Provincial regulatory bodies determine the drugs that can be used for each type of cancer and in which situation. Some are funded by government, some are not.
Unfunded drugs may be new and still awaiting final approval from Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) yet be indicated for certain types of cancer where other drugs have not been effective. Others may be part of a ground-breaking treatment that is expensive and complex to deliver. Yet novel therapies can be life-saving.
There are countless reasons patients ask to try a new medication and Grand River does all it can to fulfill their request. Receiving a new drug can mean living with their disease under control, or living well for years longer during a palliative period – long enough to walk a daughter down the aisle or celebrate a milestone birthday. For many, trying a different line of medication would not be an option without financial support.
Last year Grand River Regional Cancer Centre spent more than $1,000,000 on unfunded drugs (including $600,000 for unfunded chemotherapy drugs) to help patients in desperate need of life saving medications they would otherwise be unable to afford.
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