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opinion: timely cancer care for patients in canada is within reach
canada consistently ranks behind its g7 peers in the time it takes for new medicines to move from health canada approval to public coverage
2 minute read
canadians deserve a system where access to innovation is independent of geography. a family in halifax or calgary deserves the same timely access to new medicines as a family in toronto.
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imagine hearing from your doctor that a new oncology treatment is approved by health canada and could help change the course of your cancer diagnosis, only to learn that it may be years before it is covered by the public system.
for people living with cancer, innovation brings hope, and this scenario is heartbreakingly common. every moment counts when battling this devastating disease.
canada consistently ranks behind its g7 peers in the time it takes for new medicines to move from health canada approval to public coverage. patients here often wait close to two years longer than those in comparable countries to access innovative therapies.
if you live with cancer, those delays aren’t just in numbers. they can mean missed milestones: birthdays, graduations, weddings, or simply more time together.
but it doesn’t have to be this way.
provinces have recognized the urgency in creating a faster, more direct path from regulatory approval to public coverage and are committing to improving timely access for patients.
ontario has launched a funding accelerated for specific treatments (fast) program that aims to reduce the time it takes for patients to access certain high-priority medicines following health canada approval. focusing first on oncology patients, the fast pathway can provide them with innovative treatments at least nine months sooner.
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quebec has similarly announced measures aimed at accelerating access to medications for the quebec population, with a plan to actively participate in a new accelerated drug price negotiation process for oncology drugs implemented by the pan-canadian pharmaceutical alliance (pcpa).
now, the challenge, and the opportunity, is for other provinces to commit to early access too.
canadians deserve a system where access to innovation is independent of geography. a family in halifax or calgary deserves the same timely access to new medicines as a family in toronto. legislators across the country must seize this moment to align on bringing innovations to patients faster and bring equity to patients nationwide.
partnership will be key. industry, governments, patients, and providers are already working together to close the gap. innovative approaches like health canada’s priority reviews demonstrate that speed and safety can go hand in hand, and provinces are showing that with determination and collaboration, they can create pathways that put patients first.
patients are not asking for special treatment. they are asking for timely treatment, for a system that moves at the pace of science, and with the urgency of illness.
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every acceleration is a chance to give patients more moments that matter. canadians deserve a system where access is measured not in years, but in weeks and months. together, we can make that a reality.
an van gerven is the president at pfizer canada.
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