TORONTO –Ontarians with breast, prostate and lung cancer will now have access to better treatment, thanks to the McGuinty government's funding of three important cancer-fighting drugs, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.

"By funding Herceptin and two other key drugs designed to battle cancer, we are continuing to ensure that Ontarians have access to the medications and treatments they need," said Smitherman. "Today's announcement is a win-win for breast, lung and prostate cancer patients who will benefit from the coverage of these new treatments."

The McGuinty government will be investing $148 million over the next three years to fund the three cancer drugs. In approving the drugs, the government is acting upon the recommendations of the Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee (DQTC), an arm's length advisory body of medical experts who assess the scientific evidence for new drugs and make recommendations to the government for funding. The three drugs are :

• Herceptin (Trastuzumab) – for early breast cancer (stages 1, 2 and 3), as well as late-stage breast cancer (metastatic)
• Navelbine (Vinorelbine) – for lung cancer
• Taxotere (Docetaxel) – for prostate cancer

In the case of Herceptin for early-stage breast cancer, the government was able to fast-track the review process, meaning that the drug was recommended several months sooner than would normally have been the case.

"Our goal is always to get all Ontarians better access to the effective medications and treatments they need," said Smitherman. "With Herceptin, we were able to speed up, but not compromise, the extremely important review process."

"This is very good news for cancer patients in Ontario," said CEO of Cancer Care Ontario Terry Sullivan. "The government has moved responsibly to ensure that this drug was properly reviewed and then made available to patients as quickly as possible."

"This is an extremely important development in women's health care in this province," added Dr. Carol Sawka, Vice President - Clinical Programs, Cancer Care Ontario and breast cancer specialist. "Access to this drug will make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of women in Ontario who are dealing with breast cancer."

This initiative is part of the McGuinty government's plan to build a health care system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.

For further information :

Members of the general public : (416) 327-4327, or (800) 268-1154

Backgrounder Approving Drugs in Ontario 1 page | 27k | PDF format

To view PDF format files, you need to have Adobe Acrobat® Reader installed on your computer.    You can download this free software from the Adobe Web site.

© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2003  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimers  |   Last Modified :