter experts and federal, provincial and territorial partners to identify additional initiatives to achieve long‐term sustainability of public drug programs.
“The government is also committed to bringing together an advisory table to explore improvements to access to take-home cancer drugs.”
The Canadian Cancer Society estimated that covering the medication would cost Ontario between $17 million and $44 million per year, depending on whether it uses a first-payer model or acts as a backup for patients without adequate private coverage.
